Charlotte Capper They say you meet friends (and partners) for life at University and the University of York is no different. BA English alum, Rachel, tells us about her University of York love story. And her experiences of forming relationships at University. “I’m still in touch with some of my closest friends. Both of my housemates, the people I used to work with at various bars and one of my closest course friends. Of course, I also met my boyfriend Lewis!”
Hit it off
Lewis and Rachel met while working at the same bar in York. Lewis was doing an MChem degree while Rachel was studying BA English. Rachel says, “Lewis and I met quite late in our time at university. I was at the end of my second year while Lewis was about to start the final year of his MChem degree. We both love this rich and vibrant city. Lewis had chosen to move to the York full-time while I had taken up an internship at the University in 2018, working on none other than the Department of English’s Thin Ice Press! Over that summer, we both wound up working at the same bar, and we hit it off immediately.”
Time for downtime
Rachel explains how despite busy lives and earning degrees, she and Lewis made it work. “We always had a good time together. We laughed our way through shifts. And had fascinating discussions on everything from the philosophy of Rick and Morty to the best heavy metal bands at the time. Final year ended up being extremely busy for me. I was completing my final year dissertation and acting as treasurer for the brand new PrintSoc, I was RAG for Alcuin College and an ambassador for the University’s York Unlimited campaign. And Lewis acted as a pillar of support through all of it. He would make sure that I would get the downtime I needed. Encouraging nights playing cards in the living room with friends and days binge-watching documentaries on Netflix (a pastime we still do to this day).”
York is where the heart is
No matter where the pair travel to, York and the University will always mean a lot to the couple. “Since we met, we’ve lived in 3 different cities (York, Basingstoke and now London). We’re planning our fourth move to Edinburgh in the next year or two. We’re always looking for our next adventure. Spending weekends on various city breaks doing everything from escape rooms to sightseeing to sampling the local cuisine. However, despite having visited almost every major city in the UK collectively, York still holds a very special place in our hearts. With the hope that one day we’ll return there for good.”
