Love at Leeds

Love through the years

A chance encounter by the Roger Stevens pond, a picnic on Woodhouse Moor, a lecture buddy who became something more – Leeds has seen it all.

Read 100s of heart-warming stories of Love at Leeds.

Search by graduation year: 1960-69, 1970-79, 1980-89, 1990-99, 2000-09, 2010-19, 2020-2023, 2024

Or perhaps it was Leeds that stole your heart. Explore how our alumni fell in love with the city in Love for Leeds, and enjoy their love letters to the city.

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Maurice Goulding (Dentistry 1960)

Mutual friends arranged for six nurses who were at Roundhay Hall in their first year of training to invite six second year dental students to the LGI Hospital Board Ball which was held in the Town Hall 3rd January 1957. It's a very prestigious occasion in the hospital calendar. We all met in formal dinner suits and dresses on the town hall steps.

Three and a half years later after graduation my dance partner and I married
in September 1960 . This year we will celebrate 65 happy years of marriage. We went back last year to visit the spot which was the key to many happy years of marriage.

Peter Hilditch (Economics 1961)

We met for the final waltz at the freshers dance in the Riley Smith. I walked Estelle home to Moortown and then had to find my way back to my digs in Headingly. We met the next day and fixed up to see South Pacific at the Odeon. It turned out that our courses shared some lectures, Estelle read Sociology. After graduation we married had three daughters and three grandchildren, we have lived in 10 houses but finally settled in Sussex.

Sherry-Anne Jacobs (nee Sheridan) (French and English 1962)

I went out for a drink at the Leeds University bar with some friends one evening and got chatting to this attractive guy. He walked me home afterwards, only we never got there. We walked around the town moor and nearby streets all night, talking and getting to know one another, stopping for a non-alcoholic drink in a cafe.

We met the next day in the bar again, and every day of that final week of term three. He came home with me to help carry my luggage back to Rochdale, Lancashire, and then he went home to Hertfordshire. We wrote to one another most days - I only found out later in our acquaintance that he isn't fond of writing letters! He wrote a lot that year. We met again in the next university year, our final year and sneakily moved in together - for which I could have been expelled, I was told. As the man, he'd have just been reprimanded, they added.

He'd got a place to do an education year at Leicester University, so I got a job there and we were married at the end of that September. We're still together over 60 years later, still madly in love and now living in Australia. I'm so glad I went to Leeds University and I met him - he's much more important than the degree.

Oh, and I turned into a novelist, and now have 110 novels published, mainly as Anna Jacobs. He's now my business manager.

Andrew Buchanan Loughran (Medicine 1963)

We met in 1958 at a weekend hop, married in '63 and had two kids. Now my wife has dementia and doesn't know who I am. She's in a care home and her few memories include glimpses of Leeds in the 1960's. I visit her every day and try and take her back to those happy days in Leeds.

Roger Ashton Gregory (Agriculture 1964)

My first date with my wife of 58 years was just prior to the Agric Ball. We had a great time with three different bands. We got engaged when I graduated - the best decision of my life.

Jean Matthews (Law 1968)

My first love at Leeds, Ricky Ibrahim, talented musician and photographer.
I wonder where he is now.

Christine Shaw (nee Quaile) (German 1968)

After graduating, I worked in the Brotherton Library for a year, before going on to do a librarianship and information science MA at Sheffield University. I worked on the counter a lot of the time, so saw plenty of library users. One day I was asked to tell a postgrad student that he had booked the microfilm reader for longer than was allowed, so I did that with some trepidation! That evening I found him waiting for me on the steps outside the library though, and far from complaining about how I had treated him, he asked me out.

I only had a short time left in Leeds before going off to Sheffield, but that made no difference - to cut a long story short, we got married as soon as I had finished my MA and he had done a teaching certificate. We then moved to Essex, where we've lived ever since!

