Ruthie Fish ’09 and Rodney Jehu-Appiah ’10 were married on Willow Path in front of family and friends, including more than 20 alumni. (Photo by Erica Hasenjager)
We fell in love in the summer of 2008. We were two of the few hundred students who were lucky enough to spend the summer on campus and partake in one of Colgate’s best-kept secrets. Because, in the summer, our beautiful campus puts on her finest sundress.
We met in the Office of Admission, as tour guides, sharing our experiences and advice with prospective students. Campus tours are a genuine workout in the summer heat — especially for the tour guides who have to walk backward! Fortunately, as any Colgate visitor can confirm, Byrne Dairy ice cream sandwiches are the sweet reward for completing a tour. Needless to say, the summer tour-guide cohort virtually ate their weights in ice cream sandwiches. The tour guides bonded over our shared passions for ice cream sandwiches and, of course, our beloved university.
Hard work by day was balanced with rest and relaxation under the Chenango Valley night sky. A few weeks into the internship, the tour guides decided to see The Incredible Hulk at the Hamilton Theater. But, somehow, of the entire eight-person group, we were the only two who showed up! What was intended to be a collegial movie night ended up being a somewhat awkward and unintentional first date. For an uncomfortably long two hours, we both tried in vain to ignore the gigantic green monster in the room. That monster turned out to be cupid in disguise.
In a heady blur of more movie dates, ice cream socials, barbecues, and kayaking trips on Lake Moraine, we grew closer and spent all of our free time together. We sometimes co-led tours, and began to sound especially earnest when we told our tour groups of our real love for the Colgate experience. Outside of work, we enjoyed summer pick-up soccer games as an excuse to learn more about each other. It took a small, almost imperceptible shift — as deft as Ruthie’s crossed ball from the right wing — for a close friendship founded on shared interests to transform into a romance. Somewhere along the way, we decided that we would only play if we could be on the same team.
Seven years later, on July 18, 2015, we returned to campus surrounded by family and several Colgate friends to exchange our vows of marriage. We were once again in front of a gathering — this time to declare our love for each other.
The joy of all who were present was as plain to see as the “slices” that were shared at the end of the night.
— Ruthie Fish ’09 and Rodney Jehu-Appiah ’10
