A Twin’s Hunch Leads Two Cheshire Academy Alums to a Campus Proposal
Salena Khan ’20 didn’t think twice when English teacher Nicole Beaudwin P’26 asked if she could come to campus for a “Where are They Now?” interview for the Cheshire Academy yearbook.
After all, she had worked on The Rolling Stone when she was a student, and she looked forward to spending some time on campus with the cherry blossoms in bloom outside the library.
Little did she know the story was just a set-up to entice her under the flowering tree for a very different question: a marriage proposal from her boyfriend, Chris Blanchard PG’18.
Khan said she was “completely surprised” when Blanchard took a knee outside the Humanities Building on April 26. Beaudwin, who is an accomplished photographer, started snapping pictures.
“I was confused at first because my sister was there, too,” she said, of her twin sister, Sarah ’20, who was in on the planning. “It happened really, really fast. But it made sense. We hold it as a special place in our hearts.”
Khan and Blanchard barely knew each other during the one year they were both at CA: He was a postgraduate, a hockey player from Wallingford who hoped to elevate his academic and athletic games and catch the eye of a college team. Khan and her sister had transferred from Hamden Hall and were sophomores.
But Blanchard said he saw the twins around campus, and remembered Sarah when he ran into her last year.
“I said, ‘I remember you from Cheshire Academy!’” Blanchard said.
At the end of their conversation, Sarah suggested Blanchard reconnect with Salena because she thought they would hit it off.
“She knows her sister,” said Blanchard, who is a dedicated volunteer firefighter and licensed EMT and works in construction.
The couple started dating in April 2025, but Salena said they have very little free time. She is operating and accounts billing manager with her family business, Nelcon Service Center, and runs her own business, Life on the Line, which draws attention to tow truck driver safety and sells safety apparel and supplies.
As a result, she said they often find themselves eating take-out dinners, sometimes in Blanchard’s truck outside the Field House. From there, they can see the blossoming trees, which remind Khan of her own parents getting married under the cherry tree outside a family home.
Family means a lot to both Khan and Blanchard. In addition to Sarah setting them up and helping get Khan to campus last month, Blanchard’s dad helped him buy and bring home the diamond ring he bought in Aruba. After she said yes, he had arranged a family celebration at Bellini’s Restaurant in North Haven, where her parents had gone after their wedding.
“They all knew!” said Khan, laughing. “It was very shocking.”
The CA proposal was the perfect choice for the couple, who are planning a 2027 wedding. Both love staying busy and challenged, a trait that may come from time at their shared alma mater, said Khan, a Sacred Heart University graduate.
“My work ethic grew there,” she said. “With all the clubs and activities – they motivate you. They pushed me to be who I am.”
