Jaselle Yrizarry-Pabon

It's Valentine's Day, and whether single or in a relationship, we tend to think of past romantic moments of this special day. Here are a few valentine's day stories from some of our very own Bryn Mawr students. Have a Valentine's Day story you want to share- funny, romantic, awkward? Share it with us!

"During my junior year of high school, my boyfriend at the time got his best friend to put rose petals and a card inside my trumpet case before I got to band on valentines day. When I got to band that day, I opened my case and immediately got upset because I thought someone had been playing around and I had to audition for first chair at states that weekend. After I realized that it was for valentines day and the card was from my boyfriend I was happy. Needless to say, he didn't mess with my musical instruments on any other valentines occasions."     A.S. 2011

"I was abroad last spring, and one of my closest friends on the program had a big crush on me. He had not told me yet, but everyone knew it. We became close because of our shared interests, for example our obsession with dark chocolate. He had to fly home to England right before Valentine's day, and brought home about 5 bars of Green & Black's extra dark chocolate and on Valentine's day sneaked them into my room as a surprise. It was a really cute thought, because we couldn't get Green & Black's in the country we were studying and he knew it was my absolute favorite. It wasn't flashy or dramatic, but it was romantic because it was personal, thoughtful and just adorable." K.T.* 2011

Date: Saturday, February, 12, 2011
Time: 2:30-3:30pm
Place: Campus Center Main Lounge

Dr. Helene Gayle, the 2011 Katharine Hepburn Medalist, will visit Bryn Mawr to talk to students about her work in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, first as an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and later at the Gates Foundation, as well as her current work as the president and CEO of CARE, an international humanitarian organization fighting global poverty.

 At CARE, Dr. Gayle has worked to reposition the organization's programs in a variety of ways, including a focus on community-based efforts working towards women's empowerment via education, work opportunities, and HIV/AIDS prevention. CARE, echoing Nicholas Kristof’s words at Bryn Mawr’s Heritage and Hope conference in September 2010, focuses on women, believing they are the linchpin of social and economic advancement in poor communities and nations.

(From Bryn Mawr College Website)

Dates: Friday, Feb. 11 and Saturday, Feb. 12
Location: McPherson Auditorium, Goodhart Theatre
Time: 8pm

An international event, Vagina Monologues is a performance part of an annual movement to end violence towards women. With numerous monologues about women and their bodies, students discuss domestic violence, war, and their vaginas in " My Vagina was a Village," "My Angry Vagina," and "Because he liked to look at it." Don't miss this annual event that brings awareness to sexual violence.

This year, proceeds from the Bryn Mawr College Vagina Monologues will go to Laurel House, a non-profit in Norristown focused on helping women heal from domestic violence.