Each year, The University Star asks couples to share how they met at Texas State University by answering its Instagram post. The Star spoke with ten couples about their love stories and how their relationships have developed since.

Ethan Hervig and Mason Kratz

What started as a simple friendship between freshman year roommates blossomed into a relationship that now spans over a year.

Mason Kratz, public relations sophomore, stumbled across Ethan Hervig’s, sociology and graphic and urban regional planning junior, Instagram by chance after his initial roommate fell through. He decided to reach out, and the pair became fast friends. A few months later, they moved into Blanco Hall together.

“The time we first met, we weren’t nervous or anything … It was like we had known each other forever,” Kratz said. “In the coming months, there wasn’t really a time that we were separate, other than classes. We did all of the first-year activities together, and we just became really close.”

Hervig said they didn’t immediately realize feelings were blossoming; they simply continued their daily tasks together. It wasn’t until a friend pointed out that they were acting a lot like a couple that they realized they should make it official. After winter break, they decided to take the jump in 2025.

“We made it official right when we came back because we found out we couldn’t live without each other,” Hervig said.

Now, over a year into their relationship, the couple lives together off campus, and they are rarely apart. They try to eat every meal together, they commute together and they work the same work-study job together in J.C. Kellam.

Kratz and Hervig said they wouldn’t have it any other way.

“We’re kind of connected at the hip, but we love it,” Kratz said. “It seems like everything just falls into place for us, which is really nice. We’re excited to see what the next year holds for our relationship, no matter what it is, together.”

Haleigh and Mitchell Havlin

“I think I met my husband tonight,” are the words Haleigh Havlin said to her mom on the phone the night she met Mitchell.

“Haleigh was right. She and Mitchell have now been together for four years, married for nine months and are expecting a baby boy in March.

It was May 2022 and Haleigh was celebrating her best friend’s 22nd birthday at The Porch. During the celebration, a mutual friend of the group walked in with Mitchell not far behind. The pair had no idea about the party but decided to join in on the fun.

Haleigh said her eyes went straight to Mitchell because he’s a six-foot-six-inch man and incredibly hard to miss. Haleigh wasn’t looking for a relationship, and Mitchell had heard her name before but thought she was already dating someone else. Despite all of this, Haleigh knew she had to talk to him.

“The third question he asked me was ‘What church do you go to?’” Haleigh said. “I just thought that was one of the most profound questions because what 23-year-old is interested in that kind of question?”

Coincidentally, the couple had grown up near each other, but never met. While they didn’t attend school together, they had many life-long friends in common. Haleigh said they still find connections to this day.

“Our whole lives, we had just danced around each other,” Haleigh said.

Four years into their relationship, they still deeply admire one another. Mitchell said one quality of Haleigh’s that inspires him is how she cares for those around her.

“The way she elevates the needs of others over herself and [anticipates] other people’s needs, just making sure everyone is taken care of before she is,” Mitchell said.

From a first date that lasted six hours to a marriage that will last a lifetime, Haleigh and Mitchell are grateful to say their time at Texas State brought them together.

“It was one of those things where I was like, ‘I knew it! I knew he was going to be my husband forever!’” Haleigh said. “It was the best last-first date I’ve ever been on.”

Kale Hensley and Katelyn Hammack

Sitting in her medieval pilgrimage graduate class in spring 2023, Katelyn Hammack didn’t expect to find the love of her life, but someone caught her eye across the table.

“That person was Kale Hensley.

“I guess I just missed her name or something, and a couple of weeks went by, and the class had gotten moved to Zoom for a day, so I got her name from her little Zoom box,” Hammack said.

After an Instagram follow and a bit of chatting, Hensley invited Hammack to a fairy house building party. The pair got coffee the next day and never stopped talking after that.

“I [followed] her [on Instagram] in a friend sort of way. I mean, I thought she was pretty and incredibly smart, so I was just wanting to keep up with her that way,” Hammack said. “Very quickly after our first couple of conversations, I was like ‘I’m interested in seeing where this goes.’”

Everything fit like puzzle pieces for Hensley and Hammack. They made their relationship official in March 2023 and quickly moved in together in June.

