In no more than 100 words, students in the College Writing course were asked to share a true love story. The students had complete freedom with this assignment and were encouraged to write about a person, object, action, personal experience, etc. These stories range from humor to tragedy to feel-good to passionate and offer a rare, special glimpse into the human heart. 

Kenneth Howard

A Sad Love Life

It was a new school year.  I walked in to find this beautiful blonde, blue-eyed girl sitting alone. She seemed to be quiet and smart. I was instantly in love. I walked toward her, but the class bully, Aiden Best, shoved me out of the way and walked towards her saying, “Can you believe that nerd?” She smiled at him and cackled, which made me realize she wasn't as perfect as I had thought. 

Lei Xu

My Angel’s Gone Away

I ran into a pet shop during a rainy afternoon for shelter. Heavy rain dampened my good mood. I was attracted to a dog because it barked excitedly in my direction. "He likes me!" I walked up, but he backed away. "Doesn't like me? Maybe he’s hungry!" I bought snacks and fed him. He was cute. Like an angel rekindled my heart. "I'll take him!" When I paid for him, a man appeared, and my angel jumped at the man. The man said, “Thank you for the snack. It seems he likes you,” and took my angel away.

Sebastien Ford

A Vocalist’s Beautiful Struggle

“I almost had it that time!” I shouted. For the twentieth time, I deleted another audio. The ‘B’ note I sang at the end of the melody kept sounding flat. I had fallen in love with a sound I formed in my head and became frustrated that I couldn’t perform it aloud. Did I quit? Nope! I enjoyed the process too much to stop over a minor mishap. Instead of sitting, defeated, I rose, victorious, from my seat, took a deep breath, cleared my throat and sang again. With this adjustment, the notes came to life.

Adaora Madubuko

Regaining Self-Love

June: I lost myself. 

My values and morals had vanished. My self-worth and self-love diminished day by day. My pride and my dignity were insignificant to me. All this due to a lack of God and daily prayer in my life. Self-love? I hated myself. Self-worth? I thought I was worthless. Slowly, through daily prayer and an effort to bring God into my life, I gained all that I had lost. My pride and my dignity are once more significant. My values and morals have materialized. Self-love? I love myself. Self-worth? I know I am worthy. 

August: I found myself.