By Ella Karoline Hendricks

Julianna Breazeale has always dreamt of finding love. She grew up dreaming of romantic, classic love. She wasn’t the type to dream of her wedding day, instead, she dreamt of the life it would bring. White picket fences, shiny diamond rings, a beautiful family of her own. Topped off with a handsome, supportive, loving partner to be with her every step of the way. Julianna Breazeale knew she would find it – and fight for it. 

“I always knew I would get married young,” Breazeale said. “I have always been mature from a young age. I never cared to go into the crazy dating scene and I wasn’t willing to date anyone I wouldn’t marry.” 

And true to her word, Breazeale got married on Aug. 11, 2024, to her husband, Matthew, while they were both in school at the University of Arkansas. Between juggling school work, wedding planning and their social lives, the couple faced the possibility of judgment and the question of the realities of a wedding, like scheduling and financial constraints. 

“Because we are so young, the challenges were not between us, but more like us against the world,” Breazeale said.

But those uncertainties and fears pale in the light of love. 

Breazeale experienced the joy of finding love at a young age. The couple were 15 and 16 when they met in Spanish class their sophomore and junior year of high school in September of 2020 and have been together for five years now. Breazeale describes her relationship as natural and healthy. As a match of two personalities and souls who want the same thing, she said. 

In the South, marriage is almost seen as the next step in a young woman’s life. Traditionalists cite it as a key developmental phase, an item to be ticked off a checklist. Adolescence, prom, high school, marriage, kids. And in the state of Arkansas, many hold these ideas close, often in the name of Christian values. These beliefs extend far, even to the state’s flagship university. 

College and marriage are not as mutually exclusive as they once appeared. The converging ideas of the progressive nature of university combined with the traditional viewpoints on love, marriage and family has led to an interesting phenomenon: the concept of a “Ring by Spring” campus. 

Most well known at religious schools such as Brigham Young University and Baylor University, a “Ring by Spring” campus is a college campus that has a large number of students getting engaged while still in school or shortly thereafter. At these schools, the campus culture lends itself to marriage, or at least the societal acceptance of young marriage and engagements. 

Yet, according to the US Census, Arkansas has one of the highest divorce rates in the country, averaging at 11.09 when the national average is 7.1 per 1,000 women aged 15 and older in 2022. 

And on the whole, marriage rates are declining. According to Pew Research Center, “ among adults between the ages of 18 and 29, just 16% are married, compared with a majority (57%) of adults over the age of 30.” 

Everyday U of A students defy the odds for the chance at love, despite the fact that marriage as a whole is on the decline and many people believe young marriage is more likely to end in divorce. Instead, the “Ring by Spring” phenomenon takes hold. 

This idea is not foreign in other parts of the country and has been a part of American culture ever since women have stepped on college campuses —  girls going to college to get their “MRS degree.” This idea is a more traditional view that is not as common in modern day, but in some majors – namely “pink collar” majors such as education, nursing, and liberal arts – the stereotype persists. It is a joke that undermines the intellectual value of the degree and degrades the woman from a person seeking intellectual betterment to simply searching for a romantic partner. 

In a “Ring by Spring” campus, this is not contained to specific majors, instead young marriage is seen throughout the campus. Even so, this idea of a “Ring by Spring” campus is more common in the South than in different parts of the nation. It begs the question: What pushes these couples to get engaged at such a young age? 

Breazeale has never once doubted her decision to get married before her or her husband’s college graduation. Instead, they have embraced married college life together. 

“Being in the Bible Belt,” Breazeale said, “there’s a lot of individuals who have values on marriage and just getting married young, versus in the North, where that’s not as a big a push. So I do think this is more of a place you’d see it than if you went anywhere North.”

Laying out in Old Main, over cups of coffee or even overheard in sorority dining rooms — talks of marriage and engagement are abuzz on the U of A campus. Girls discussing potential bridesmaids and creating Pinterest boards full of dresses and rings. Some take it as a far off exercise, a bridge to be crossed in many years, while others look to the near future.

