TCNJ

19 SPRING 2024 FACING PAGE BILL CARDONI; THIS PAGE L: BILL CARDONI, R: MATTHEW AARON CALLAHAN A couples calculation AJ Tortoriello and Lauren Bayzath Social distancing, masks, and lack of in-person events made dating difficult for the Class of 2024. Lauren and AJ, both math majors, were grateful they shared some courses online. "We got comfortable seeing each other in our classes and we started talking as friends," says AJ. "We were adjusting to college-level classes, and computer science, in particular, was really hard," says Lauren. "We would FaceTime each other to work together and we'd end up talking about more than just the project." They also took advantage of the "Spend a Day" event that the college offered their first fall. Students were grouped by major, so AJ and Lauren spent the day on campus, and together. "Meeting her in person after seeing her online definitely made me more comfortable talking to her," says AJ. Then they both came to campus spring semester and lived in Wolfe Hall. "To have someone I was close to just down a couple flights of steps was nice," he says. They became a couple their sophomore fall and have been together since. "It was such a weird first year," says Lauren. "But once we were adjusted sophomore year, we made that commitment to each other." " Meeting her in person after seeing her online definitely made me more comfortable talking to her." Becoming besties Kelsey Heaney and Liz Mancini When it comes to life after TCNJ, Liz and Kelsey smile big at one possibility: "Teaching in the same school," says Liz. Considering that Liz majored in special education and Kelsey wants to work in an early childhood classroom, the idea is not far-fetched. The women met in Zoom meetings for Best Buddies, a TCNJ club and national organization that encourages friendships between students with and without disabilities. For Kelsey, who was part of the four-year Career and Community Studies certificate program and has an intellectual disability, the club was a way to interact with TCNJ peers outside of her program. "Making friends has always been a struggle for me," she says. "Best Buddies made it easier." It was a friends-at-first-sight moment when they eventually saw each other in person. "Someone with red hair came running at me," says Liz. "We just hugged and I knew it was going to be a good friendship." Since then, they've bonded over one too many Dunkin' runs and text strings asking each other for advice. "We'll definitely have a friendship after TCNJ," says Kelsey.

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