Anthea Peers (Education 1969)

I met my husband when we were both students at Leeds Carnegie in 1965. I was just 18 and he was 19. We have been together ever since! We were married in 1969 and live in a village just outside Sheffield.

We have continued to meet up with several friends who also met and were married around the same time as us. We meet fairly regularly with eight friends from the 1960s in Leeds and in fact we are planning a reunion for about 18 ex-students (one coming from USA to be with us) this September to mark 60 years since we all first met in 1965! Our daughter and family also now live in Leeds and we continue to visit regularly to be with our three grandchildren.

Judith Robinson (English 1971)

We met at the Freshers’ Hop September 1968. He was practising dance moves with a friend. The crowds parted and our eyes locked. We spent the evening dancing, fast and slow, and the next too. Of all the special Leeds experiences, this was the most precious.

Over 56 years later we are still firm friends, although at least 3,200 miles apart, both happily married to our respective steadfast partners for 51 years, after our weddings less than 24 hours apart in 1973.

Michael Fletcher (Mathematics 1972)

Met Linda in 1971. Married in 1973. 52nd wedding anniversary this year!

Andrew J Spence (MA English Literature 1972)

Due to complete a masters in English Literature at Leeds in 1972, I teamed up with others to form a string quartet. Two of us ended up playing in an opera, Polly, in the Micklegate Arts centre.

The very small orchestra had to be in 18C costume and the women singers were meant to be French speaking ladies of the night. Just before the show one evening, one of the chorus offered to adjust my wig and I congratulated her on her French accent. “That is because I am French”, she replied. She was intending to return to France. I was intending to return to London. Neither of us did. We had a wonderful year in Leeds and stayed.

We celebrated our 51st wedding anniversary last year. Three children, a string quartet in the family, grandchildren. We have been so lucky. The photograph is of our family quartet playing at a wedding. The photographer, to be seen in the mirror, is my wife Anick.

Pauline K (Economics 1972)

I met John (Economics and Geography 1972) in Freshers Week, 1969. We married after graduation in August 1972. We have two boys who both attended Leeds University. We loved the city and the University. We particularly enjoyed the fabulous live entertainment every Saturday evening. Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones and particularly the Who when recording 'the Who, Live at Leeds'.

Gerald Montague (MA English Literature 1972)

On Valentine's Day in 1972 my girlfriend Pamela came over from Ireland. As we were both impoverished students (of course) we couldn't afford to dine out so we decided to celebrate in the Students' Union bar, drinking not the cheap usual bitter but splashing out on an evening of Newcastle Brown (I still remember the taste distinctly - does it still exist?). She matched me bottle for bottle throughout the evening as we discussed the works of T.S.Eliot (pretentious, moi?).

Last month I moved house and in the unpacking discovered the actual novel we also had with us on that night and discussed: Les Liaisons Dangerous. Inside the cover is written in her hand 'You are the music while the music lasts' from The Dry Salvages. How beautifully poignant.

Helen Jones (English Literature 1972, MA Education 1994, EdD 2002)

I met Mark at Freshers’ Conference 1976. We were both studying English Literature and became part of a network of friends. We stayed in Leeds after graduation. Mark and a couple of other lads remained in their squalid rooms in a shared house in Brudenell Mount. Mark wanted to be a writer taught himself to touch type on an elderly manual typewriter.

In March 1981 I had a temporary job and needed something typed up so generously thought it would be good practice for Mark. In return I said I’d bake hot cross buns. While I was at his place waiting for the yeast to do its work, his parents arrived on a surprise visit and took us down the pub. His mother concluded we were an item (I only found this out later). In September 1982 Mark and I got together but his parents weren’t surprised! The following summer he got a seasonal job in France, but we missed one another unbearably. We wrote many letters to one another, and I arranged to join him during August.

