Amanda Forester, sophomore nursing major  

Forester has been with Nate, her boyfriend, for seven and a half years. The true day of their first date remains a bit debatable. 

“I think we were fourteen,” she said. “It was a Akron RubberDucks game – he says it’s the first date, but I don’t really know. I took my best friend with me because I was so nervous to be outside of a school setting with Nate for the first time.

“When we went to eat, the main food was hot dogs. I remember we went through the line, Nate was by himself because, again, I was scared and eating was still a nervous topic, and he dropped all of his stuff. I think he was nervous. I’ve never seen him drop anything in his life since that day.”

Shannon Carr, senior middle childhood education major

Months after her first date with her ex-girlfriend, Carr said the memory of their first date — and the first time they met — still makes her emotional. 

“I bought her flowers, and when she came and picked me up, she had bought me some flowers, too,” said Carr, who had met her girlfriend Abby on the dating app Hinge. “We went to her apartment and watched a movie together. Especially with someone you meet over the internet, it’s a little awkward because you don’t know them that well. 

“At the start, my hands were on my lap, her hands were on her lap, and we had this little gap between us. Then she reached over and put her arm around me. It was the best feeling on the planet.”

Carr’s day did not start off as planned. Listen below to hear what happened:

Donovan Deighton, junior criminology and justice studies major

After hanging out with his future girlfriend just one day earlier,  Deighton knew he wanted to take Becca out on their first date the next day. The couple met in high school and have been together for almost four years. 

“I picked her up, and we went to Steak ‘n Shake,” he said. “We talked for an hour or two and then I asked her if she wanted to go on a hike, so I took her to one of the hiking trails around Cuyahoga Falls. We hiked and talked – it was a blast. It was really natural. The conversation flowed naturally.”

Listen to what happened the day before their lunch and hike here:

Lilly Edwards, sophomore digital media production major

Edwards remembers the “old fashioned” gesture her boyfriend Tyson made when picking her up for their first date to Miller’s Creamery in New Philadelphia, Ohio. 

“I was super impressed because he came to the door, which is hard to come by these days,” she said. “He came in and said ‘hi’ to my parents, and then we left. I remember I got chocolate peanut butter ice cream – that’s my favorite. Then he brought me back home, we talked in the car for a little bit, and he actually asked me to be his girlfriend right then and there.” 

The pair celebrated their two year anniversary Jan. 4. Here more about Lilly and Tyson’s ice cream trip here:

Staff story: Ty Kohler, senior journalism major

Kohler and his now-fiancé Rachel had been best friends for years before they started dating in January 2019. After building “a really bad snowman” on their first date, they went inside to watch a movie. 

That’s when the butterflies kicked in. 

“We go to watch a movie, and I cannot tell you a single thing that happened in that movie because I was so nervous the entire time,” Kohler said. “She was under my arm the whole time, and my heart was racing. I’m like ‘She looks comfortable. I can’t move. I can’t mess this up.’”

Ty and Rachel have been engaged for over a year and plan to get married in summer 2024. Hear about what happened two weeks before their first date here:

Isabella Schreck is editor-in-chief. Contact her at [email protected].