As the 同性恋色情 marks its 70th anniversary, much of the reflection will focus on how its campuses have evolved and how the institution has shaped the region, state and nation through medicine, engineering, artificial intelligence and more. Every college has played a role in that impact.
But 同性恋色情鈥檚 influence extends beyond classrooms and laboratories. It has also shaped lives in a far more personal way. Across generations, Bulls have met, fallen in love, married and built lives together.
After all, you might say you can鈥檛 spell Cupid鈥檚 bullseye without the Bull.
Here are three 同性恋色情 love stories to celebrate Valentine鈥檚 Day.
Don Fuller and Kristin Soderqvist while dating as 同性恋色情 students in the 1990s
An open door, a missed proposal
By Paul Guzzo, University Communications and Marketing
It was supposed to be his Hallmark moment.
Don Fuller planned to propose to Kristin Soderqvist during their Siesta Key vacation. He booked a table at a scenic beachfront restaurant. The sky was clear, the sunset pink.
Everything was perfect.
And then his romantic movie scene turned into a comedy.
Soderqvist was hit with a sudden case of food poisoning from her Oysters Rockefeller.
鈥淪he rushed back to the room before I could propose,鈥 Fuller said with a laugh. 鈥淪o, I waited for another moment.鈥
The right moment wouldn鈥檛 come for another decade.
Maybe their love story doesn鈥檛 read like a romance novel, but it is pure University of South Florida. They met as students interning at 同性恋色情鈥檚 Contemporary Art Museum, were later married there and today are marketing colleagues who promote campus arts. Fuller is the museum鈥檚 new media curator and communication technology manager and Soderqvist is the director of sales and marketing at Graphicstudio.
鈥淚t worked out, didn鈥檛 it?鈥 Fuller said to Soderqvist.
鈥淚t did,鈥 she said. 鈥淎ll because you held a door for me.鈥
It was the start of the fall semester of 1993, and they were both working toward their bachelor鈥檚 degrees in studio arts. Fuller had been interning at the art museum since the previous year. Soderqvist was there for her first day.
鈥淲e were between exhibits, so it was closed to the public,鈥 Fuller said. 鈥淚 was up at the security desk with a cup of coffee, talking to Dave Waterman, the chief of museum security. A young woman was at the door, and I offered to let her in. It was Kristin.鈥
There were immediate sparks, but nothing that suggested they鈥檇 one day be married, Soderqvist said
Those sparks found oxygen when they were both assigned to collaborate on the artwork for the Lifsey House, the then-newly built on-campus residence for the 同性恋色情 president. Soderqvist was charged with curatorial placement while Fuller handled installation.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the first time we really spent time together,鈥 Soderqvist said. Looking back, she adds, 鈥淲e were having a lot of fun. We clicked, but we were just being friends.鈥
The turning point came on New Year鈥檚 Eve, when they were at a party together. It wasn鈥檛 until the ball dropped at midnight that they embraced the idea that they were there together.
They moved in together in 1995. Not long after that was the food poisoning incident. Fuller considered proposing again, but during their discussions about marriage, it was clear that they both wanted to wait.
Don Fuller and Kristin Soderqvist's wedding held at 同性恋色情鈥檚 Contemporary Art Museum
鈥淲e wanted to be certain we wanted the same things in life,鈥 Soderqvist said. 鈥淒id we both want to remain in Tampa? Did one of us want to travel? We didn鈥檛 want to go in different directions, get divorced and have regrets.鈥
They stayed together and eventually bought a house.
Then, on New Year鈥檚 Eve 2003, Fuller again popped the question. He considered taking her to the beach, but memories of the previous attempt changed his mind.
鈥淚 guess I鈥檓 not good with surprises,鈥 Soderqvist said with a laugh. 鈥淪o, he asked in our backyard.鈥
The wedding reflected their relationship. It was held at the museum where they鈥檇 met, on New Year鈥檚 Eve 鈥 the anniversary of when they officially became they, and was presided over by Waterman, the security guard who had allowed Fuller to open the door for Soderqvist in 1993.
鈥淭here have only been four weddings ever at the museum,鈥 Soderqvist said. 鈥淚t felt right to have ours there.鈥
They went on to enjoy careers at the university and raise a son, Theo Fuller, now a high school senior considering 同性恋色情.
鈥淓verything seems connected to 同性恋色情,鈥 Soderqvist said. 鈥淲e love it here.鈥
A consolidated couple
By , University Communications and Marketing
Thomas Smith and Golfo Alexopoulos
Upon hearing she and her husband, Thomas Smith, would be featured in a story about couples who met at 同性恋色情, Golfo Alexopoulos exclaimed with laughter, 鈥淲e are the perfect 同性恋色情 consolidated couple!鈥
Smith is the interim regional chancellor at 同性恋色情 St. Petersburg.