After two years of dating, they got married in April 2025. Hammack proposed to Hensley in their backyard and a few days later, Hensley proposed to Hammack.

“We had talked about how we both wanted the experience of being proposed to,” Hammack said. “We’re not very flashy people. I think the more private and intimate we can make experiences like that, the better for us.”

Now, they live together in San Marcos and work as lecturers in the English department at Texas State. Hensley said it’s been wonderful to continue their story in the place it began and be close to the community that witnessed their story unfold.

“[Flowers Hall] has such a strong history, and it’s tied so intimately to both of us,” Hensley said. “I can’t go into the copy room without thinking about the first time we ran into each other in there, and she was so nervous.”

Now three years into their relationship, and one spent as newlyweds, they still find characteristics to admire about each other every day.

“In this first year of marriage, I feel like I’ve gained such a deeper understanding of who she is as a person, her heart, how she thinks,” Hammack said. “I feel like I’ve gained a deeper sense of admiration for her than I thought was possible before we got married.”

Morella and Danny Maldonado

“Calm, connected and cats” are the words Morella and Danny Maldonado used to describe their relationship.

In fall 2019, Morella was in her first year of music studies when the salsa band needed a new saxophone player. She decided to join the rehearsal, where she ended up locking eyes with Danny, who was in his first year of his master’s in jazz performance, instantly connecting.

“At first I kind of thought he was a know-it-all,” Morella said. “But then, I don’t know, we started talking to each other and became best friends instantly, pretty much inseparable.”

At the height of the pandemic, Morella had to leave her dorm and ended up quarantining with Danny two months after meeting each other, and they have been living together ever since. They are now married with six cats, which Danny said are a big part of their lives.

“My favorite times are just hanging out all at home, and all six cats are on the bed with us, and that’s just really cute,” Danny said.

Since meeting in 2019, Morella and Danny have kept their love of music alive by performing in bands together, such as the Aquarena Wind Ensemble in San Marcos.

“We play together in different groups that we can find,” Danny said. “It’s nice to do those kinds of things together.”

Danny is now the band director at Miller Middle School in San Marcos, and Morella is a clarinet private lesson teacher in the San Marcos and Hays school districts. They have continued to admire each other’s ability to grow and evolve as a family together.

“When we met, he was a very, very different person, but I could see his heart,” Morella said. “He’s very kind and very patient. He’s an amazing teacher and has been an amazing cat dad. So, it’s been great to see [him] evolve.”

Danielle and Luke Adamson

Danielle and Luke, two experienced two-steppers, met in fall 2014 when they were both cast as extras for a country western dancing scene in the Richard Linklater film “Everybody Wants Some!!” that was filmed in San Marcos and surrounding central Texas areas.

On the set, they were told to partner up, and Danielle and Luke chose each other. They spent 13 hours dancing together on set. On first impression, Luke noticed her curly hair and how much of a leader she was on the dance floor. Danielle said she thought he was a goofy guy and loved how he made her laugh.

Danielle and Luke were friends throughout college and did not start dating until she graduated in 2018. They dated for five years and got engaged in November 2023, when Luke proposed to her on the same set they met on. They got married six months later in May 2024.

“Luke, he proposed and took us back to the spot where we first met. So, it was like this small, little [dance hall] out in Manor. Just kind of very remote, and I almost didn’t recognize it at first because it’d been like 10 years,” Danielle said.

Luke said one of the moments he knew Danielle was “the one” was when they were on a boat together on a lake in Canada.

“She ripped the engine and just like flew, and this girl knew how to drive this boat,” Luke said. “I was like, ‘Dang, that is sick. I did not know you knew how to do that.’”

Danielle and Luke have been together for over eight years and married for two of those years. They still admire the qualities of each other that make them who they are.

“I’ve always noticed that Luke is a very selfless person,” Danielle said. “He will do anything and everything to go out of his way just to make something happen for me, his friends, our families.

Beside dancing, they like to cook, paddleboard, go on walks, build furniture and travel together. In the future, they are most excited to start a family together.

“We both come from very large families. She has three sisters; I have four brothers. So, we’re very family-oriented,” Luke said. “Having children together, that’s the next thing.”

