When Ashley Armstrong and James Reile met at freshman orientation, neither of them were looking for a long-term relationship.

 “James and I did not plan on meeting at college,” Armstrong said. “It just happened that way.”

Like most freshmen during their first days on campus, Armstrong and Reile were simply following the motions of orientation. Although they weren’t placed in the same group, Armstrong became friends with Reile’s best friend Andy Saunders, who introduced them.

“My first impression of James was, ‘Wow, he is a really good looking guy!’” Armstrong said.

Reile had an equally positive first impression of Armstrong, and they spent the next few months adjusting not only to college life but to their newfound friendship. On Oct. 20, 2003, they made their relationship official. Three-and-a-half years later, Armstrong and Reile are still the happy couple that they were during those precious first months at Fisher.

Reile, a football player, and Armstrong, a cheerleader, had to learn to balance their time between school, athletics, friends and each other. 

“It gets tough sometimes but you have to be able to balance and prioritize,” Armstrong said. “James and I always made school first, and made time each week to go out to a movie or spend one night just with each other.”

After graduation, Armstrong plans to attend graduate school at SUNY Brockport and Reile will spend one last semester at St. John Fisher. While they finish up their education, they will be living in Rochester apartments nearby one another. Eventually, however, they are looking into moving to the Carolinas or Georgia to teach.

Both Reile and Armstrong are believers in the potential of college relationships. They have learned that, like any relationship, college relationships take work.

In the end, however, it’s all worth it.

“I am living proof that they can work out and be successful,” Armstrong said.