Taking tests and tying the knot

This Valentine's Day, five Princeton undergraduates who are currently married or engaged shared their engagement stories and offer their perspectives on being a student at Princeton and simultaneously entering such a critical phase of life. While each student has a unique story, all of them emphasize the ways in which marriage or anticipated marriage has altered their outlook on college. As Mark Lewis '08, who got engaged early this fall, observed: "I do feel a little less connected to my fellow students just because I'm moving onto a stage in life that many of them aren't heading for yet." Other students admit to feeling less inclined to go out on weekends, opting instead to spend quality time with their significant other.

Whenever Celene Lizzio '08 isn't doing coursework, her mind isn't focused on partying, but on being a wife and a mother. Lizzio met her husband "by complete chance" when she was wandering through an unfamiliar part of Cairo, Egypt, where she was traveling a few years ago. Noticing that she looked lost, a young Egyptian man stopped and asked her if she needed directions. The two started talking, and a few weeks later they were married.

Lizzio, who is a practicing Muslim, said that traditional Islamic religious views frown upon dating before marriage, which is why the two were married so quickly. Lizzio emphasized the value that Islam places on "inter-human bonds that arise from the family unit," adding that such a mentality contributed to her decision to get married and continues to shape the way she envisions herself as a wife and a mother. In April 2006, Lizzio gave birth to a baby girl named Rahma, which means "divine mercy" in Arabic. Tragically, one month after Rahma's birth, Lizzio lost her brother in a motorcycle accident. Rahma, then, "lives up to her name by bringing a great deal of joy to our family," Lizzio said proudly.

Bradley Schroeder '10 has been married to his wife Casadi since May 21, 2006. After meeting in high school through church and mutual friends, Brad and Casadi began dating toward the end of their senior year and got married three years later. (Brad played junior hockey in Canada for three years before coming to Princeton.)

Since their Christian faith plays a significant role in their lives, Brad decided to propose to Casadi at church. He surprised her by waking her up around 4 or 5 a.m. and taking her to the church. "I turned only the cross lights on and had a blanket spread out at the foot of the cross, signifying how since we are both Christians our relationship is to remain under Christ's authority and grace," Brad said. There were candles, wine and other decorations. After talking for a while, the two danced at the front of the church before Brad suddenly got down on one knee and proposed. Casadi immediately said yes.

Brad said he has several friends from home who are married, but none of them is still in school like he is. In addition to being a full-time student, Brad is also a member of Princeton's varsity hockey team. While it can be difficult to balance academics, his hockey career and married life, Brad said that being married ultimately helps him manage his time well and keep his life in perspective. "I am grateful for the opportunity Princeton is giving me," Brad said, "but I also know that receiving a good education is not all there is to life, and being married helps me keep my priorities in order."

Emily Moses '08 met her fiance, Tom Huls, a senior at the University of Michigan, on a Caribbean cruise five years ago. The two quickly realized they lived within 15 minutes of each other in Michigan and began dating. Over winter break this year, Moses and Huls went to Maui together. One night, they had dinner at a beautiful restaurant where they ate on the beach and watched the sunset. Afterwards, they went for a walk on the shore and, there in the sand, Huls knelt down on one knee, presented a sparkling ring and proposed. Moses started crying and said yes.

Now that she is engaged, Moses said that she does feel "a little distanced" from her peers. Instead of going out all the time, she says she prefers to stay in and talk with Huls. None of her friends is surprised about the engagement, and her family is thrilled, Moses added.

Roughly 10 days after he graduates this June, Mark Lewis '08 will earn another distinction — that of husband to his fiance, Hallie Roe. Lewis and Roe met at a football game during their freshman year of high school in Texas. The two remained friends until midway through their sophomore year of college, when they started dating.

Last September, Roe came up from Austin, where she is a student at the University of Texas, to visit Lewis for the weekend. Before she arrived, Lewis enlisted the help of his roommates to set up pictures of himself and Roe around his room, chill a bottle of champagne and place his guitar behind the monument at the Princeton Battlefield. That afternoon, the two went for a walk around the Battlefield. Just before they reached the monument, Lewis got down on one knee and proposed. Lewis said Roe "was surprised and ecstatic." That night, the two went out for a celebratory dinner at The Ferry House. As soon as they walked in, Roe spotted her and Lewis' parents, who had both flown in from Dallas for the occasion. It was "a great weekend of celebration," Roe said.

Peyton Thompson '08 said that Christmas is her favorite holiday, and this year she received "the best Christmas present ever": an engagement ring. One afternoon over winter break, Wilson, Peyton's boyfriend of more than two-and-a-half years, took her to Crabtree Falls, a waterfall two hours away from their home in Richmond, Va. They were the only two on the mountain as they hiked to the falls. After they had sat at the top for some time, Thompson started getting ready to go back down. Wilson said, "Hold on a second, I have something to read you." He then began reading her a letter about how he feels about her, and Thompson knew he was going to propose. On one knee, Wilson asked Thompson to marry him and she, through tears, said yes. "He asked me at Crabtree," Thompson said, "because we had been hiking there before, and he wanted to propose to me on top of a mountain." They finished the evening with champagne and a dozen roses at a table in the restaurant where Wilson's sister works. "It was amazing," Thompson said. "We went on a light tour downtown to end the best date ever."

From the streets of Cairo, to a high school football game in Dallas, to a Caribbean cruise, Princeton students find love in all kinds of places. Despite vastly different circumstances, all of the students interviewed said that, despite being quite young and still in school, neither they nor their fiances hesitated about becoming engaged. It seems that for those really in love, it is as Billy Crystal says in "When Harry Met Sally": "When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."