Adrian
Year: Third
Major: Physics and Math
Hometown: Herndon
U.Va. Involvement: InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Prince Club, CHoosE
Ideal Date: I like someone who laughs at crummy jokes, can talk about deep things easily, but could also shoot the breeze.
Hobbies: I like to sing, ride my bike, play Super Smash, hike, swim, eat (good food), people watch, and talk.
What makes you a good catch? I’m intelligent, I have bulging biceps, I love to hear about your feelings, I have a giant smile and the heart to match it, and I can legally drive a bus.
Favorite pick-up line: Are you an interior decorator? Because when I saw you, the entire room became beautiful.
Katarina
Year: Second
Major: Undeclared currently but applying to Global Public Health
Hometown: Portsmouth
U.Va. Involvement: Chi Alpha Christian fellowship core group leader, Abundant Life tutor, IM inner tube water polo and volleyball, International Justice Mission
Ideal Date: Funny and amicable, easy to get along with
What makes you a good catch? I’m very nice and have a good sense of humor — I generally think most things are funny. Also I’m really, really ridiculously good-looking.
Describe yourself in one sentence: I love cats, dancing, baking and eating what I bake, quoting movies, and I enjoy the company of those who can make me laugh.
Adrian and Katarina met at the Rotunda at 7 p.m. and went to The Virginian.
Adrian: I have been at U.Va. for two-and-a-half years and had never been on a casual date before, so I wanted to try it at least once.
Katarina: I thought it would be a fun way to meet people, so I just kind of went for it.
Adrian: I got pretty excited when I found out I had been chosen. I was like, “Sweet, I get to try this now,” and I told my housemates and my pledge class about it.
Katarina: I was nervous but also surprised and excited. I told my housemates and they were excited to hear how it went.
Adrian: I didn’t have any expectations going into [the date]. My only real expectation was that it would be casual and if nothing else, I’d make a new friend.
Katarina: Going into it I thought that I had to make a good impression, and I was nervous about that.
Adrian: I sat on the steps of the Rotunda for a while, and then I saw a girl walking over. She looked like she was looking for someone, so I smiled and said “hi.”
Katarina: When I first saw him, he looked really nice and well dressed. It was a good first impression.
Adrian: She was tall and pretty. I asked if she had dinner yet and when she said “no.” I suggested The Virginian. They have good mac and cheese.
Katarina: I had never been to The Virginian before, so I was excited to go. It was really good food.
Adrian: Over dinner, we talked about so much different stuff. We talked about our plans after college, our families and steam tunneling, which I’ve done a lot.
Katarina: He had a lot of entertaining and fun stories about steam tunneling and other cool things on Grounds. I’ve never been, so I was like, “You should take me!”
Adrian: It was a relatively easy conversation for two people who had never met before. I did more of the talking, but I’m just more of an external processor. I don’t feel nervous talking to people I’ve just met, and I could tell she got less nervous as the date went on.
Katarina: The conversation flowed well. He was really nice and friendly. He definitely talked more, but I like that because I’m not as talkative.
Adrian: We’re both Christians so we had a lot to talk about there. We had a decent number of things in common, and it was cool to see her eyes light up when we realized that we were both passionate about something.
Katarina: We both play inner tube water polo and have similar tastes in TV. He is a big fan of “Parks and Rec,” and I like those short, funny comedy shows.
Adrian: There was probably a bit of flirting; it’s just something I do in a date, so I kind of expected it.
Katarina: It was mostly friendly, which was nice. There was maybe a little flirting, but mostly getting to know each other as friends.
Adrian: After we finished the meal, I walked her back to her house, exchanged numbers and then hugged her goodbye.
Katarina: He was a real gentleman. He paid for my meal, held open the doors for me and walked me home. I was really impressed. On the way back, he had like seven people stop and say “hi” to him but played it off like it was totally normal. It was funny; it seemed like he knew everyone on Grounds.
Adrian: I would rate the date an eight. Everything went well; I thought that she was comfortable, I was comfortable and there weren’t any red flags or anything super off-putting.
Katarina: I would rate it an eight. It was a lot of fun. We have a lot of mutual friends, so I think I’ll see him around.
Adrian: She texted me after to say she had a good time. I could totally see us hanging out again in a casual setting. I really enjoyed meeting her.
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