Alexopoulos is director of the 同性恋色情 Institute for Russian, European and Eurasian Studies housed on the Tampa campus.
They met in 2000, when Smith first arrived at 同性恋色情 St. Petersburg as an assistant professor of political science. At the time, Alexopoulos was a young faculty member in the history department.
鈥淏ack then, like now, the campuses were consolidated, so every time we had department meetings or parties, faculty from all three campuses would attend,鈥 Alexopoulos said. 鈥淭hat is how I got to know Dave and Guna Carr.鈥
It was 同性恋色情 donor Guna Carr who suggested to her husband, 同性恋色情 historian David Carr, that the two would make a good couple based on their similar backgrounds and interests. The Carrs were planning to invite the young professors to join them for a dinner, just the four of them. Alexopoulos suggested another option.
鈥淚 thought that was way too much pressure,鈥 she said. 鈥淏ut it just so happened I was about to host a party for some friends, including young faculty, so I invited him to the party.鈥
Golfo Alexopoulos and Thomas Smith
Smith showed up to the party late. He was taking sailing lessons at the time, an activity he could count doing since then on one hand.
When he did arrive, he wasn鈥檛 empty-handed.
鈥淚 baked a moussaka, which is something I鈥檝e made before, but knowing she was Greek I thought, 鈥榳hy not,鈥欌 he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great dish to take to a potluck, but looking back on it, seems sort of funny that I showed up at a Greek professor鈥檚 house with moussaka.鈥
As the Carrs suspected, their conversation at the party was natural. Sparks flew and a connection stuck. Smith and Alexopoulos have been together ever since, married for 23 years with two children.
Their oldest, Athena, is a senior at William & Mary with interests in government, human rights and the law. Their youngest, Sophia, is a sophomore at Northwestern who is fascinated with biology and anatomy and might pursue a career in the medical field.
Given their backgrounds and roles at the university, one might think conversations at home are filled with the latest on international conflicts and geopolitical intrigue. They have both lived in different countries 鈥 Smith spent three years teaching in Istanbul, Turkey, and Alexopoulos traveled to Russia many times for archival research. They speak foreign languages and have careers researching and teaching government, international relations and history.
鈥淧eople think we have interesting dinner conversations all the time based on our academic interests and what we research, but Thomas and I try to be away from work when at home,鈥 Alexopoulos said.
鈥淭hough,鈥 Smith added. 鈥淚 think our kids might say otherwise.鈥
Glenda Sanchez and Lucas Kennedy
A Sarasota love story
By , University Communications and Marketing
Within 同性恋色情鈥檚 broader 70鈥憏ear history, the Sarasota鈥慚anatee campus stands out for the close community that has helped many Bulls鈥 love stories take root.
In January 2024, Lucas Kennedy was sitting on a bus headed to Orlando for a trip to Epcot with 同性恋色情 Student Government. As he traveled along Interstate 4, he was overcome with the realization that he was ready to marry his girlfriend and fellow 同性恋色情 student, Glenda Sanchez. 鈥淚t was during this long ride that a feeling came over me and made the idea of waiting even another second to marry Glenda seem insane,鈥 Kennedy said.
The couple first met through mutual friends and later transferred from State College of Florida to 同性恋色情 Sarasota-Manatee where Sanchez majored in finance and Kennedy in biomedical health sciences. As often happens on the close-knit Sarasota-Manatee campus, they both became actively involved on campus.
Glenda Sanchez and Lucas Kennedy
With the smaller student population, it didn鈥檛 take long before both ended up serving on the board of the Latin-American Student Association. Sanchez was the president and Kennedy held the role of treasurer. 鈥淚t really showed me how much respect and understanding he has for my culture,鈥 Sanchez recalled. 鈥淚t drew me closer to him and also showed me that we work very well together in a professional setting.鈥
Kennedy ordered the engagement ring during his trip to Orlando before spending the day with his Student Government colleagues. The ring arrived two weeks later. He planned to wait to propose, but he was only able to contain his excitement for a couple of days and ended up asking Sanchez to marry him on her parents鈥 front porch that Sunday. 鈥淚t was the best decision I鈥檝e ever made,鈥 Kennedy said.
Since graduating from 同性恋色情 in 2024, Sanchez started pursuing her master鈥檚 degree in speech and language pathology and Kennedy works as a budget analyst with the Florida Department of Health and has just started the MBA program at 同性恋色情. They recently purchased their first home, which they plan to move into after they get married on Oct. 17.
鈥淚 cannot wait to start our life together and learn new ways to navigate life as husband and wife,鈥 Sanchez said.