College Love Stories: James & Beth, Michigan

College love is truly special—not only because it creates a lifelong connection, but because it’s rooted in the spirit of your school. Once intertwined, it's a bond that remains unbreakable. Did you find love in college? We can't wait to hear all about your College Love Stories (romantic, BFFs, generational and everything in between)!

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Meet James and Beth Christensen from the University of Michigan's Class of 2001 and 2000 (respectively). James graduated with a degree in Biopsychology, and Beth with a degree in Aerospace Engineering!

KC: How did you meet? Where?

J & B: We met in August 1997 on Elbel Field, the practice facility for the Michigan Marching Band. We were both horn players, and we were placed next to each other in the halftime drill for the first game of the season, so we were together, working hard and laughing hard, all through rehearsals during Band Week and through the following two seasons.  After graduation, James took me back to Elbel in June 2000 to propose.

KC: What significance does Michigan hold for you? 

J & B: Michigan is a touchstone for us.  Our degrees kickstarted our careers, which led us to move out of state — but living in "enemy territory" in Ohio probably only strengthened Michigan as part of our identity.  We're back in Ann Arbor a few times a year to visit family, explore campus events with our kids, and occasionally march Homecoming with the Alumni Band.

KC: Do you think you would have ever met if it weren't for your school? Why or why not? 

J & B: Absolutely not. We grew up in different parts of the state and had different career plans. In fact, James was accepted to West Point but was later disqualified due to a very strict vision requirement - so we very nearly missed our chance to cross paths at Michigan!

KC: What's your favorite thing to do together? Why?

J & B: We took flight training together and share piloting duties in our four-seat Grumman Tiger, which takes our family on wider adventures than our minivan could.  We also passed Beth's French horn on to the next generation; our daughter plays it in her school's band, and our son plays trombone.  Both kids cringe when we tell people they owe their existence to the Michigan Marching Band.

KC: What advice would you give incoming first-years about meeting other people and relationships/friendships? 

Coming onto a campus of 30,000-plus students - almost all of them total strangers - is a huge challenge. Finding your confidence in that crowd starts with finding a group of people who share your interests.  For us, it was the band.  For you, it might be a team, or a club, or a dorm trivia crew.  But whatever your community is, that's the foundation that will support you more than any freshman chemistry class.

Thank you so much to James and Beth for sharing their serendipitous Love Story with us. We can't wait to see what lies ahead for you and your band of musicians! <3

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