Young, vibrant, and so in love, University of Iowa juniors Lauren and Matt have a bright future ahead of them. They have been dating for 4 ½ years straight and are both looking nowhere but up. Their relationship has stood the test of time and transition. Get their story and Lauren’s take on the challenges of modern love.
In the Beginning…
Lauren and Matt met at their high school in their hometown of Frankfurt, IL. Their high school was large but both of them knew of each other and Matt finally made the first move by adding her on MySpace (yes MySpace, all the way back when that existed). They finally made it official after two months of dating. Lauren describes the experience as “perfect.” She said she had been skeptical about dating before but felt that she was comfortable with Matt. She just knew.
The College Transition
Lauren and Matt did not anticipate both coming to The University of Iowa, Lauren fell in love with the campus early on, while Matt applied to other schools. He eventually ended up right here at UI. Lauren testifies that they maintain the relationship through transition by allowing each other freedom to make friends and pursue their interests. “At this stage, you have to make decisions for yourself,” she says. People who lose sight of this end up meeting a lot of tension in their relationship.
Lauren and Matt have never broken up over their 4 ½ year long relationship, but are a normal couple. “We argue like anyone else, but we communicate our problems with each other.” Lauren says this is the key to their successful relationship. She feels that most young couples miss the importance of communication or are not mature enough to handle the responsibilities of a relationship. Maturity, however is defined by knowing what you want and able to defend that by not acting on impulse.
“How we have grown”
Over time there love has been reassured through commitment and trust. They have met their challenges, but at the end of the day they assure each other that they are meant to be. As they approach graduation, they are excited about their future. Lauren will be graduating from the School of Journalism, while Matt will continue on to dental school. Lauren says they would love to get married and know they will someday, but they have a lot of other things they will like to fulfill first.
Right now, the couple is just enjoying life and each other. They spend every anniversary celebrating in downtown Chicago. We wish them many more celebrations and continuation of their beautiful modern love story.
All pictures provided by Lauren Peck