Fidgety and anxious, a young woman is waiting for her boyfriend to arrive at her house.
He has said that he has something important to tell her, and she has no idea what this means.
When she opens the front door, he is kneeling on one knee, dressed in a formal black suit, with slicked back hair and a clean shaven face with a velvet box in his hands.
He opens up the box and gives her the most romantic proposal she could have ever imagined.
For both of them, this is the beginning of a new life.
The thought of engagement does not cross most students’ minds, but there are those who find the love of their life early on and decide to make that next stage of commitment.
Though the male typically does the proposal, Sarah Willson, 19, computer technology major, proposed to her boyfriend while they were cuddling in his room and both felt that this was the right time.
“I was nervous and giggling, and after I asked him, he gave me a kiss on the cheek and said yes. I was nervous to ask, and excited when he said yes,” Willson said.
Lance Fujimoto, 18, automotive technology major and Willson met through mutual friends and ended up sitting at the same table in high school, Willson said.
There was an immediate connection, and after talking over a period of time things began to escalate, Willson said.
“He was a little weird and a big flirt,” Willson said. “He’s loud, and does a lot of really random things and can be very childish.”
They’ve been engaged for about a month, and though they’re young, they have known each other since high school and have been dating for more than a year, so they figured why not, Fujimoto said.
It’s tough to make time for each other because of school, but they are able to balance their priorities and make time for one another, Fujimoto said.
“We see each other during school and we hang out after school,” Fujimoto said. “Sometimes we talk to each other until 3 a.m.”
Being in love is a great thing, but there are pros and cons that come with being in a relationship, Richard Mascolo, psychology professor, said.
A significant other can be supportive and help out with getting research papers done, but also adds other stresses that wouldn’t be there like worrying about what the other person is doing, Mascolo said.
“In some relationships, one of the partners can be really needy. If this person is calling all the time or ends up needing to have a big talk right before your midterm, that person takes away from time needed to study,” Mascolo said.
While waiting until after school and until one is financially secure is a smart way to go, sometimes, one has to go where the heart leads you, Mascolo said. But it is important to be sure that this person is the one since school and a marriage are deep commitments.
The mysteries of love can’t always be ignored.
“If love calls, answer it,” Mascolo said.