Love is in the air. From meaningful gifts to thoughtful gestures, students share how they show love for their partners on Valentine’s Day.
Allison Gonzalez, a senior psychology major, said she met her partner in class sophomore year. They quickly became friends and have been dating for two years now.
“We had sensation and perception with Dr. Burton. My partner missed class when we had a test and he didn’t know if the test would be hard or not,” Gonzalez said. “He messaged me on Instagram and then from there we started talking [over socials], then we started talking in class, and then we started hanging out together. And the rest is history.”
Gonzalez said that she loves everything about her partner. She said that he is her “other half” because of the strong connection and deep understanding they have.
“I feel like we’re the same person but just different genders,” Gonzalez said. “We have the same sad music taste. I feel like we have the same love languages, which I think is super important when you’re communicating with a partner.”
Gonzalez also said that she likes to show her appreciation for her partner through gift-giving, such as making homemade arts and crafts like printing pictures and making photo albums.
“I really love photos because they capture memories,” Gonzalez said. “It’s one thing to remember a memory, but it’s another to look at a memory.”
Similarly, Jakob Malin, a senior communications major, said he has known his partner for five years. He said he shows his appreciation for his partner on Valentine's Day through romantic gestures.
“I ask her every year to be my Valentine,” Malin said. “Her birthday is three days away from Valentine’s Day so I always try to do something nice, like dinner and flowers.”
Malin added that he is appreciative of how his partner motivates him to be the best version of himself by holding him accountable.
“Wherever or whenever one of us gets down, we pick each other up and I think we rely on each other which keeps the importance of the bond that we have,” Malin said. “I used to be a big procrastinator, but she really gets on top of me to get things done in terms of school, and in life too, she’s always pushing me to do more, to do better.”
Nadia Pfarr, a senior sports management and finance major, said she met her partner at school on the club volleyball team during her freshman year. She said she loves how much their personalities complement each other.
“He’s a very patient person, he doesn’t get angry, he doesn’t shout. I love how silly we can be together,” Pfarr said. “I’m a very silly person and just finding someone else who matches my silliness and can appreciate my goofiness…I just love that about him.”
Pfarr also said that she makes him care packages to show her love for him and show she’ll be there for him through the good and bad times.
“I often go shopping with his mom. He’s Trinidadian, so I’ve gone to some Trinidadian stores with her to get him different snacks, and different foods. He’s a little kid at heart, he loves Spongebob and Pokémon, so I’ll get him stuff like that,” Pfarr said. “I love DoorDash-ing him drinks when he’s having a hard day at work. I like to give him things to show that I am thinking about him.”
Pfarr added that she wants her partner to know how much she appreciates him for who he is and how much effort he puts into being there for her and understanding her.
“He’s my best friend. He’s my favorite person and I hope he knows that,” Pfarr said. “He’s one of the hardest workers I know, and I appreciate that so much about him. I feel like I should vocalize it more, but I hope he knows that I see how much work he puts into himself, school, soccer, and our relationship.”
Taj Lanier, a senior communications major, said she likes to connect with her partner by making him home-cooked meals.
“I know he can cook, but I like to show my skills, which are cooking and baking,” Lanier said. Any time he comes to my house or I go to his house, I make him something because food is about community. You want to share a meal with someone and enjoy quality time together.”
Lanier said that although her partner goes to Rutgers, they met at a carnival hosted by Seton Hall’s West Indian Student Organization.
“His friend was there and then his friend tapped me on the shoulder asking if I wanted to dance with him on his behalf and I was like sure,” Lanier said. “And then I tapped on his shoulder and then we danced, it was nice, and then we started talking and then I got his number.”
Justin Giancarlo, a senior visual media and sound major, said he met his partner through a study abroad program in Japan.
“We were outside of a club in Tokyo and we were talking in the bar smoking area. I’ll never forget that this guy drank my drink while I was turned around talking to her,” Giancarlo said. “And then she told me that the guy next to me drank my drink and I looked back, and my drink was gone.”
Andrew Palma is a writer for The Setonian’s Campus Life section. He can be reached at andrew.palma@student.shu.edu.