In June I was utterly amazed to open the door one teatime to find Mark on the doorstep, some garage-bought flowers in his hand. He asked me to marry him. I refused. In 1982 marriage felt a very unappealing, suburban way to say goodbye to any ambitions I had for the future. Mark said he wouldn’t ask again but we stayed together.

By 1992 Mark was doing well as a writer. He was one of the creators of the subversive comic Oink! and they’d had a couple of television series produced by Hat Trick Productions, one of which had been nominated for a Royal Society of Television award. The future looked exciting but in November he found he’d got terminal cancer. I asked him to marry me. He agreed. Our wedding was in December 1992 and he died on January 9 1993. I’m still part of the family and went to his mother’s funeral in January 2025.

El Hachemi Bensalem (Fuel Science 1974)

I met my girlfriend in sociology.

Paul Fitchett (Civil Engineering 1974)

Helen was one of the few women on our course. They all used to sit together on the front row of the lecture theatre, with a 100 men of varying levels of maturity and behaviours sitting behind them. We clicked in the second year on the train to Bangor for our week long surveying project, but we didn't start going out until our final year.

We were married later that year after graduating and starting work in the North Riding of Yorkshire.

Still together with three children and three grandchildren.

John Davidson (Economics 1975)

I first met my wife to be in 1973 during the first term of my second year and her first year. I was living in Hey House and Kris (Kristine Sellars - History) was in Tetley Hall. Having attended a Greenslade concert together in the Riley Smith Hall, we subsequently became an official item a few weeks later at the Valentine's Bodington Ball in 1974. We got engaged exactly a year later and married in August 1976 after Kris had graduated. Two children and three grandchildren later we are still living in a Leeds postcode.

Adrian Rice (Zoology 1975)

We were students together. On our final year we spent many late nights in a lab on honours projects. She was beautiful with curly dark hair and glistening eyes. The relationship blossomed quickly; somehow we managed to focus through finals. Then we made plans - Africa!

On the eve of a finals ball she took my hands in hers, looked me in the eyes and told me we were breaking up. It had been fabulous. March to June 1975 - a precious moment in my Leeds history. I hope she’s still out there.

Jacqueline Lorch (English and Greek Civilisation 1977)

Three weeks after arriving at Leeds I met an American exchange student at a party in Bodington Hall. About 15 minutes after we met he asked me to marry him. Sounds romantic, but beer had been consumed and he also asked three other girls to marry him that night. Seems I was the only one to (eventually) say yes. We’ve been married for 48 years.

Parva Gharahgozloo (Mechanical Engineering 1982)

I followed my love to the University of Leeds after the 1979 revolution in Iran, against all obstacles, breaking family culture by leaving family for love as a single woman.

We met in Iran; he left Iran one year later to study at Leeds. Everyone in the department knew our love story.

We had so much fun studying together in the same department and lots of romantic times on Leeds campus before we married in 1982 upon my graduation. We had our 40 year graduation anniversary in 2022 at Leeds to refresh our memories, and met our old professor in his office.

We have been married for 43 years, we have three amazing sons, one born in Leeds during our post graduate studies.

We live in Canada and cherish our retirement time with our granddaughter, Sabine.

Graham (Chemistry 1983) and Allison (Medicine 1983)

Barbier House, Boddington Hall, 1977. How could she miss the noisy Scouser watching Liverpool in the common room? Flirtation ensued and increased over Salvo's pizzas. Furtive hand holding in the Original Oak, engaged 1979 in Whitakers Arms, Otley, married August 1980. Still going strong 48  years on, two sons and three grandchildren in.

Hardip Sanghera (Physics 1986)

I went with a group of friends to the Old Bar in the Union building. There I met and chatted with the most beautiful woman. We met again the next time at a Valentines party in the Union a week later (1985). Afterwards I walked her home (in Headingley) and as we walked across Hyde Park I asked her out for a date. We married a decade later, and are still together, now living in Cambridge, 40 years later, and just as much in love, and will celebrate this wonderful anniversary this summer.