Recently engaged and in the depths of wedding planning is Megan Papagoriou, a junior at the U of A who is planning on getting her masters and becoming a child-centered play therapist. Papagoriou has been with her partner for almost two years and is looking forward to their upcoming summer wedding set at a beautiful local church. 

“We met through our parents at church,” Papagoriou said. “His grandparents were leading a small group that my parents joined, and they wanted me to meet him because he’s two years older, and he was already at the U of A, so they just wanted me to have a familiar face.”

They hit it off instantly and the pair were inseparable after their first date, texting nonstop and seeing one another almost daily. They started dating and got engaged exactly one year later. 

“I do think that marriage is more common in the South, but I know personally, I would want to be engaged to him wherever we lived,” Papagoriou said. “If we lived in New York and happened to me, or were raised there, I just know that this would have happened no matter where.” 

Outside opinions and values can be influential in relationships, especially if the couple is close to their family. Both Papagoriou and Breazeale said their families were very supportive of their engagements, and both women said their families did not pressure them in any way. 

Papagoriou and her fiance both come from Christian families and hold their faith very strongly in everyday life. However, it is not the driving factor in her engagement. Instead, the love they have for one another, guided by their faith, led them to get engaged at a young age.

“It wasn’t like we’re getting married young because in our religious group everyone gets married young,” Papagoriou said. “It was that we felt lucky enough to find our person for life, and then why hold off on that?”

There is a link between religion and marriage. According to Pew Research Center, Evangelical Protestants are the most concerned about the effects of the decline of marriage rates in the United States, with 55% saying that fewer people getting married will have a negative impact on the future. 

God acts as the guiding force in Breazeale’s relationship, she said. Both Breazeale and her husband have been deeply involved in the Christian church since childhood and have put God at the forefront of their thoughts. 

“I was 16 years old, and we were praying over our relationship and asking for the Lord’s blessing, valuing the way He says to do relationships,” Breazeale said. “And I think we’re just evidence that it works because we did our best to do the things that He told us to do, and He’s really blessed us for it.” 

Religion is a major factor in many people’s identities, and it plays heavily into relationships when a person’s morals and ethics are built by their religion. Church is a place many people find community in and often form friendships and relationships with like-minded people. Many share this dream of getting married and settling down early, with ideas being repeated and normalized in these circles. On the opposite side of societal acceptance is social ostracization, as often occurs in the case of purity culture. 

Purity culture often shames the members who participating in sexual acts before marriage and idealizes those who stay “pure,” as in sexually inactive before marriage. 

In Christian culture, it is emphasized that both parties remain sexually inactive with each other until marriage, as it is viewed as a Holy sacrament. This, colloquially known as purity culture, has traditionally fallen more so on women as opposed to men. Some view it as backward while others hold it very personally. 

Breazeale and her husband chose to wait for marriage, but Breazeale said she believes there is some harm in what the Church has put out in terms of purity culture. 

“(The church) has hurt women in the process of trying to invent purity,” Breazeale began. “It really upset me as I realized the culture around the concept. When I was younger, I read a book and had a good conversation with my mom about purity. It’s not about a girl being a perfect virgin and instead on a relationship with Jesus. There are benefits to waiting till marriage, it’s not easy and doesn’t look the same for every couple. There are really good physical, emotional and spiritual benefits for waiting for marriage, and there should be no shame around making mistakes and learning as you go.”

Purity culture has a foothold in Arkansas society, yet it also contrasts pretty heavily to mainstream college bar and hookup culture. Saving yourself for marriage is a personal choice, but it can also be difficult to be around others who do not share your beliefs. 

“I would say it’s pretty unique to campus culture — lots of people would question me on it,” Breazeale said. “It blew their minds. People assume that we had no physical connections, but we were still intimate and knew each other well.”

Breazeale hasn’t had quite the typical college experience and said with being in a serious relationship, college life has looked a little different —  maybe a bit more contained, while still enjoying her youth.

