Jocelyn Mendez, SPA/BA ’18, & Kyleel Cosby, Kogod/BS ’19

1. How did you both meet?  

Jocelyn: We met in Anderson Hall, on the first day of orientation for the Resident Maintenance Crew (RMC). 

Kyleel: We met on the first day of RMC orientation in Anderson Hall. Between lofting beds and figuring out how to move furniture, we ended up spending a lot of time together.

2. Who made the first move, and how did it go? 

Jocelyn: I made the first move, and I’d like to think it went well.

Kyleel: Jocelyn made the first move. It caught me a little off guard in the best way possible. Since we had spent the whole summer becoming friends, everything felt easy and natural.

3. Describe your love story in one word. 

Jocelyn: Serendipitous. Our RMC applications were originally denied, and we both made it off the waitlist. Without that unexpected twist, we probably never would have crossed paths. 

Kyleel: Unexpected. I didn’t go into RMC thinking I’d meet someone who would become such an important part of my life.

4. What is your favorite AU memory?  

Jocelyn: 2016 summer working with RMC—getting to know each other, playing lots of UNO, and ultimately falling in love.

Kyleel: That same RMC summer. We got close in a way that only happens when you spend every day together. Outside of our relationship, we had a great group of fellow RMC friends with whom we spent the summer.

5. One perk of sharing an alma mater is . . . 

Jocelyn: We have similar memories, share the same AU references, and love visiting campus to see what’s changed, and what hasn’t.

Kyleel: We get to revisit campus and enjoy the nostalgia of our college years and reflect on certain memories only AU people really understand.

6. What would you say is the most romantic spot on campus? 

Jocelyn: Any of the walking paths on or just off campus. AU is such a walkable area, and some of my favorite memories are from the quiet walks we’d take around campus or through the neighborhoods nearby. It gave us space to talk and unwind together.

Kyleel: For me, it’s not one specific spot, but rather the walks we’d take around and beyond campus. The area around AU is incredibly walkable, and those everyday routes turned into some of our best conversations and moments together.

John Verderame, WCL/JD ’21, & Phoebe Varunok, WCL/JD ’21

1. How did you both meet?  

John: We had a lot of mutual friends while we were at WCL and generally knew of each other but hadn’t met before. One weekend, our group of friends decided to go to Local 16 (which has since closed and turned into a few other restaurants/bars, including the restaurant where we got engaged), and that is where we first got to know each other! Not long after that, we realized that our lockers were right next to each other because our last names both started with “V”. During our first year at WCL we would run into each other by our lockers between classes and chat, slowly getting to know each other. We started dating about a year later!  

Phoebe: We were introduced to each other through John’s best friend from law school (who ended up being one of John’s groomsmen at our wedding) at Local 16 during our 1L year. I will say I knew who John was long before we were introduced to each other because I would see him in the Commons and I would ask my friends who that cute guy was. Soon after we officially met, we noticed that we had neighboring lockers. I would always hope I would catch him coming from or going to class at our lockers just so we could chat. In our 2L year we started dating and the rest is history!

2. Who made the first move, and how did it go? 

John: I did! I had feelings for Phoebe for a long time before we started dating but never found the right time to ask her out. At the beginning of our second year at WCL I finally took the leap of faith and asked Phoebe out on a date. We’ve been inseparable ever since. 

Phoebe: John did! He texted me to see if I wanted to go to dinner at Paragon Thai in Cleveland Park and I responded probably the fastest I ever have with a “yes." I was waiting for a while for him to ask me out, but he was clearly worth the wait!

3. Describe your love story in one word. 

John: Inevitable. After dating for a while, Phoebe and I confessed to each other that we both had feelings for each other for about a year before we started dating. Neither of us articulated it or made a move, but we secretly hoped something would eventually happen. Looking back and knowing what I know now my only regret is not asking her out sooner!

Phoebe: Kismet. Everything fell into place exactly when it needed to. We both had feelings for each other for quite a while before we started dating but I am grateful we came together when did. 

4. What is your favorite AU memory?  

John: Studying for finals with Phoebe are some of my favorite memories at AU. Over three years we probably only took one or two classes together, but every semester we would get classrooms or rooms in the library to study together for our respective exams. Through this we realized how comfortable we were just being around each other and doing totally mundane things even if we weren’t actively interacting. You also get to learn a lot about a person during stressful times like exams, and every semester it felt like we had a real partnership to help each other when we needed it.  

Phoebe: Strangely, I did love studying for exams with John. Although law school final exams are a stressful and nerve-racking time, studying beside or just in the same room as John put me at ease. John, a few friends and I would get to school early and claim a classroom to ourselves to silently study, but we would periodically take breaks together, motivate one another, make each other laugh until we cried, and then pack up just to do it all over again the next day. 

5. One perk of sharing an alma mater is . . . 

John: During our time at WCL we built a really great group of mutual friends, many of whom were invited to our wedding! We still talk to most of them regularly, even though we have somewhat scattered across the world and county. We love to spend time with our law school friends (whether in DC or traveling near and far to see them) and reminisce about the times we all shared together, including the early days of our relationship. 

Phoebe: Our friends! We made such a great group of friends that we still see to this day (many of whom came to our wedding). Although several of our friends have moved away from DC, every time we get together for a wedding or a visit, it feels as though no time has passed at all. I treasure all the friends that John and I made while at WCL and always will. 

6. What would you say is the most romantic spot on campus? 

Shani: The lockers that we had next to each other on WCL’s campus will always have a special place in my heart! It wasn’t the most scenic location, but before we started dating it was a great excuse to run into Phoebe and get to talk for a little bit.   

Phoebe: There was a seminar classroom on the top floor of WCL that was tucked away that John and I always tried to snag during final exam study season.  It was quiet and had a pretty view of campus—easily the best memories I had in any classroom during law school.