Neil Bowers (Computer Science 1988)

My siblings and I grew up hearing the stories of how our parents met at Leeds, and their first child was born in Leeds. I had no intention of going to Leeds, but as a result of a joke I put it fifth on my UCCA form and came to visit. As a result of that visit, I moved it to first place, and the rest is history.

Deborah Williams (Mathematics 1989)

It was the end of my second week at Leeds and the Maths department had organised a social. My friend from halls had gone home upset because she’d lost her bus pass so I went on my own. Luckily one of the guys from my tutor group was there so we sat and chatted. When a voice from behind called him I turned around and met my future husband. Love at first sight! It was approximately 8pm on Tuesday the 14th October 1986 on level 9 of the Maths Department and it would soon become apparent that the lecturers had woefully underestimated the amount of beer, so we all headed for the union instead.

We married in 1991, have two brilliant children (one who got her second degree from Leeds) and an absolutely awesome granddaughter. He’s still the love of my life and “Leeds - City of Love” will always have a special place in my heart.

Helen Matthews (Gourley) (Geography 1989)

I met Johnny in the first few days at Leeds in 1986 - nearly 40 years on we are still weathering life’s ups and downs together.

Sarah Bell (Theology and Religious Studies 1993)

I owe my very existence to love that blossomed at Leeds. My parents met there as students in the late 1960s. My mother was the only one without a date at the Lupton Hall. Someone knew of a chap at Boddington who needed a date... and the rest, as they say, is history.

At first my mum did not know my dad's real name. She knew him by his nickname, Joe, after Joe Grimmond the then Liberal Party leader. This was a nickname given to my dad because he was such a firebrand in the Union, for liberal politics in particular.

Clearly, Leeds figures heavily in some great stories in my childhood, and so I found my way there to study and loved it; we all have such love for Leeds.

Matt Spring (History 1994)

I met my wife Sarah while doing my History PhD in 1999, in the 'Planet Earth' nightclub. She was a Maths-Biol undergraduate. We married in 2008, and now have two children and live in Truro.

Catherine Milsom (nee Sidebotham) (English and Music 1995, PGCE 1996)

It all started with a Valentine's card posted in Leeds city centre. I was a subwarden at Tetley Hall at the time, so I often sorted the post when it arrived in the morning. Hands shaking, I made sure that the card I'd posted myself went into the 'M' pigeonhole in the little post room. A secret admirer.

I was in the third year of my English and Music degree, spending most of my time reading and playing my cello; he was a rugby-playing Biochemistry and Genetics student. What could we possibly have in common? But I adored him from the outset, loving his calm, steady nature and his inappropriate sense of humour.
We had a year of being Tetley subwardens together while I did a PGCE and he started his PhD. Then we were long distance for a couple of years when I started teaching.

We married in 2000 (Gordon and Val, and other Tetley friends in attendance), we followed his research career to the USA in 2005 and settled in Germany in 2010 so he could take up a permanent post at the German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ Heidelberg). I've used my Leeds qualifications to get a deputy headship in a German school.

We've got three incredible sons who have added more love and joy to our lives than we could ever have dreamed of.

I'm incredibly proud of my very husband and everything he's achieved so far in his academic career, and as a father. He's faithful, kind and still outrageously funny.

I've got that old Valentine's card stashed away somewhere, perhaps I will dig it out before our Silver Wedding Anniversary later this year.

Nic Thomas (Geography 1998) and Caroline Piggott (English 1997)

I first saw Caroline across the Riley Smith Hall. I was on stage rehearsing for Fiddler on the Roof (Music Theatre 1997) and she was producing the show. I was instantly smitten, but she took a little longer to come around.

Caroline was in her final year and I was still a quite green second year. She finished her course and went off into the wide world and that was that.

A few years later I met a friend by chance at a party in London, who put me back in touch with more of the cast. Caroline and I re-met at a show a few weeks later and began to see each other socially. Eventually I persuaded her I was the one for her, the day before I emigrated to Budapest.

