Though we don’t know much about love, we do know three things: love prevails time and distance, love is love, and young love does not mean immature love. While many argue that Valentine’s Day is a commercial holiday, a coup by Hallmark company to make us buy cheesy cards or marathon their movies, these two couples see it as a celebration of their happiness, respect, and care for each other. Here are their stories:
Jocelyn and Elisa
You don’t have to be on the other side of the hall to love someone deeply. Jocelyn and Elisa’s story proves that. Jocelyn Nolasco is a senior studying Government and Politics at the University of Maryland, and Elisa Flores is in her first year of graduate school at Northern Illinois University.
Her Campus: How did you two meet? How long have you two been together?
Elisa: So, we met each other because Jocelyn promotes Greek Para for a site called Ukneeque Shop and I had seen them post a picture of her on Instagram promoting clothes for her sorority, Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority, Inc. I thought she looked beautiful in her picture so I added her after recognizing the rainbow flag in her bio and when she added me and I saw she had posted a picture I instantly replied to spark conversation. We had talked all day until we finally FaceTimed and once I realized that we had so many things in common, I knew I had to meet her and had booked my first solo flight to Maryland to actually get to meet her in person.
We have actually been talking to each other since October 9th (5 months). However, Jocelyn asked me to officially be her girlfriend on December 1st (My sorority’s Founder’s Day) so about 3 months.
HC: Tell us the story of one of your “firsts”: first kiss, first date… anything counts!
Jocelyn: The first time we officially met in person was when she came to Maryland the week of December 1st. Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority Inc.’s (Elisa’s sorority) has their founders month in December so I felt the pressure knowing that she gave up spending time with her chapter sisters for me. She flew in from BWI and I was nervous (pacing and everything to meet her). When I saw her at the airport, we didn’t have an awkward moment and it felt as if we had already known each other for years. It’s a beautiful thing to be able to feel that comfortable with someone.
HC: What is a typical date like? That is, what do you guys like to do together? (example: go to the movies or museums, cafes, restaurants etc.)
J: COFFEE. Elisa and I have a love for coffee that keeps us going. We never go a weekend without going to a Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts. We also are long distance so if I’m visiting Illinois, she plans the weekend and if she’s visiting Maryland, I plan the weekend. We’ll go to museums, new places to eat and hang out with our friends.
HC: What do you two think is the most important thing about a relationship? What is your favorite thing about YOUR relationship?
J: Open communication and understanding. I think I struggle a lot with recognizing my flaws, but I care a lot about her and how I make her feel so it helps. If I am struggling throughout the day, I let her know. If I get nominated for something or got an A on a paper, I let her know. We also run on very busy schedules, as we both are a part of multicultural sororities and are both in school. We make time when there is none and consistently show respect to each other.
E: The most important thing about our relationship is open communication. I have never been in a long distance relationship before meeting Jocelyn but she really is my best friend and everything has become so natural and easy. We do operate on busy schedules, but it is so nice to have a partner that is so understanding with all the other things that both do (i.e. organizations, internships, jobs, etc.).
J: My favorite thing about our relationship is the confidence it brings me to know we’re doing things together. Having a partner support you in everything you want to accomplish while also being able to do the same for that person is crucial. We also consistently send Bulldog/St.Bernard videos to each other (because we want one of each) and important articles to each other or even just sending coffee money to each other because we know if we were in the same place, we’d be arguing about who is gonna pay this time around.
E: My favorite thing about our relationship is that it’s so simple, honest, full of love, and laughter. I’m a huge hopeless romantic and so I always wanted love that was like what I’ve seen in the movies or read in books and or relationship feels like that. It is an amazing feeling to find someone who is so supportive and who has become your best friend because there isn’t a moment of the day where we’re not joking around with each other or motivating each other to be our best selves. We really balance each other out.
HC: What do you two think about Valentine’s Day? Do you think it’s just a commercial holiday or is really about love? Are you guys celebrating? What are your plans for Thursday?
J: I always liked it for the cheesy Valentine’s Day cards stores put out or for the discounts on chocolate. I also think it’s just a way to sit people down as we’re always racing to do the next thing and to appreciate their support systems. Being long distance makes things difficult so we aren’t celebrating officially on Thursday. Elisa will be in town for the weekend so we have plans for the whole weekend. We’re looking at doing a double date with one of our friends and doing a Valentine’s Day weekend brunch.
E: I’ve always really liked Valentine’s Day even though I do believe that love should be celebrated every day. Being long distance, I’ve found that love is shared in tiny gestures (when we send each other money for coffee or food) or in big ones (when she asked me to be her girlfriend at the WWII Memorial/when I gave her a promise ring for Christmas). Even though I couldn’t be there on the exact day Valentine’s Day falls on due to my class schedule, I was set on being able to fly to Maryland for the weekend to spend our first one together.
Laura and Diego
Laura Phillips-Alvarez, a freshman Anthropology, and Government major, and Diego Mendez, a sophomore Finance major, lived in the same hall for almost a semester before even talking to each other.
Her Campus: How did you two meet? How long have you been together?
Laura: I’d seen him around and thought he was cute but our paths never seemed to cross. Then one day in a dorm party he was there. We spoke only briefly but later that night I found him on Tinder by pure coincidence. I decided to take my chances and messaged him. We’ve been together for about two months but it feels like a lot longer.
Diego: I first got to meet Laura at my friend’s room. We started a conversation about makeup and Global Communities, the program we’re both in. From there we started texting and began dating. It feels pretty swell! We’ve been together for around two and a half months or so.
HC: Tell us the story of one of your ‘firsts:’ first kiss, first date… anything counts!
L: I had no idea what to expect on our first date. He gave me no hints and I still did not know him at this point. We ended up walking towards the football field at which point he asked me if I was adventurous. Still unsure of what to expect, I responded with “sometimes.” We climbed the fence into the field where we talked for hours and shared music and danced.
D: We went to the football stadium on our first date. It was pretty amazing, we were both dancing in the field and I think I kissed her there towards the end of the night. I knew we were gonna date after that day.
HC: What is a typical date like? That is, what do you guys like to do together?
L: Aside from trespassing, we like to go to museums, cafes, restaurants. Last weekend we went to a hip hop museum which was pretty cool. Afterwards we just walked along the waterfront. Sometimes we just stay in and have a dance party!
HC: What do you think is the most important thing about a relationship? What is your favorite thing about your relationship?
L: I think the most important thing about a healthy relationship is trust, communication, and respect. It is important to communicate boundaries and to respect those boundaries. Also trusting your partner. If you don’t trust them, then something is wrong from the start. My favorite part of our relationship is that he is so easy to be around. I can just be myself, and despite not knowing him for long, he is my best friend.
D: In my opinion, the most important thing in a relationship is honesty. In order for us to maintain a healthy relationship, I think it’s important to communicate and be open with each other. My favorite things about my relationship with Laura are hands down the moments where we’re making each other laugh. It doesn’t matter what we do I’m always very happy whenever I’m around her.
HC: What do you two think about Valentine’s Day? Do you think it’s just a commercial holiday, or is it really about love? Are you guys celebrating? What are your plans for Thursday?
L: Whether I am single or in a relationship, Valentine’s Day has always been one of my favorite holidays. I think it is such a nice way to celebrate everyone you love; friends, family, yourself! I think it is hard for any holiday not to be commercialized in a free market economy, however, I don’t think that should take away from the underlying meaning of it. Thursday we are staying in and having a little picnic + painting (and probably dancing).
D: I like Valentine’s Day. I think it can be an opportunity for couples to remind themselves why they enjoy spending time with the other person and enjoy the company of one another.