Karly and Maurice Jones

“I was dancing with a chair, because I’m having fun or whatever. She’s like, ‘Hey, can I have this dance?’ and I said, ‘Absolutely.’”

“This was the moment Maurice Jones met his future wife, Karly in May 2016 at the Marc during a Whiskey Wednesday night.

It was a moment that seemed to flow effortlessly. They hit it off and talked the rest of the night, and ended up exchanging numbers. For the next couple of weeks, they went to the Marc on Wednesday nights and were each other’s two-step partners, which slowly turned into visiting other places to hang out.

“It kind of turned into a ‘we’re not just at the Marc.’ [It turned into] ‘Let’s go to other places. Let’s go grab a bite to eat. Let’s go get [$1 margaritas at Bobcat Nation],’” Maurice said.

Karly said she knew soon after meeting Maurice that he was going to be the man she would marry. She admires his humor and extroverted personality when they’re out together. A decade in, what makes their relationships so special is their constant closeness.

“We’re truly best friends, like we don’t dread being together,” Karly said. “Everyone always says, ‘Just wait till the honeymoon phase is over,’ and it’s never been over for us, because we truly just love to be around each other.”

Maurice said he admires Karly’s giving nature and that she is always willing to care for others.

“She is very much a giver and [has] a servant’s heart,” Maurice said. “She is always taking care of other people, whether it’s our child, whether it’s family [or] friends, she’s always willing to take care of everybody else around her, and that’s just something that I love about her.”

Maurice said one of his favorite memories with Karly was when they got married and did their first looks with each other.

“We did a first look, and I saw her in her wedding dress, and I sobbed uncontrollably, just because of how beautiful she was,” Maurice said. “I was like, ‘I could just spend the rest of my life with this woman’ type thing.”

Karly and Maurice are most excited about their future in growing their family together. They have a second baby on the way.

“I am excited just for the journey of just raising kids together,” Maurice said. “Seeing her be a mom and being a dad is so much fun, but we’re able to kind of navigate that relationship together, which is a huge blessing.”

Jerika and Joe Holweger

“Love finds a way.”

Jerika and Joe Holweger met at Wurstfest in 2015 through a mutual friend. The pair had previously met a few months prior, but their connection didn’t click until Joe hitched a ride back from Wurstfest to San Marcos with Jerika’s group.

Joe played for the Texas State hockey team, and though Jerika didn’t know much about hockey, she bought tickets to a San Antonio Rampage game for their first date, along with two of their friends.

“We just really hit it off and had a great time, and then the four of us decided to take off to Colorado that same night after the hockey game for a ski trip,” Jerika said. “We always say that our first date was really in Colorado because it was an extended four days of us just hanging out.”

Joe graduated in May 2016 and had plans to move to China to teach English before meeting Jerika, who was set to graduate in 2017. They planned to keep things casual, but that didn’t last long.

“It’s funny, like initially, whenever we first got together, and I knew that I was going to be moving, I was like ‘Oh, I probably shouldn’t take this too seriously. I’m about to move across the world for who knows how long,’” Joe said. “But you don’t exactly get to pick who you fall in love with.”

Joe was in China for two years, and the distance was hard for the pair at times. Jerika said their schedules were completely opposite, and it was often difficult to find time for each other.

“It really takes dedication and true love,” Jerika said. “We had a few months where we just weren’t sure what was going to happen, but I think at the end of the day, we both knew that we loved each other. If we were meant to have a future, it would all work itself out.”

The couple is now married with a baby girl on the way in March. They recently relocated from Texas to Florida due to an opportunity Joe had at work.

“Jerika’s never missed a beat and just works hard in everything that she does,” Joe said. “No matter how tired she is or whatever’s going on, she is always here to support me, and she’s decided to continue being with me across the U.S.”

While Jerika said it’s hard being away from family while getting ready to start a family, she is prepared for whatever is ahead as long as Joe is by her side.

“We obviously miss home, but it’s kind of like we’re each other’s home,” Jerika said. “Wherever we are together, we’re happy, and we make it work.”