That was 25 years ago. This year we will celebrate 20 years married, having lived together in 6 different countries bringing up our 3 brilliant kids.

A few years ago we took them for a UK holiday to show them what they missing including a return to the Riley Smith stage. The kids could not have been less interested.

Celia Brigg (Biochemistry and Genetics 1994, PhD Biochemistry 1999)

At the start of my second year through friends of friends I met Richard a fresher in a completely different department. Through attending St George's church and student group the friendship grew and 18 months later he offered to walk me home from the pub one Sunday night and now here we are 31 years later! We married after 10 years and have one son and now live in Lancaster but both have very fond memories of our time in Leeds and when we met.

Laura Back (MA Sculpture Studies 2000)

My year at Leeds was the year I fell in love. It nearly didn't happen because I was supposed to come the year before to take up a scholarship, coming from Australia. For some mysterious reason, I just didn't feel ready and deferred for a year, and I accepted a different scholarship for less money!

Then I met Robert, and in three weeks, he had proposed. But our newfound love was tinged with sadness because I was about to go to the other side of the world, for more than a year. This was before we had mobile phones, or internet at home. We wrote many long letters that we have kept, a beautiful reminder of that year of falling in love. I loved Leeds; the University, the city, the people and Yorkshire itself, too.

Robert came to visit at Christmas time and I showed him as much as I could of the place I had fallen in love with at the same time we had fallen in love. The separation was agony but I loved being there, and it will always be a special part of our life.

Alex Calam (MEng Chemical Engineering 2007)

Drinks with mutual friends in The Royal Park Pub first brought Hannah Donovan (Animal Science 2006) and I together. Opposites really do attract; Hannah was the life and soul of the party, a whirlwind, whereas I was a little more reserved, a rabbit in headlights perhaps. House parties and nights in the Dry Dock with the girls from Victoria Road followed, Hannah and I finally getting together in February 2005.

Little did we know, 20 years later, we’d be married, have travelled the world together and have three beautiful boys, with one more on the way. My soulmate, let’s see what adventures the next twenty years bring. Thank you Leeds!

Sarah Rubin (Medicine 2007)

In 2002 my parents drove me and my worldly possessions up to Leeds from Brighton. I was bright eyed and bushy tailed despite not knowing soul. The medical school mainly grouped us alphabetically so I, Sarah Rubin, quickly met Suesanne Samara and forged a very close friendship.

We were allocated medic parents from second year to help us settle in and Suesanne and I became medic wives ourselves. First year was a whirlwind of working hard and socialising. Before long I was in second year, living in a house of girls (a group of loyal lifelong friends I’m lucky to have met) in Hyde Park and starting on clinical placement.

On clinical placement we practiced on each other before being let loose on patients, so our group quickly bonded whilst taking one another’s blood pressures and pulses. I was in a group with Anna Partridge, Tom Walker, Domonique McKenny-Fick and Jan Sochon-Smith.

Jan was a cool but quiet and understated guy who got his hair cut at Tony and Guy and smoked Marlboro lights. He didn’t go on many medic nights out and we hadn’t properly crossed paths til then. Something made Jan ask me to join him for his 20th birthday night out so that evening Suesanne and I went to Wardrobe and enjoyed a dance off with Jan and his friends. I’d dated another medic before and Suesanne gave me some excellent advice to avoid going out with Jan as if we broke up it would be awkward.

Thankfully I ignored her and Jan and I ended up sharing our first kiss that night. Jan made me feel special, taking me to posh restaurants and on day trips in his bashed up Vauxhall Astra to places like Whitby and Scarborough. We soon met one another’s friends and families and travelled on holidays whenever we could during our time off. We moved in together in 2007 which was not as romantic as it sounds as Jan’s housemate Phil was also in residence.

