Today, I hit a milestone in my relationship with my boyfriend, one year together. This past year has been filled with so much love, care, honesty but also some pain. Don’t be alarmed, it is not the bad concerning pain, though, it is the type of pain that will actually help a couple grow, long-distance. We were fortunate to spend so much time together in the first several months of our relationship. We met and talked every day for a month and then he asked me to be his Valentine and one week later, his girlfriend. Through the transition of seasons from winter to spring and spring into summer. We were together for the birthday milestones of his 21st and my 20th. He attended my community college graduation, where he met my family for the first time. Since then, he has made a lasting impression on everybody around me. He was even there when I got my acceptance letter into Virginia Tech. We have learned so much about each other and gone on many trips this first year, and I am so grateful to have met, shout out Bumble ;)
After an adventurous summer, it was time for the transition to Virginia Tech. I started buying dorm essentials and packing. Then came August 19, 2025, when we took the drive out here, and my boyfriend came along with my parents to help me move in. After a long morning and afternoon, I was moved in, and then after a meal at Mellow Mushroom, I said see you later to my parents and boyfriend. Thus, beginning our new chapter of long distance.
We had many conversations over the summer, asking ourselves; can we do this? Are we mature enough for this? Will this be worth it? The answer was always yes. Many nights of tears out of nerves and fear of the reality that was about to set in. We knew where we stood as a couple and as young adults who were prepared to go through the hard challenges. The first month was hard with me adjusting to school and activities, and him picking up more hours at work and focusing on golf. Thankfully, I had a reason to go home in September, and that gave me something to look forward to in those moments of sadness of being out here alone.
After a month and a half of doing long-distance, we had a grasp of how the semester was going to look. We found ways to keep a connection from a distance. From scheduled calls to virtual dates. Screen sharing movies on FaceTime and having the same food or building Legos together were a couple of our favorite virtual dates. I will admit there were some lonely nights: either I had to go to sleep early for my 8 am, or he was tired from the gym, so there were days we did not verbally talk. It took a while to become okay with that, but we did.
The biggest thing we learned was to communicate and trust. Any relationship –platonic, romantic, professional— needs good communication; it is the basis. I stand by that. If we were not fully open and honest about our feelings, it would have an effect. All we had to do was communicate to survive the first semester. Even though this chapter of our relationship has been hard, it has also been rewarding. Going from seeing each other every week ever since we met to only one to two times a month has been quite the adjustment. I will say that it has been nice having time to work on ourselves.
All in all, long distance is scary, but as long as you have love, trust in your partner, and believe in yourselves than there is no reason for it not to work. It is an important chapter to go through in a relationship. I have learned a lot about myself and him, which I do not think I would have if we stayed in the same area. I would not change this experience at all because I believe that we have grown stronger because of it. So, if you are worried about doing long distance in college, it will be worth it. You grow as individuals while strengthening your relationship.