By Marc Stoufer III
Valentine’s Day doesn’t always require a relationship.
For 22-year-old Grand Rapids Community College student Miko Makaura, all it takes is her dog. (Though, she admits, she will approach a person instead, if she’s in the mood to meet someone new.)
Eighteen-year-old Ashyis Person, on the other hand, plans to spend Valentine’s Day with her boyfriend of two months.
“We met on a bus,” she recalls, a smile on her face. “I dropped my book, and he picked it up, and then told me I was pretty.”
After four years of marriage to the boy who caught her eye at a church group when she was 14, 21-year-old nursing major Christina Strobel says her secret to a lasting relationship was just being around a lot.
“I joke that at some point he was like, ‘well, I just gotta get used to it,’” she said.
While dating apps can be another way to meet someone, 21-year-old theater major Jason Perez is a little wary of them due to his mixed experiences with them in the past.
“(You’re) encasing this person into, like, a specific role in your life… And, so I feel like you don’t have that natural bond,” he said.
Among the reasons that a natural bond is important is that it can be critical in fighting off the most fabled relationship hurdle – red flags.
The most intolerable of them for accounting major Ardany Daniel-Lopez? Expectations.
He said that “other people expecting things from you from the get-go” is a major red flag.
Makaura adds that her biggest red flags are ignorance and disrespect.
“Just, you know, being rude for no reason. That’s a really big no for me,” she said.
For 21-year-old Jessie Longoria, it’s a lack of trust.
“When they can’t trust when you are leaving,” he said. “You know, stuff like that. Like, when you leave the house. When you go out somewhere, they can’t trust.”
Turning to green flags, 19-year-old Harmony Warren noted how important intention and effort are with a romantic partner.
“Showing your love to someone even with people being around and making sure the time you spend with them is spent well,” Warren said.
Strobel pointed out that a major draw to her now-husband was the way he interacted with her family. He was always kind to those younger than him, especially her younger siblings.
In a final thought, Person added, “Stay safe out there, y’all, we don’t need any more children!”
Collegiate reporters Juliette Bolle-Leon, Ava West, Faith Ball, Marie-Ange Betz, Kaylee Alvarez and Bethany Davis contributed to this article.