“Those typical college experiences — sorority, functions, parties — are not mutually exclusive to being single,” she said. “I guess just as a Christian in general, I have a different balance of fun and what people consider fun. I’m not attracted to super high, fast life but insead having fun in moderation. Just more contained and respectful. We still like to do things but stick with people that know us.” 

When prompted about if campus culture influenced them in any way, Breazeale said, “(Engagement in college) is very rare. I don’t think there’s many. I think we’re a smaller population, a more group. I think since we go to a big SEC school, the culture is more like young party life. So being married in college is kind of shocking to most people I tell, but everyone who I know on campus is extremely accepting.”

It’s important to note that for Breazeale, being married hasn’t made her lose any independence in her morals or beliefs. 

“My beliefs and my morals are who I am to my core,” Breazeale said. “They would still be there if I wasn’t married. I would still act and behave in the same ways. Instead, I think marriage has elevated and made my experience even better — whether that’s having a study partner or walking me out the door before an exam. I haven’t changed for it, but instead, it has made me better.”

But for some on campus, marriage is not in the immediate post-grad cards. Isabella Galloway has been with her high school sweetheart for almost five years now.

“We actually met around COVID,” Galloway said. “So he literally just slid into my DM and texted me: ‘I think you’re really pretty.’ And we just kept talking. It was March or April of 2020, and whenever we could finally go back outside, we met up.” 

Galloway, a college sophomore majoring in chemical engineering, and her partner have been long distance through their college years. Long distance can be very difficult for couples, especially at a young age. Galloway’s boyfriend attends Louisiana Tech, but she chose to attend the U of A as she earned several scholarships for her degree. 

Long distance can be difficult with communication, as it can be hard to convey feelings and meaning clearly. Yet, the distance has not lessened their relationship, merely presented some challenges.

“I would say (the relationship is) very supportive,” Galloway said. “And I would say it’s really easy to be honest.”

Galloway and her partner have communicated expectations of one another and have practiced the art of long distance. They aren’t the type of couple to get upset at smaller things, or hiccups in communication, instead maintaining a strong relationship built on trust and healthy expectations.  

Galloway has no immediate plans for engagement or marriage, instead is enjoying her relationship with her boyfriend in its current label. Galloway treasures the ease in which her relationship holds — for the pair, they are happily content with being there for one another. They are not in any rush to tie the knot, instead trusting their relationship will pass over into that next phase of life. 

Modern ideas of marriage are changing. No longer is the expectation of young women to be married directly after college. Many young women enjoy the season of singleness in their lives, using this time for self-development and growth. Every year, it becomes more and more acceptable for women to delay partnerships, engagements, and marriage. For some, marriage is not a necessary part of a fulfilled, successful life. 

That is the beauty of this day and age, each person chooses what is best for them at that moment. Whether that be marriage, motherhood, partnership, or existing as an individual, everyone is entitled to their own ideal of happiness. 

Galloway is looking forward to this unknown chapter of her life, full of wonderful, exciting possibilities. Papagoriou is currently busy planning her wedding for this upcoming summer, sending pretty personalized invitations out to her friends and family, with white dress shopping and bridesmaid proposals. And Breazeale is enjoying her life as a newlywed in her last years of college, taking in all of the changes that come with this new distinction. Living with her husband and building the life they have always dreamed of, Breazeale experiencing the joy of her life-long plans finally coming to fruition. 

“I always knew I was gonna be a wife,” Breazeale said. “But it wasn’t my biggest dream. I wanted to be Matt’s wife. That connection that I always dreamt of — finding the one, right person — I knew he was out there and I found him.” 

Regardless if the University of Arkansas campus is a “Ring by Spring” school or not, at the core of these relationships, seems to be true love and happiness. Young, full, inviting adoration that deserves to be celebrated. It is not every day we find the love of our lives and who can blame them for catching it and holding on tight?