Falling in love can happen in any place, at any time, even at a young age.

“[My husband and I were] lab partners in AP Biology,” English teacher Annaleise Czapla said.

For some people, even if they are not in the same class, people who are meant to find each other often do.

“My husband was a grade above me in high school and I always had the biggest crush on him,” math teacher Connor Latino said.

Science teacher Bailey Kindle also admired her husband from a distance prior to talking to him.

“I had a crush on my husband for years [during high school] and then I finally had one of my friends tell him. He bought me a sweet tea at a school vending machine and then asked me to go on a date with him,” Kindle said.

Even though they were young, they all had a way of knowing this love was meant to be.

“I used to joke with my friends that I would marry him someday,” school nurse Jennifer Nonnenkamp said. “He didn’t know I existed back then.”

After she and her husband endured long distance together, Latino knew that her relationship was built to last through anything that life threw at them.

“We had to do long distance in college – I was at Mizzou and he was at school in Santa Barbara, California. Once we made it through those four years, I knew we were going to make it work no matter what,” Latino said.

Similarly, a Family and Consumer Sciences teacher did long distance with her husband during their college years.

“After doing college long distance and [having] the trust and communication skills that we built over those years, [I knew that we were meant to be],” Kristina Crowley said.

Making a relationship last throughout time and during different phases of life is not something that happens without effort and care.

“I think it’s important to not let the influence of others get to you. It will work out if it’s the right person for you,” Kindle said.

“I would say if you really love someone you will find a way to make things work and always find your way back to each other. Communicating with each other about your feelings is so important,” Latino said.

“Have fun together, enjoy each other’s company,” Nonnenkamp said. “Don’t over complicate it, just enjoy it and the rest will fall into place.”