Valentine’s Day is a holiday designed to be filled with love and romance. Hearts are common symbols used to represent the holiday and students at Florida A&M are currently gearing up for the holiday.
Briona Hopkins, a transfer student, described how she loves Valentine’s Day. She expects to eat some good food and a lot of candy.
“I love love, and I’m a lover girl. As a hopeless romantic, my expectations are pretty low,” she said. Hopkins is a bit sad about the holiday due to not having a romantic partner to spend it with. She really wanted a Valentine this year, but still hopes to have a good holiday.
Along with Hopkins, Mahogany Hobbs, a fourth-year nursing major, plans to go out with her friends this year. She also doesn’t have high expectations for the holiday.
“I used to really like Valentine’s Day,” she said. “It’s a cool holiday, but it’s definitely not as exciting as Christmas.”
Hobbs is hoping to get more than just flowers and chocolate. She wants to see more and expects effort and energy from her valentine to show that they care.
One couple, Ayla Shuler and Cam McPhee, who have been together for four months, have already executed some of their holiday plans. The two went out to dinner over the weekend to celebrate due to their conflicting schedules.
Shuler, a first-year pre-nursing major, said that she enjoys the holiday and has great expectations. “Valentine’s Day is always fun, even without a significant other. It’s a time to exchange gifts and love. Anyone can be your valentine,” she said.
Her boyfriend, McPhee, a first-year physical therapy major, also shared his expectations for the holiday. “I don’t believe in Valentine’s Day. I used to and I would take my mother and sister out. Overall, I like to make other people happy,” he said.
Though they won’t be able to spend the whole day with one another, the two plan to still make time and give gifts.
Manoshka Germain, a fourth-year accounting student, is also in a committed relationship with her partner. The two have been together since they were in high school and her first Valentine’s Day was with her current partner. She described some of her feelings for the holiday.
“I believe that it’s not something that should be celebrated for one day. It’s a day that should be celebrated for the moment and the memories. After being committed to one person, it feels like Valentine’s Day is every day,” she said.
With a variety of options and opinions from students, there will be many things to do on Tuesday, and plans will vary. Different organizations on campus also plan to give out cupcakes and flowers during the day.