Three couples share their Briton love story

February 14, 2024

It’s Valentine’s Day, and love is in the air! If you are an alum of Albion College, though, chances are pretty high that love has been part of your journey since your time on campus.

A new initiative from the Office of Institutional Advancement asks Albion alumni how they met their match. This Valentine’s Day we share snippets of the love stories of recent graduates Brianna (Blake) ‘19 and Christian Brown ‘19, Griselda Iniguez ‘19 and Carlton Williams ‘20, and Akaiia Ridley ‘22 and Larenz Hill ‘23. These couples are but a small sample of a multitude of smitten Britons who have found their match during their time as students at Albion.

As high school sweethearts, Brianna ‘19 and Christian ‘19 have seen their love evolve in over 10 years together. Both from Chicago, they vowed when they arrived at Albion together that they would leave Albion together. Brianna studied sociology and English with a concentration in human services while being a cheerleader and working in the Admissions office. Christian studied psychology while working as the manager for the Albion College Men’s Basketball team. Together, they were heavily involved in the Black Student Alliance. Brianna is currently a second grade teacher and Christian is an Engineer. They currently live in Chicago. When asked how they kept their identities outside of their relationship, the couple responded: “…we made it our duty to make sure we both still had a social life outside of each other and class.”

Griselda ‘19 and Carlton ‘20 began as close crushes while they were Brits. “I like to think the stars weren’t aligned and we didn’t become part of each other’s lives until we both really needed each other,” Griselda explained. They shared a friend group and a love for the Theatre Department, but their hearts didn’t find each other until after graduation. Griselda studied psychology with a minor in sociology and a neuroscience concentration, and Carlton double majored in communication and theatre. Carlton was a First Year Experience (FYE) mentor while Griselda was part of the Western equestrian team. Ever operating in the same sphere, it was their parallel desire to work at Albion that brought them back together as they both applied for positions in Admissions. Griselda currently works as the assistant director for student success at the Cutler Center on campus. They live together in Albion and have been happily committed for two years.

Akaiia ‘22 and Larenz ‘23 are two recent grads who have been together for over eight years. Both originating from Albion, their love story began in high school geometry class. Akaiia and Larenz both chose to attend Albion College as part of the Build Albion Fellows program. Akaiia studied history and sociology as a Brit, and is currently a graduate student at Eastern Michigan University, where she also serves as a program associate for the University Archives’ Oral History program. Larenz studied marketing, and is currently a manager assistant at Enterprise.

If you and your honey both graduated from Albion, we would love to feature you in an upcoming stories project! Complete this form and tell us all about your love.