Many, if not all, students at Biola have heard the term “ring-by-spring”. However, for as many as there are who have seen their friends take the next step, few know what it is like to be engaged while still in school. Taking classes, being socially involved with other students, and being a part of school activities is draining enough. Try to throw in a wedding to plan or a marriage to uphold and one can feel like the little Dutch boy with nothing but his thumb holding back the floodwaters.

But there are many couples that can not only pull this off but also thrive in their relationships with each other and with God.

Amy Huizingh, 19, and Jade Yellis, 22, are one of these couples. Huizingh is taking 19 units while planning her wedding, scheduled for June, right after she graduates. Yellis graduated last year and is now a manager of a Target. These two love birds met in a class at Biola and just last July got engaged at Newport Beach while watching fireworks.

When asked why they decided to get married while still in college Amy said, “Once you graduate everything is up in the air so its crazy to throw getting engaged and getting married in there too. We wanted to face that together as a married couple.” However, Huizingh says it is difficult to plan her wedding while in school.

“Its just time, its hard to do cake tastings while you have classes.”

Even with the stress of planning, Huizingh doesn’t have a second doubt about being engaged.

“For us it was obvious we were created to be married to each other, it was very clear to us that God had this for our lives.”

Yellis heartily agrees with his soon-to-be wife, “We found the ring and once we found that it was like, why wait?”

Another newly engaged couple offers a different view of being engaged in college. Tyler Hurst and Tiffany Eiriksson, both 21 and recent transfer students, are able to juggle school and an engagement. However both of them believe it’s not right for everyone. When asked if they would recommend getting engaged while still in school both Tyler and Tiffany explained that it depends on the people and the situation.

“There’s a lot of people who make bad decisions, and if you show continual ability to make bad decisions then that’s not a good idea to get married.” Hurst said.

For their situation however, they feel ready.
“If you find the right person and know its right, you have to have faith that God’s going to take care of you and make it work,” Hurst said..

Both of these couples have yet to experience marriage in tandem with school, but
Isla & Matt Braun, who were married in 2006 while attending college, know what it is like to tie the knot while still in school.

They met at a bible school in Pennsylvania that they attended for three years. After they graduated in 2004 Matt transferred from Minnesota to Virginia, where his soon to be fiancé lived, in order to woo her heart. Now Ilsa, 25, goes to Biola. Her husband Matt, 28, attends Laguna College of Art and Design.

Being very driven and studious people, the Brauns said they have not had a lot of trouble staying focused on school while upholding a marriage. However when Ilsa’s teachers first found out they had gotten engaged they were worried.

“Some teachers were worried about me finishing my education. But I’m doing it,.” she said.

Matt explained that it is vitally important to not let school and activities push aside time with your spouse or fiancé.

“Be intentional about spending time together, that makes all the difference in the world,” he said.

While Christian colleges are a prime place to meet your future spouse, there can often be an unnecessary stress on students to get in a relationship or to get engaged. Although these three couples became engaged while in school, they each have their own views on the emphasis on couples. The Brauns explained that it often feels like all the authority figures met the love of their life at school.

Laughing, Matt says there would inevitably be the talks on the “Proverbs 31 Woman.”

“Hey guys, there’s a bunch of ‘Proverbs 31 Women’ over there…” he said, describing the humorous remarks.

Tyler and Tiffany add that since at Biola supposedly you have a 100 percent pool of Christians to choose from it becomes easy to have the mindset that students need to find a spouse in college.

However, Amy Huizingh explains that she thinks there can often be a lot of pressure the other way, as she has come in contact with girls saying they never want to get engaged in college. She believes there is no point in having strong opinion either way.

”We have no control, God is ultimately in control,” she concluded