By HAYLEE BATES
Student Reporter
For many people, a college dormitory carries a special meaning. It may be the first place a person live on her own, or it may be where lifelong friends first meet.
For Northwestern alumna Lesley Freese, it will always be the place where she got a marriage proposal.
James Skinner, 25, proposed to Freese, 26, in South Hall’s lobby Feb. 11 at the conclusion of a staged speed dating event.
The two, both alumni, met five years ago at Northwestern while speed dating in South Hall. The two started dating shortly after on Feb. 14, 2010.
Skinner heard that South Hall was planning on hosting a speed dating event Wednesday similar to the one that he attended previously. After getting permission from the South Hall supervisor to participate, he planned to reenact the night he met Freese.
The event was held by the hall supervisor and resident assistants. It was originally for Valentine’s Day, but it quickly turned into a proposal opportunity for Skinner. The event became private once Skinner asked to have the proposal at the end of the night.
The event began at 8:30 p.m. There were 11 stations set up in the lobby. Each girl that participated chose a station. A boy was assigned to each station at the beginning. Each round of speed dating lasted three minutes. Individuals in each group asked a series of questions. After each round the male student would rotate to the next station when the host signaled for everyone to switch. This process continued until every boy had visited each station. Skinner and Freese observed the event as it took place.
Once the speed dating was over, Skinner brought Freese to the front of the lobby. He briefly explained how they met and thanked everyone in attendance for an eventful night, but before he left he got down on one knee and proposed. After Freese regained her composure, she said yes and the students and workers cheered and clapped for the newly engaged couple.
“They both just look so happy,” Hall supervisor Rachelle Randall said.
Freese originally thought that they were reminiscing on the night that they met. She said, “I had no idea that he was going to propose.”
Skinner said, “I had been planning to propose since October, but I wasn’t sure how I wanted to do it.” He had considered proposing last fall after he graduated from Northwestern, but he talked himself into waiting a little longer. He said, “After hearing about South Hall’s speed dating event I knew that was how I wanted to propose.”
Randall and the resident assistants helped Skinner plan the event for his proposal. Randall rearranged the lobby to create the stations and baked the snacks for refreshments. The resident assistants decorated the lobby and invited friends to help make the night special for Skinner and Freese.
Following the proposal friends and participants stayed to take pictures and congratulate the couple.
Both Skinner and Freese still live in Alva and work at the local Wal-Mart. Skinner also works on computers for SPI. Despite their busy schedules they hope to begin planning the wedding soon.
Retention Coordinator Chesnei Thomas said, “Everyone has someone that they are meant to fall in love with, and these two have found their one.”