This alumnus proposed to his beloved on campus

Gregory (31) and Victoria (30) started their Business Administration studies in 2012. They had mutual friends, but in the beginning, their interactions didn’t go much beyond saying hello. “We often saw each other in room M1-12 of the Van der Goot building, where we regularly had lectures.”

One day, Gregory sent Victoria a message via Facebook Messenger. He was at the cinema and thought an actress looked like her. “I was watching Fast & Furious and sent her a picture of the actress”, he laughs. From that moment on, they started chatting – first on Messenger, later on WhatsApp.

Back then, they often sat together in the University Library. “That’s really where our friendship grew”, Victoria recalls. “We did our homework there and got to know each other better.”

It took more than a year for their friendship to turn into love. Gregory remembers exactly when the shift happened: “We had a practical session, also in the Van der Goot building. She looked stunning and was talking to a guy. I thought: no, this can’t happen. That was the first time I realised how serious my feelings for her were.”

Both had known for a long time that they wanted to stay together. “But if I was going to propose, I wanted to be absolutely sure it was forever. Of course, you have that intention from the first year of your relationship, but time has taught me that ten years ago, I wasn’t as ready as I am now”, Gregory explains. “Now I knew: this was the moment.”

So, he started planning. He emailed the Communications department to ask if he could reserve room M1-12. His original plan was to propose on 7 January. “But I couldn’t take the day off work”, Victoria says. “Yeah, so then I had to email back and forth to quickly reschedule the date”, Gregory adds.

Eventually, it happened on 10 January. They started the day with breakfast in Kralingen. Later in the morning, they walked towards campus. “I thought: wow, this is absolutely perfect”, Victoria says. “We were just going back to where it all began. I suddenly got so excited.”

They walked around campus, reminiscing about the University Library where they studied, the Food Plaza where they had lunch, and the Spar where they bought fruit and biscuits. “We also passed the classroom where Victoria was once talking to that guy”, Gregory jokes.

Once in room M1-12, Gregory had a video ready on the screen. “I had filmed myself on campus, saying everything I wanted to tell her”, he says. Then, a compilation of their photos over the years played, set to one of their favourite songs. At the end, he got down on one knee and pulled out a ring. “It was so beautiful and emotional, we both had to wipe away a tear. You realise how young you were when it all started and how much you’ve been through together”, Victoria says. “And the place was perfect because that’s where our story began.”

The couple spent the entire afternoon in the room. “We didn’t even feel like leaving”, Gregory says. “We watched the slideshow a few more times and just soaked it all in. With fruit, biscuits, and drinks from the Spar, we sat there as if we were back in class.”

The couple plans to marry in August. What do they love most about each other? “Gregory is incredibly thoughtful. He makes sure everything is perfect, like with this proposal. But it’s not just that – he does so many wonderful things for me.” She looks at him lovingly. Gregory smiles: “Victoria is very caring. She has shown me what unconditional love means. I had never experienced that before. She shows how deep love can go and how you express it through actions.”