These Georgian grads moved into residence and fell in love

Feb. 13, 2024

Emily White fell in love with Barrie as soon as she took her first Georgian College campus tour – and it wasn’t long before she fell in love for the second time.

This time, it was Ross Vinskas who held her attention.

The two moved into the same on-campus residence building on the same day in September 2013. Two days later, they bumped into each other on a rainy walk to class.

“We chatted about what floor we were on and how we were liking college so far,” she recalls. Emily and Ross, now Georgian alumni (class of 2016), took Business Administration – Human Resources and Automotive Business, respectively. “He invited me up to a residence party that night and then we went our separate ways. I didn’t even know his name. That evening, I went up with a friend and there he was, but I never got to talk with him.”

Ross admits he was intimidated when he moved away from the only home he’d known in Brampton to Barrie, but there was a certain girl in residence who caught his eye. Even though they didn’t connect at his party, their fast friendship helped him realize everything would be okay.

The first few days that I got to know Emily I got the impression of what a sweet, kind-hearted girl I found. I got to learn that she has such a big heart and really knows how to prioritize love first. After a short bit of time, I realized that with Emily, I didn’t need to be frightened because with her, I was never really alone.

– Ross

Ross asked for Emily’s number when he saw her the day after that first party and the couple’s connection intensified quickly.

It’s pretty special that we were able to basically grow up together. We were 18 years old when we met.

– Emily

Emily married Ross on June 25, 2022, which is also her parents’ wedding anniversary. “Georgian helped us reach our goals because we lived in a small community, which helped us grow our relationship with much support from our college friends.”

Couple looks forward to the future

The couple who fell in love at the Barrie Campus 10 years ago now live in Orangeville, where Emily works as a human resources assistant for the municipality and Ross works as a sales representative at Blackstock Ford Lincoln dealership. His workplace even inspired the name for their sweet orange-and-white cat, Lincoln.

“As the days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months, all I could hope for was that the months would turn into years. After all this time, we’ve never stopped talking,” says Ross. “All I can hope for now is that the years turn into decades and we both get the privilege to grow old together.”