By Emily Hernandez Dominguez, Campus News Editor
Love is in the air, and in a classroom on the third floor of Tapia, two unexpected students found their way to each other during Foundations of English. Years later, alumni Haley Robinson and Anthony Martinez continue their love story outside Saint Leo University but still recognize how much the campus has contributed to their growth.
The story began when Robinson and Martinez shared the same class. As English majors with mutual friends, they found themselves sitting together.
Upon meeting Martinez, Robinson recalls thinking he wasn’t interested in her because of their opposite aesthetics. Unbeknownst to her, Martinez appreciated their differences.
Their different personalities led them to build a relationship beyond friendship. While Martinez used non-verbal ways to flirt with her, such as playfully bumping chairs into her, Robinson eventually approached him, asking him to put his number in her phone and inviting him for coffee after class.
During their first date at Benedict’s, Martinez claimed to use an old-school flirting technique by throwing paper wrappers from straws at her while spending hours talking.
Throughout their relationship, the couple attributes their time at Saint Leo as an essential factor. After their first date, they spent a night together at the dock by Lake Jovita, leading to walks around campus and an attempted visit to the grotto, cut short due to Robinson’s fear.
“I think the energy of the campus lends itself really well to mellowing both of our personalities together,” Robinson remarks. “Our mutual love for the campus, our friends, and the community here helps foster our relationship.”
During their time as students, the lockdown caused by the pandemic allowed them to put a label on their relationship by officially dating and living together. Despite initial hiccups, they strengthened their relationship over time.
“It was very sink or swim, and I feel like we swam pretty well,” Robinson says.
As Robinson graduated with her bachelor’s in English and criminal justice with a focus on homeland security, she wanted to pursue her master’s abroad, posing another challenge to their relationship. For Martinez’s senior year, she was abroad for ten months, except for surprise visits during holidays.
While the time apart was hard, the relationship only grew stronger.
“We were able to never really waver in terms of our love for each other,” Martinez remarks. “So, I think that just showed that, regardless of how hard it is and how stressful it can be, I never put our relationship in doubt; I never once questioned anything.”
Robinson agrees and adds how her perspective differs, having experienced a high school relationship that ended over distance.
“There’s a lot of things that you come into new relationships with, especially from high school, a lot of preconceptions about what you think love is and what relationships are.”
Years after graduation, both remain close, thriving in their relationship and careers. Robinson is an adjunct sociology professor at Saint Leo and a grant coordinator for Feeding Tampa Bay. Martinez is showcasing his writing skills through his new blog and podcast, “The Pinch.”
Many seek to find a partner during college, but both say to let relationships come naturally and never force them.
“Don’t overly search for it; that just leads to lowering your expectations and probably ending up with someone who isn’t even worth your attention or time,” Anthony says. “Just enjoy your school, enjoy your life; if that person is here, you’re gonna run into them, and you’ll just do it one way or another, if it’s not class or an activity, it’ll happen. And then if it does, then it’ll be great. But it just takes time; don’t rush it. That’s the biggest thing I learned—just let it come.”
The Saint Leo campus has allowed students, faculty, and staff from all walks of life not only to meet their partners but also to find friends that last a lifetime. Investing your time here on campus will allow you to flourish, but making sure you invest in yourself is crucial too.
“Make sure that you love yourself and that you love the person that you are,” Robinson states.
