A decade of love: a Surrey proposal story
On 1 February 2026, ten years after they first met, two alumni returned to where it all began - the University of Surrey campus - to mark the next step in their relationship.
Lok Kio Wong and Wing Yan Hui after getting engaged back on campus for their ten-year anniversary.
Where it all began
Their story started in a low-key way, outside the Lakeside Café during Freshers’ Week. An everyday meeting, with no big moment or dramatic declaration.
“It didn’t feel like the start of something big,” Lok reflects.
Over time, their connection grew. Between lectures and late-night study sessions, they got to know each other better. There was no single turning point, just a gradual, steady realisation that this relationship mattered. Walks after dark, helping each other through exam stress, talking about future careers-somewhere in that routine, something long-term began to form.
Growing together
University life is often described as transformative, and for Lok and Wing, that was true both personally and as a couple.
As individuals, they developed confidence and clearer ambitions. As partners, they learned skills that would help them beyond university: communication, resilience, patience and mutual support.
“Our relationship now is much steadier, more intentional,” Lok explains. What started as a student relationship has become a partnership they see as long term.
Certain places on campus still hold particular meaning for them: 03MS01, a lecture room they often shared, the library, where they met between classes and Young’s Kitchen, where they went to celebrate good news and personal milestones. Each spot holds shared memories.
Closing the loop
When their tenth anniversary approached, returning to Surrey felt like an obvious choice.
“Surrey is where everything started,” Lok says. After a decade together, coming back felt like a way of acknowledging how far they had come since those first days on campus.
On a winter day in February, stepping back onto campus brought a mix of nostalgia and calm. It was a chance to pause, reflect, and reconnect with the place that had shaped so much of their story.
There, surrounded by familiar locations and memories, Lok asked Wing to take the next step with him. Wing happily accepted his proposal and a Surrey wedding is on the cards!
A shared beginning, a shared future
Sharing the same university experience has always been important to them. Surrey represents the start of their relationship, the point where their paths crossed, and where their ambitions began to take clearer shape.
It’s a shared history they can return to, both in memory and in person. They hope to keep doing that in the years ahead – whether for anniversaries, wedding photos, or simply to walk through the campus that still feels like a reference point in their lives.
Ten years ago, their story began at the University of Surrey. This February, they returned as alumni, ready to look ahead to marriage and to a future built on foundations laid during their student days.