Finding love at Queen’s

Queen’s alumni and current students share their campus love stories

Love on Queen's campus.
Love on Queen's campus.

With Valentine’s Day approaching, love tends to be on our minds more than usual. Whether you’re a fan of the red and pink holiday or you pretend it doesn’t exist, there’s no doubt that Queen’s campus has been the site of some truly heart-warming love stories.

On my investigation into love at Queen’s, I posted on “Overheard” to have people share their stories with me. Over 650 people commented on the post, and I received over 100 stories in my messages. There were so many amazing ones to choose from, but I had to narrow it down to just a handful.

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, The Journal has compiled a list of just a few of the many love stories that have Queen’s at the centre of them.

The short version is that I was fundraising in my first year to be a Nursing Orientation Leader, selling chocolate bars in the ARC. This guy would come by around twice a day to buy chocolate bars from me throughout all of December and January, until he finally asked me out for a coffee. We both thought we got stood up on our first date because we forgot to agree on a spot to meet in Stauffer. Now, we’ve been dating for three years.

— Alexa McCarthy, Nursing ‘18 

My partner and I both worked on the executive of Queen’s New Democrats and eventually became great friends. I knew he was something special when he brought me a bottle of cheap champagne to split while we hung out and watched West Wing one night, like the politics nerds we are. I ended up going through a breakup shortly before graduation and we went on a date a few weeks later – with real champagne this time. We came back and spent our first Homecoming together this year as a couple, and I’ve never looked back.

— Carling Counter, ArtSci ‘17

I met my boyfriend while he was sitting behind me at the Vogue Charity Fashion Show last year, where I started talking to him and decided to introduce myself. I thought he was very handsome, so when we came back to school this September and were at a conference together the first week back, I asked him out on a date. The rest is history.

— Ryan Dawson, ArtSci ‘19

My fiancé and I met at Queen’s almost five years ago. I was out at Alfie’s (now The Underground) after a bad night when I saw him across the bar. I made my way over to the guy I recognized from my faculty, danced with him, kissed him and he walked me home shortly after. Not wanting to say goodbye, we sat at the lake and stargazed into the early hours – and that was it. He graduated a week later and we started a four-year long-distance relationship. He told me he loved me after three weeks and asked me to marry him in March of 2017 when we finally moved in together. We should’ve met so many times before we did in class or around campus, and almost missed ever knowing each other. Now we’re looking at the rest of our lives together.

 — Millie O’Brien, ConEd ’16

If it wasn’t for Queen’s, I never would’ve met my boyfriend. He’s from British Columbia and I’m from the GTA, and we met in our first-year German class in 2015. I’d been upset I didn’t muster up the courage to talk to him in class, but when I went to the ARC Tim Hortons to get coffee and he lined up behind me, I knew I had to talk to him. We’ve been dating ever since, even though he graduated in April 2015. We’ll be celebrating our three-year anniversary this March and I’ll be graduating and moving out to be with him in B.C. this summer.

— Melody Wilks, ConEd ’18    

Seven years ago, I met my fiancé in an unconventional way at Queen’s – I was in Grade 12 and doing a Queen’s tour, and he was my tour guide. We quickly became best friends until he went on exchange to the Bader International Study Centre in England and Escade Business School in Spain. That’s when I realized I wanted to be more than “just friends” with him. We did long-distance and dated once he got back to Queen’s. A few years later, he took me to a surprise sunrise lookout spot in Spain and dropped down on one knee. I said “yes” before he could even finish his proposal speech.

 — Julia Marie, ConEd ’16

I met my girlfriend while we were working together in the Queen’s drama department in 2016. I was actually her boss in a way, as I was the head of wardrobe and she was part of the costume crew. Part of the credit definitely goes to Queen’s, but for our actual love story, we have to thank Donald Trump. It was election night and the results came as a major blow. I was emotional and needed to be near someone, so Zoë took me back to her house, tucked me into her bed and lay beside me. At some point it just happened, we started kissing. One night in early December of 2016, we were discussing nicknames and she said, “you can call me your girlfriend.” We’ve been together ever since.

— Rysia Andrad, ArtSci ‘17 

Whether you’ve already met your special someone at Queen’s or you’re still searching, these stories are proof that the Queen’s campus can be the start of a great love story.

Tags

love, Queen's, valentine's day

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