Lauren and T.J. Linahan

When some members of the Texas State rugby team crashed Lauren Linahan’s 20th birthday party in February 2004, she knew it was going to be a memorable night.

“T.J. showed up in his pink shirt with his rugby friends that lived in the dorm with me, and I turned to my friends and said, ‘That’s my birthday present right there,’ which is very unlike me,” Lauren said.

Lauren said she called her mom and sisters the next day and told them she met the man she was going to marry, which was again uncharacteristic. She said she was drawn to his confidence, kind manners and bright pink shirt.

“My little sister bought it for me,” T.J. said. “She bought the shirt that set it all up!”

From the day they met, the pair was inseparable, but Lauren said they dated for a month before he ever kissed her, and she thought something was surely wrong.

“He was just taking it very seriously and being respectful,” Lauren said. “I think it wasn’t long after that before we said ‘I love you’ and made it official.”

They got engaged in 2008 at T.J.’s family ranch after carving their initials into an oak tree on the property, and were married in 2009. Now, they live outside of Austin with their two children. They often visit San Marcos for the river and to walk around the campus.

“[Our kids] just roll their eyes now when we drive them by. We’re like ‘Look, this is where we met!’ and they’re like ‘We know,’” T.J. said. “But I feel like that’s part of being a good dad.”

Now, they live by the rule of not keeping score because at the end of the day, it’s all about filling in for each other. Over 20 years later, they work to look out for each other’s needs above their own. Above all else, they are grateful that their time as Bobcats brought them together.

“It really was love at first sight,” T.J. said. “I just knew this was supposed to happen.”

Kobe Gussman and Julíssa Mendoza

Kobe Gussman, electrical engineering sophomore, and Julíssa Mendoza, pre-nursing sophomore, met in fall 2024 during their freshman year in Chautauqua Hall.

Gussman was hanging out with his friends when Mendoza came down through the common area, and they exchanged glances. Gussman later found Mendoza on Snapchat and started hanging out, instantly connecting through their shared sense of humor.

“We both realized that we were both just really equally as weird,” Gussman said.

Gussman and Mendoza like to spend their time going on hikes together. They have explored Old Baldy Park in Wimberley, Mount Bonnell in Austin and a park in Cedar Park. They also admire each other’s selflessness. Gussman said he appreciates Mendoza’s care and that she always tries to put his needs before hers, even though their care for each other is mutual.

“He knows how to cheer me up whenever I’m very down,” Mendoza said. “I recently got really sick, and he was just always there for me, always trying to make me feel better.”

Stephanie Rivas-Guevara and Rick Guevara

Stephanie and Rick were both attending Southwest Texas State University when they met in 1994 while working at the H-E-B distribution warehouse in San Marcos.

“We found out we both lived at Comanche Hill [Apartments], and my roommate and I had thrown a little party, and obviously knowing that he went to Southwest, we invited him and his friends over,” Stephanie said. “So that was our first official meeting date, if you will.”

Stephanie was a second-year transfer from Eastern New Mexico University, and Rick had returned to Texas State after serving in the military for three years. The stars aligned perfectly for the pair to meet.

“I enjoyed the military so much that I contemplated [reenlisting],” Rick said. “Having continued to serve, reenlist, do 25 years, none of this would have ever happened.”

From the beginning, Stephanie said they had a genuine connection, and it was easy to become good friends. After their first date, they were inseparable. They moved in together and continued their time at Texas State before graduating in December 1997.

“Our whole Southwest experience was together as a couple,” Stephanie said. “It was a very quick and easy connection for that to turn from just friendship to loving each other and caring about each other and taking care of each other throughout the rest of our college career.”

After Stephanie graduated with a degree in communication, she received a job offer to work in TV news in Midland, while Rick took additional classes. Rick joined her in Midland after they got married, and other than a two-and-a-half-year stint in San Antonio, they’ve been there ever since.

Their son is now a junior at Texas State, and Stephanie said it has been fun to continue to be a Bobcat family.

“We loved the school and had such a great experience there … and when he chose Texas State, we were very excited about that,” Stephanie said. “It makes us really proud that we’re a little Bobcat family.”