Marriage after graduation

Graduation is less than two weeks away, and many seniors are preparing for a new transition.
They are on a path of establishing themselves as adults and becoming financially independent, which may encourage them to start looking for future spouses.
Malasia Grier, a graduating physical therapy student from Miami, said marriage is not her top priority after graduation, but she is open to meeting a potential spouse.
“I plan to continue my education,” Grier said. “I am not ready for marriage as of yet. However, I believe I am ready to take the necessary steps to find someone who values the interest of marriage and are willing to work together to eventually come to that final step of marriage.”
In the U.S., the average marrying age for women is 27, and for men, it is 29, according to a 2011 Pew Research Center report.
A report released in March by the Bureau of Labor Statistics said individuals who have earned at least a bachelor’s degree are more likely to get married than those with a lesser education.
Gwendolyn Singleton, chairwoman of Florida A&M’s psychology department, argued that college is one of the best times to date.
“One of more effective ways to find your future spouse is during your time in college,” Singleton said. “You’ll most often find someone with similar interests.”
A Facebook Data Sciences study discovered that approximately 28 percent of married college graduates met their spouse at the same school they attended.
Kia Kirkland, a FAMU alumna, said she knew she would find her soul mate at her alma mater.
“My parents found love in undergrad,” Kirkland said. “They met on the Set, actually. They always said I would meet some of the greatest people I knew in college. Sure enough, they were right.”
Sunday, Kirkland became engaged to her college sweetheart, Lamere Buchanan. They began dating two years ago after being study partners.
Buchanan, also a FAMU alumnus, said graduation prompted him and Kirkland to pursue marriage.
“We started having thoughts about marriage upon approaching graduation,” Buchanan said. “We planned out our futures together. We learned that we were both willing to make sacrifices for one another without having a doubt in mind.”
Kirkland said she and her fiancé are ready to take the leap into matrimony.
“Lamere and I have made God the center of our relationship,” Kirkland said. “He has given us all the signs that we are meant to become a union.”