Andrew Raggio || I nervously made my way to a small room in Patrick Henry hall as a freshman. I didn’t even think to look around before taking a seat because I was scared and assumed I would know no one. I sat in the front row, sighed, and then glanced behind me at my classmates. No sooner did I do this was I met with a sly grin. It was Andrew, one of my new teammates. He grabbed his bag and gracelessly stumbled out of his chair to wind up next to me. Though I was unsure of him at this point, it turned out to be something pretty wonderful. I remember the exact moment when I realized that I had formed an innocent crush on him. August 29th, 2013. I was at a soccer game with some of my teammates, just a scared freshman, unsure of the four years to come. Everyone I talked to previously about my apprehension had given me the “sunshine” answers of, “don’t worry, you’ll love it” and “college is great, you shouldn’t be scared,” but that wasn’t what I needed. I needed someone to tell me that they too had been fearful and sad their freshman year, but overtime that it would pass. Enter Andrew. That night at the soccer game, I did not fall for his looks- though he is incredibly handsome I might add-I fell for his mind. He was honest with Abby and me that night about his own experience, and all the struggles he had gone through. I knew then that he was a special person. His honesty helped give me hope that better things were to come.
It may have been cliché, but I didn’t believe I would ever find someone who truly loved me like this man does. In all honesty, sometimes I can’t believe that he’s mine. You know that you have found someone truly special when everything you do you wish they were there. Years after we started dating and I still can’t help but smile when I see him. I had heard that finding someone who can make you laugh is one of the greatest qualities you can find and I truly believe it. My moments of pure bliss are the time we both are laughing together. He truly is such a good man to me, always pointing me to Christ, encouraging me to be a better person, always putting my needs before his own. It is also such a blessing to have a man in my life who is pursuing the same goals as myself; someone who has a passion for middle schoolers and for running. I don’t know what college would have been like without him. I know I owe him a lot of my success.
It may have been cliché, but I didn’t believe I would ever find someone who truly loved me like this man does. In all honesty, sometimes I can’t believe that he’s mine. You know that you have found someone truly special when everything you do you wish they were there. Years after we started dating and I still can’t help but smile when I see him. I had heard that finding someone who can make you laugh is one of the greatest qualities you can find and I truly believe it. My moments of pure bliss are the time we both are laughing together. He truly is such a good man to me, always pointing me to Christ, encouraging me to be a better person, always putting my needs before his own. It is also such a blessing to have a man in my life who is pursuing the same goals as myself; someone who has a passion for middle schoolers and for running. I don’t know what college would have been like without him. I know I owe him a lot of my success.