Love isn’t dead: The timeless tales of Chapman love
With Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14, Chapman couples share their love stories and opinions on the holiday. Illustration by YANA SAMOYLOVA, Illustrator
Haley Kamola’s love story began on Halloween night to the tune of “Am I a Man or Am I a Muppet.” While friends and strangers lingered around a party, showing off their costumes and munching down candy, the junior film production major found herself watching Jason Segel and Amy Adams help save the Muppets’ old theater from a money-hungry oil baron in “The Muppets.”
Not quite a scary movie, but her heart was pounding watching next to her soon-to-be-boyfriend.
“(The movie) was a YouTube playlist of 47 parts. It was all three-minute clips of the movie,” Kamola told The Panther. “Every single (clip) had an ad in front of it, but we put it on and just sat on the ground of the garage and watched. We couldn’t even hear the sound, so he was sort of describing the events of “The Muppets” movie, but he was describing it in three-minute chunks, each one separated by an ad, and it was so funny.”
With Valentine’s Day around the corner on Feb. 14, The Panther sought to find the most swoon-worthy love stories on campus. From blossoming love in a Dodge student’s garage to using teeth as a pick-up line, Cupid has shot his bow all across Chapman.
The holiday is especially exciting for those who are experiencing it for the first time in a relationship like Kamola. With her holiday spirits high, Kamola is overwhelmed with joy as she enters stores decked in pink decorations.
“Every time I go to Target, I see all the Valentine's decorations…I'm so excited to celebrate with (my boyfriend) and just being in love now,” Kamola said. “But it's also just a great way to appreciate my boyfriend. Of course, I love him every day, but I can make a whole big thing out of it on Valentine's Day. And of course, it's a good way to show appreciation for my friends too.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was almost impossible to make friends, let alone find a significant other. For Francesco Carriglio, a international business administration alumnus who graduated after the fall 2023 semester, finding his future girlfriend while living at The K Apartments in 2020 was unexpected, given he had only made a couple of friends so far.
“I wasn't really able to meet people, and (all) I had to go off (of were) a couple friends that I made over the summer,” Carriglio said. “One of these friends had recently been going over to (Chapman) Grand to go hang out with a friend of his and her roommate as well. So one night, I went over to (Chapman) Grand, and I met a girl who would become my girlfriend.”
Despite the hundreds of sentimental cards, heart-shaped decorations and a pink clothing takeover seen at a myriad of stores, Valentine’s Day is about more than just the consumerism side of things, but it's important to acknowledge.
“Being proud of these connections that you have in your life and being able to understand the consumerism side (is important),” Carriglio told The Panther. “Every holiday is marketing to the masses and is reaching for money, but I think the spirit of Valentine's Day is loving that person that you feel needs their flowers.”
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And for senior history major Ryan Klein, he was banking on his pick-up line about teeth making a beautiful impression on who would soon become his girlfriend. After working at a prosthetic teeth company in the summer of 2021, Klein had a bag of fake teeth sitting in a bag on his nightstand.
“I just was obviously totally enamored with her, so I needed an excuse to talk to her,” Klein said. “And I had this huge bag of teeth in my room. And I was like, ‘You wanna see some teeth?’ Which is obviously a great pickup line. She said, ‘Yes.’ I think the rest is history.”
Although their start may have been unconventional, now Klein and his girlfriend enjoy typical couple activities: cooking, going on walks and most importantly, being competitive.
“We just really enjoy doing new things together,” Klein said. “So whether it be tennis or rock climbing or baking a new dish or trying to make the best soup, it's like we just find ways to compete against one another. It keeps things fresh. I think what works perfectly is we're just different enough to where we have a lot of different interests that we can still introduce and show each other, but we also bond over a lot of things.”
In addition to loving yourself before trying to love a significant other, Klein offered a piece of advice for those who are trying to make long-term relationships last.
“I think that every great relationship begins with a long backstory of confusion and trying new things and just falling flat on your face, which is, I think, beautiful. You definitely have to put in a lot of work whether or not you realize it.”
