When Mayarita Castillo first met Jalen Glenn she was “somewhat suspicious and turned off” when he approached her at a party. However, another meeting almost three years later made all the difference.
Mayarita Jade Castillo and Jalen Lashay Glenn didn’t exactly hit it off when they met at the birthday party of a mutual friend in September 2013. Both were sophomores at Fordham University, and Mr. Glenn, known for his gregarious personality, attempted to chat with the more reserved Ms. Castillo.
“Jalen started questioning me about where I was from and what I was majoring in,” she said. “I had seen him at school events before, and he was always the center of attention. I was somewhat suspicious and turned off.”
Following the get-together, they bumped into each other around campus every couple of weeks and exchanged awkward hellos, as they recounted, but never conversed.
“It was clear that Mayarita wasn’t interested in getting to know me, so I didn’t try to engage with her again,” Mr. Glenn said.
That changed in May 2016, when Mr. Glenn and Ms. Castillo found themselves at a party in a dorm room to kick off Senior Week. At one point, both were sitting on an itchy maroon couch and struck up a conversation.
“Jalen was so friendly and genuine,” Ms. Castillo said. “Sitting there in that crowded room, I began to feel his magic.”
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