The month of February is known for two things: leftover snow and Valentine’s Day. This Valentine’s Day, The Acorn would like to feature some very special stories of love, romance and friendship to help fight the cold that refuses to leave.
Every year, Drew University Advancement partners with alumni to tell the stories of those who fell in love in The Forest and where friendships sparked in residence halls, on athletic fields and along winding arboretum paths.
For Drew University sweethearts Jessica Bruno-Raiz (C’99) and Paul Raiz (C’99), it all began freshman year, living on the first floor of Brown Hall. Both were biology majors and varsity athletes, Raiz on the soccer pitch and Bruno-Raiz on the softball field. They had crossed paths during their first semester, but it was the Progressive Snack Night before finals when the flirting truly took off.
By second semester they were inseparable, sharing their first “date” on Feb. 13, 1996, with friends at Papparazzi in the Short Hills Mall. They dated throughout college, continued on to graduate school together at Boston University, and became engaged in 2001, a love story rooted in campus life that continues to flourish.
Other couples found their beginnings just as serendipitously.
Lauren Miglietta (C’24) and Morgan Mundahl (C‘24) met on move-in day sophomore year and quickly bonded over Introductory Astronomy I and their shared commitment to Drew fencing.
Study sessions turned into lunches at the Commons and long afternoons at practice, where friendly bouts and whispered encouragement drew them closer; despite their insistence that they were “just friends.”
When a sudden thunderstorm interrupted Mundahl’s plan to confess his feelings during a walk through the arboretum, they dashed to his dorm for cover and finally admitted what had long been evident. By Nov. 6, it was official.
At the Drew Theological School, Kirsten Trambley (T’20,‘21) and Rachael Phelps (T’18) first connected through a campus visit and later a shared role in Graduate Admissions.
What began as mentorship and friendship grew into a relationship as they pursued ministry, graduate studies and service to the Drew Theological community.
Trambley went on to complete two graduate degrees, eventually returning to campus in a leadership role in theological admissions.
Together they reflect with gratitude on the education, community and calling that shaped their lives—and on finding love in a place that continues to mean so much to them both.
Drew’s campus became more than a backdrop to these couple’s educations—it became a symbol of enduring love, community and a shared beginning in The Forest.
However, more than just romance grows on Drew’s campus.
Friendships are the backbone of college life. Without them this campus would not be where it is today and student life would be drastically different.
Aristotle theorizes three different types of friendships; utility, pleasure and virtue, all of which are a main ingredient in Aristotle’s recipe for happiness and well being.
Friendships of utility are based on what someone can do for you and what you can do for someone else. While it sounds transactional, friendships like these are rarely based on a person’s character, more so on circumstances.
Imagine an encounter with a classmate on the first day of class. Neither of you know one another, however there is an unspoken deal between you and your classmate. This would be a friendship of utility, you are serving each other and only sometimes does the friendship mature into something more.
Casey Bush (‘28), Allison Cannon (‘28) and Alyssa Cifelli (‘28) are an example of a relationship that grew out of utility.
Having met them both in Psychology 101, Cifelli introduced Cannon and Bush to each other when their first exam was coming up to form a study group. It being the first semester of the trio’s freshman year, the group was nervous for their first exam of the class and found things in common with each other when talking about their anxieties about the class, and eventually, the world in general.
Being a commuter, Cifelli planned a weekly lunch date with Bush and Cannon to keep the friendship alive and spend an hour talking and relaxing.
What started as a study group slowly turned into weekly lunches after class, as the trio built their friendship of utility into a friendship of pleasure.
Friendships of pleasure can be the result of a shared enjoyment, pursuit of happiness or the maturation of a class friendship.
Creating a friendship of pleasure creates community. The people who are chosen to be in these communities are always people who know how to have fun, actively seek out time to spend with you and have similar interests as you.
Take for example when Gillian Sampson (C‘24, G‘26) met her former roommate Sierra Walker (C‘25).
Years into their respective college journeys, they had a handful of mutual friends but never had the opportunity to get to know each other. After Sampson switched from commuting to living on campus, she began spending a lot of time in Walker’s dorm, which she shared with one of their mutual friends.
Through countless hours studying, dozens of game nights and dining hall trips, they began to realize how much they had in common. The invisible string that connected them led to a year of living together and growing closer as friends. They carried each other through honors thesis defenses, a variety of interpersonal drama, job rejections and acceptances.
This bond originally built off similar interests turned into Aristotle’s third type of friendship, a friendship of virtue. One that has stood strong against long distance, with Walker moving back to Florida after graduation.
Friendships of virtue consist of people you actively seek out because you enjoy who they are as a person, they affect you positively and encourage you to become a better person.
A virtuous friendship is where people find their lifelong friends, which is a core value to college life. For many, the reason for living on campus is to find people who you are able to connect with and foster those friendships that are carried with you no matter where you go.
But not being on campus does not stop students from the intimidating task of fostering relationships.
“Even as a commuter, I have been able to join clubs and attend events that make it even easier to connect and see friends outside of class,” said Cifelli “You have to be open to the idea that sometimes you make friends in peculiar ways.”
While Aristotle theorized that building strong friendships was essential to fulfilling human potential, the only way to know is to try. Seek out people and create connections, value your friendships and celebrate life with them.
Allison Cannon is a sophomore majoring in psychology and minoring in Spanish and law, justice and society. Gillian Sampson is a graduate student in the masters of education program.
