Shayna Bergman and Jesse Bergman

Shayna Bergman, BA ‘06, and Jesse Bergman, BA ‘06

“The housing letter I received before attending GW in 2002 stated that I would be living on the Mount Vernon Campus. While I was excited about the prospect of being somewhere so serene, I knew that part of the reason I applied to GW was to be in the middle of DC. So, I contacted GW and asked to be moved to Foggy Bottom. Little did I know that making that change would place me conveniently close to the person who was to become the love of my life. Jesse and I were next door neighbors our freshman year in Thurston Hall (Rooms 934 and 936). The first night in the dorms, Jesse and his roommates were playing guitar while other new freshmen were popping in and out of their room excitedly making new friends. I popped in for a bit, saw Jesse play, and then moved onto the next open door. Over the first few months of school, my friendship with Jesse grew, especially as we volunteered together through CARE, our 9th floor’s community service organization. We quickly discovered a shared love of jazz music, studying in Kogan Plaza with hot cocoa and long conversations. While any of our roommates and friends would tell you they saw the sparks, it took Jesse and me a bit longer to formally start dating. Our young love grew quickly, as did we, and while we each found our own extracurricular interests at GW, our love and friendship stayed strong.” – Shayna