Just Married

Married students balance coupledom, college life

JNoisy apartment parties, the loud hum of voices in D-hall and the tolling of the Wilson Hall bell are typical sounds that a JMU student hears. "Here Comes the Bride" usually is not one of them. There are, however, students who choose to get married before they graduate and remain full-time students, making them both unique and courageous.

Senior Kateesha Manderson met her husband Marcus, a junior, at JMU. He proposed in May 2003, and they planned on waiting until they graduated to get married, but their plans changed along the way. They married on March 3, 2004, at the Rockingham County Courthouse without telling their parents. That June, however, they had a big wedding ceremony with family in Woodbridge, their hometown.

Kateesha has been Mrs. Manderson for almost a year. "Life at JMU is different because you have to run your household, and you have a family to think of," she said. "You have a different perspective, but it definitely can be fun — time management is very important."

Senior Maite Taylor married her husband Jonathan in June 2002. Maite is from Harrisonburg, but her husband is from Richmond. After meeting at church camp when she was 15 years old, they kept a long-distance relationship for three years. Then he moved to the Valley to go to JMU because she was going to Blue Ridge Community College at the time.

"We had been together for so long, it was natural for us to get married," she said. "We just didn’t want to wait anymore." Maite is very happy with her decision and enjoys married life.

Despite their successes, there are a few worries and work is often one of them. Both Maite and Jonathan work full time at Staples, pulling 40-hour work weeks as full-time students. She said it’s a lot of responsibility, but the bills have to be paid. Jonathan now attends Blue Ridge Community College, while Maite is finishing up her last semester at JMU.

The Mandersons are not working right now, but are full-time students. They are able to support themselves with money they saved from summer jobs and wedding gifts, as well as financial aid.

Manderson wants to work next year at JMU while her husband finishes up his last year of school.

Another pressing issue for married students is finding the right place to live. The Mandersons live in Deer Run Apartments in Harrisonburg. "It’s a nice family environment; we were looking for a clean community where there were not a lot of parties," Manderson said. The Taylors, on the other hand, bought a house in Grottoes, a few miles outside of Harrisonburg.

Managing time wisely in order to balance home life and school is crucial for married students. "Time wise, it’s a lot harder because you don’t have a lot of time for yourself, but whether or not you do it before or after you graduate, you’re still going to have to do it," Maite said. She will graduate in May with a degree in management.

Being in similar situations allows the Taylors to relate to one another. "Since [Jonathan’s] a college kid, too, we understand each other because we’re both going through the same thing," she said.

Kateesha is still very career oriented. She hopes to put her English major to use as a newspaper journalist. Her husband is a music industry major. "Things have changed a little bit because I wanted to go to law school after I graduated," she said. "So, I had to put some things on hold and he had to, too."

Besides balancing school and family, friends don’t disappear after marriage. Kateesha works hard to maintain the relationships with her friends. "There will be times when the girls go out but I’m hanging out with my husband," she said. "Last semester was a sacrifice because we were settling into our house, but now you get into the rhythm and start enjoying things more."

Senior Christine Wilson is Manderson’s roommate from her freshman and sophomore years. She said she doesn’t get to see her as often as she used to. "It sounds weird sometimes when she says ‘I have to go home to my husband,’" she said. "I was surprised because I thought she would wait until she graduated, and one day she hit me up on IM and was like ‘I’m married,’" Wilson said. "But I’m definitely happy for her decision. Marcus is great for her."

Taylor admits the people she hangs out with have changed since getting married. "When we go out, we do stuff together … because people don’t expect you to be married and guys may try to pick you up," she said. She and her husband tend to hang around other couples more than single people.

Despite a few extra decisions and worries, being a married student is not an impossible task. "A lot of people think that being married is hard and that you can’t graduate school, but if two people really love each other, they can make it work," Kateesha said. "I’ve been married almost a year and I love it."

Some may even say there are benefits to getting married young. "I feel like I’m getting a heads up on stuff so after I graduate I don’t have all that to do," Maite said.

.