In honor of Valentine’s Day, love is in the air and our Campus Cutie and Celebrity are here to prove it. Whether you want to call them Madrienne, Adratt, or just Adrienne and Matt, learn about senior Matt Mrozek here and then check out this week’s Celebrity to meet his girlfriend, Adrienne Walker. Here’s a bit about their individual lives and supportive relationship.
Name: Matt Mrozek
Year: Senior
Major: Secondary education
Hometown: Hinsdale, IL
Birthday: February 10, 1991
What are you involved in on campus?
This year I am very happy to be on the Dancer Relations Committee of Dance Marathon as a Beneficiary Subcommittee Co-Leader. I’m also on the exec board of my fraternity, Pike, where I serve as the Vice President of Membership. I’ve been a Peer Adviser twice (shout out to Studying Sex and Filthy Dirty INSESP) and have been involved with YoungLife since way back in high school.
How do you balance work, play and extracurriculars?
It gets tough trying to juggle so many different things. Maintaining a relationship, keeping up with friends, staying on top of work, taking care of all my other involvements… it can be a lot. I’m a Secondary Education major, and am currently doing my student teaching at a high school in the western suburbs, so it’s been especially tough lately. I try to be realistic about how I prioritize things, though. Sometimes, you just can’t make it to the Deuce and everything sucks because, of course, it’s the night that everyone you want to see will be there and there’s pizza and it’s karaoke night. But sometimes it’s important to remind yourself that the world will go on even if you don’t finish grading those quizzes or reading that 40 page article tonight, and right now it’s much more important that you put on your costume and tear up that crush party.
Favorite Northwestern memory?
Last year when a monsoon came to turn down Dillo Day, Adrienne and I decided to try to find the silver lining. She’s always loved the rain and almost every time there’s a storm she mentions how much she would love to go out and play in it. So that’s exactly what we did – we ran outside and danced like fools in the pouring rain, with no one else around. It was perfect.
How do you feel about being half of a campus power couple?
I don’t really know how to react to it; I don’t really think we are a power couple. If we are, I can tell you that I am definitely not half of it. Adrienne’s got some serious power! But I guess I just feel lucky for both of us that we’ve been given the opportunities we’ve had to be so involved in things that really matter to us.
How did you meet your significant other?
Matt: We actually went to high school together and had a couple classes, but didn’t really cross paths otherwise (it was a pretty big school). At the end of freshmen year, though, her pledge mom brought her to a party I was at and we ended up spending an entire night talking and catching up. It was interesting for a few reasons, not the least of which being that we were having a relatively deep conversation at a table on the second floor Fiesta Cantina… But we became really close after that, especially the following fall. It took until that winter, during a conversation about the dating pool at NU, to realize the one I was after was right in front of me. After some serious work to convince her, we were soon dating and she’s probably been regretting it ever since.
How do you make a relationship work in the busy Northwestern environment?
It’s definitely tough, especially with how busy both of us can get. Sometimes we have to settle for quick pockets of time to talk, or for just studying together, but we always keep things in perspective. You make time for what’s important, even when it’s hard.
Do you have any particular Valentine’s Day plans?
I actually was supposed to be out of town until just a couple days ago, so while we don’t have any official plans, I’ve always got something up my sleeve. I like to cook, and she doesn’t admit to hating my cooking, so I have a feeling a nice night in with some pasta, wine and movies is just what we need after a busy couple of weeks. For me, at least, she’s all I need to make the night special. That, and getting to be little spoon. But that’s non-negotiable.