From the Deline Northwestern, I'm Anita Lee. This is season two, episode five of Digital Diaries, a weekly podcast following the college experience and asking students a question about life at Northwestern. As Valentine's Day approaches, this week's episode is about Northwestern couples. We see them cuddling in North University Center and holding hands, walking down Sheridan Road, but we don't always know how they got together.
This week, I asked them to share their stories and offer some advice to their single peers. Weinberg Freshman, Steven Levitt, first saw Weinberg Freshman, Anya Matteo Asbury at a party. Levitt says he walked up to her and told her she had really pretty eyes. They exchanged snapchats and then started saying hello to each other and passing.
Well, Matteo Asbury tells a different story. He kept saying hi to me and I didn't remember who he was. And then he asked me to like a deep party and I went, even though I didn't really know him. I thought I would try something new.
I had fun. It was a month before Levitt asked her out. Why did you wait so long? I didn't think she was into me.
She's so pretty, she got so many other guys. Aw. But Matteo Asbury says she made the first move when she kissed him on the dance floor. They became official over winter break when Levitt visited Matteo Asbury at her home in New York.
Matteo Asbury says an important part of their relationship is honesty. If you're not honest about the little things that's hard to be trusting about the big things, I just think it's really important for the foundation of relationship. Weinberg third year, Tanya Kogreja also says she made the first move with her boyfriend, Weinberg Junior, Dan Yang. They met through their mutual friend, Weinberg Junior, Joey Pollock, at a group dinner in a foster Walker complex dining hall.
Rachel wasn't planning on finding a boyfriend at that time. I met Dan when I was in my, I'm gonna be single for this year mode. I don't need any men. I'm gonna be a strong, incredible man.
And then I just thought he was really weird, but like cute. I just wanted to have fun. I got his number from Joey. Like, ask me if he wanted to study or if he liked to boba.
I definitely make all the moves. On December 9th, almost three months later, they had their first kiss. We were studying on my bed and I was like, okay, I feel like I should talk about this. What are we doing?
And he was like... Studying? And I was like, okay, what do you know what we're doing in terms of like this? I was like, I'm right like you.
And I was like, okay, I thought we'd establish that. And he was like, no. And then that was our first kiss. Their first day after becoming official was in Chicago.
Kogreja chose to go to the medieval torture museum. It was so bad. I thought I could handle it. I thought it'd be like funny, but then I went there and I was like, oh my God, this is horrifying.
Weinberg Jr. on Bart Guzman, saw Weinberg Jr. Dwayne Morgan in Allison Dining Hall Winter Quarter of their freshman year. And she made a plan.
When he gets up, I'm gonna pretend to know him and that's what city he's from. So I got up and I was like, oh, are you Corey? I think I'm seeing him like one of my Zoom classes. We were online back then.
And he's like, no, I'm Dwayne. I'm from Memphis. And he's like, I like your hair. We had lunch again, Allison.
And we just kept getting much together. They had their first kiss on Valentine's Day and became official two weeks later. Morgan and Guzman both say that if they had to pick a highlight from their relationship, it would be that first Valentine's Day. We just talked with each other.
I felt like she was my girlfriend at that point, even though I wasn't official. I had little butterflies and stuff and we would hold hands a little bit before Valentine's Day, I kind of knew. But that was their market, all. What do you think you two guys together?
Don't you act so kindness? We really sweet each other. Weinberg Jr. Hope McKnight and former Daily staffer and Madill Jr.
Sarah I met followed their sophomore year through Professor Stephen Thrasher's journalism class, reading and reporting LGBTQ plus health. They started getting breakfast before class together, then lunch after class, and then started hanging out regularly. I said one of her favorite memories from before they started dating was when they went to Lincoln Street Beach. We just like laid on blankets and were looking at the stars and she was showing me a bunch of constellations and that was very cool.
I was like, oh my God, this girl is perfect. Their first date was going ice skating at Robert Crown Community Center. We held hands for their first time. It was really cute.
It was like an hour into ice skating too, because I was like trying to wrap. I was really skating side by side. It was really laughing around the back. Since then, they've done road trips in California and celebrated pride in Berlin.
I and McKnight both say that this relationship has taught them to be vulnerable with each other. I don't usually cry in front of anyone, except my dad once in high school over a project. And here was Sarah, that is not the case. The moment I started dating, I was like waterworks every single week.
And I was like, what's the wrong with me? To feel such strong emotions, have to confront yourself also. It's very nice to be able to feel those. I also said she learned a lot about emotional intelligence.
Being okay with telling her if I'm feeling sad or angry about something and being able to do it right away instead of being afraid of how she's going to respond because I know that she's always going to be supportive. For all of us who have yet to find that special someone, Dan Yang has some advice. At the gym, that's where she's going to talk to me. It gives you an opportunity to meet more people.
What's your good afterwards? Sarah I says to be yourself. I think you shouldn't have to change any part of yourself. Don't try to make them like you.
At the end of the day, you only want to date someone who actually likes you for who you are. And the only way you'll find that is presenting your true self. Tanya Kogreja says her best advice for her bowless besties is no advice at all. Sometimes you just got to enjoy the single life.
Know that being in a relationship is not any indicator of your value or your worth or anything like that. But for those of us lamenting another Valentine's Day alone, McKnight and I say not to worry. There's a romance in friendship. There's a romance to be found everywhere you go.
If you want to see photos of these couples, go to our website DailyNorthWestern.com, find this episode and scroll to the bottom of the transcript. From the Daily Northwestern, I'm Enita Lee. Thanks for listening to another episode of Digital Diaries. This episode was reported and produced by me.
The audio editor of the Daily Northwestern is Erica Schmidt. The digital managing editors are Joanne Hainer and Olatunji Osha-Williams. And the editor-in-chief is Alex Perry. Make sure to subscribe to the Daily Northwestern's Podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or SoundCloud to hear next week's episode on Monday.