We Met At CSU

With Cleveland State being a mostly commuter campus, students tend to come to classes and leave without meeting anyone. But getting involved on campus brings a new aspect to your college experience and can result in the beginnings of a relationship with your soul mate. Most students do not think of love when they come to CSU, but while you are growing, learning, getting involved and enjoying your college experience, love could be just what sneaks up on you along with all those deadlines.

Jon and Julie

Recently, Jon and Julie celebrated Halloween as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. With Julie as peanut butter, Jon as jelly, and giant pieces of bread strapped to their backs, the couple was able to spend as much of the night hugging as they wanted. These two lovebirds have been together for two years and eight months and are now engaged to be married. Jon says that on June 3 he "proposed the idea of marriage to Julie and somehow got her to say 'Yes!'"

By getting involved in the club sport of rowing, Jon and Julie found each other. Jon reveals, "We met through the rowing team at CSU. I joined the team in fall 2005 and Julie joined the following semester. We never really talked until our team trip to Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, MA. My friend Denny Matheou talked Julie into coming to Boston just two days before we left. When I found out I thought, 'Oooohh, I wonder which car she is going down in......there is an extra seat in my car!' On our drive back, a 10 hour drive starting at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday night, we were the only ones awake. We talked almost the whole time and really connected. We started talking, and then actually started dating after we came back from spring break the following semester."

When asked what role Cleveland State plays in their relationship, Jon replies, "I can say with a high degree of certainty that were it not for CSU, we may have never met." As in all college relationships, Jon says, "When we were both attending at the same time (Julie graduated spring 2008) it was tough to see each other due to different majors and classes." Despite the difficulty of sustaining a relationship through busy schedules full of classes, homework and rowing practice, Jon and Julie made time to be together. Jon says, "We both really enjoy the downtown atmosphere. We were always seeking new things to do downtown and were rarely disappointed."

Jon exclaims, "We are the perfect example of engaged learning!"

Leah and Vince

Leah and Vince met at CSU before Leah had even signed up for her classes because as Vince says, "She came through orientation, and I was her orientation Leader." He continues, "I remember specifically that she was the girl with two last names; that was how I remembered her in my group." When the next orientation season came around, Leah joined the team of orientation leaders, "and then we started working together at orientation," says Vince. This is where they really started to get to know each other. Leah continues, "And then we worked together for like a year. The second year we were working together we started dating."

These two have been together a year and a few months, and they have spent a lot of that time at Cleveland State. Between working as orientation leaders, studying hard to achieve greatness, and being involved on campus, Leah and Vince are truly invested in this university.

Leah says, "I think we're both really passionate about Cleveland State. For me, it's the only school I wanted to apply to, it's the only school I wanted to go to," and continues, "I think Cleveland State is a big part of our lives even without one another." Vince agrees saying, "I think it's kind of cool that we have that in common that we both love this university." And he reveals, "We wouldn't have met if it wasn't for Cleveland State." Although Cleveland State is a huge part of their lives, the strain of finishing up classes before Vince graduates in May and Leah graduates over the summer can make it difficult for the couple to find time to be together. To make sure they get everything they need done and get to see each other, Leah says that they will "just sit around and do homework together."

Alec and Monika

After being together for one year and two months, Alec and Monika can still be seen enjoying dinner together at the Viking Marketplace. Both Alec and Monika are resident assistants in the dorms, and this keeps them busy, on top of their schoolwork and other jobs. Although the couple has a lot to do now, they met by joining a club that kept them even busier each morning at 5:30 a.m.

Alec says, "We met while at rowing practice at the beginning of the semester, and the beginning of rowing season." Although, "We met each other there, then we found out we were also in the same Chemistry class, which is where we got to know each other." And, through the events and trip of the rowing team as well as the ability to see each other often because they have both always lived on campus, Alec and Monika's relationship has blossomed.

When asked what role Cleveland State plays in their relationship, Alec replies, "CSU was the start to our relationship, so we wouldn't be together if we didn't go to school here. It also has a positive role on the fact that we both live on campus so there are no distance issues." Alec emphatically adds, "Plus, we both bleed green and white, so GO VIKES!!"

Susan and Andrew

With slightly strange beginnings, Susan and Andrew eventually came together to form a relationship that has lasted fourteen months, and hopefully it will last many more. Susan says, "We met technically the first day of the intro to swing lessons, and he never came back." But she continues, "Then, I started dating his roommate," but that did not work out, "and then, after a year, we kept running into each other again." After running into each other so much eventually everything fell into place, and they started dating.