We loved living in Leeds, both starting work in Bradford Royal Infirmary and sharing the highs and lows of junior doctor life. In 2011 we moved away from Leeds but it will always hold a special place in our hearts. It’s where we learnt our vocation, grew up and fell in love. Jan is truly my other half, he is a gorgeous person inside and out and our strengths and weaknesses compliment one another.

It’s now been over 20 years since that night in Wardrobe, we’ve been married for 11 years and have two beautiful, cheeky boys. Many thanks to Leeds Uni for introducing us.

Sebastian Needs (History and Spanish 2007)

My name's Seb, and I studied History and Spanish at Leeds from 2003-2007 (God, I'm old...). After my first two years at Leeds, which were pretty hit-and-miss in terms of love life, it actually took until third year, my year abroad on the (much-loved, and I hope one day, restored) ERASMUS scheme in Northern Spain, that I met the future love of my life, Jenny. Despite having both studied Spanish at Leeds, we'd never bumped into each other before, having been in different class sets.

I think we knew early on that there was chemistry. There was just the slight issue of her already having a boyfriend. Slightly awkward. Long story short, it took five months, but sometimes, when you know... you know. We got together in March 2006, and finished our studies in 2007. We've now been together 19 years, married for nearly 11, and we have Leeds to thank for it!

I can't imagine my life without her.

Charlotte Brown (Geography 2008)

Chris and I were on the welcome team for international students. We were wearing green T-shirts and taking campus tours being all awkward when you like someone.

A few days after on 14 February 2008 we bumped into each other in the Parkinson Building. He was off to a careers fair and I was running late for a lecture.

Facebook had just become a thing and we said we'd Facebook message and met later at the computer labs. After pretending to type our dissertations for a bit we went for a coffee in the Union. Which turned into a beer in the Terrace Bar, which turned into a few more beers and a bit later a snog in the Old Bar! And that was that, he's my person in this crazy world!

George Heath (Physics 2010)

My wife and I met in 2012 at the Terrace bar, though, in a way, our paths had crossed for years without us knowing.

She studied English Literature, I studied physics, our worlds separated by just a few buildings—but it wasn’t until after graduation that fate finally brought us together. She was working at the Union opticians, I was deep in PhD research, and from that moment on, our stories intertwined.

Now, nearly 10 years of marriage later, I’m endlessly grateful for that chance encounter that changed everything.

Chiara Da Cruz (Chinese Business 2011)

We met in Leeds as two Italian students studying Chinese and Business, weaving our love story between lectures, fancy dress parties, and international friendships. Now, married for five years, we cherish a special tradition: every five years, we return to Leeds for a nostalgic tour of the campus, the city, and the stunning Yorkshire Dales—reliving the magic of where it all began.

Katarzyna Chruścicka (Music 2011)

My husband, James, works in business and accountancy (and that was his degree), but his passion is music. He was an active musician during his time at Leeds University, which is where I was also studying music. It's funny, we didn't meet at Leeds, but years later, our shared love of music brought us together at a party where we both performed. Nine years together, and seven years married!

Laurence Kilpatrick (English 2012)

The first seminar I ever attended at Leeds was a History elective that I had ended up in because I hadn't grasped the concept of electives. Everything was full by the time I realised I wasn't allowed to just pick an English elective.

So there I was, learning about 12th century monastic orders against my will. Luckily, I ran into someone called Anna during that seminar. She would become one of my best friends for the duration of Leeds, and now, 17 years later, we have a baby girl, Cora, after finally getting together a couple of years ago.

Safe to say, I don't remember much about monks from the 1300s but I am extremely glad I ended up there.

Amanda Pohl-Dray (German 2014)

I met my husband during my year abroad whilst studying German at Leeds, we lived together during my final year of uni. We married shortly after I graduated. 11 years later we’re still together with two young boys!

Gineke Helberg (New Media 2014)

I recently got married to the love of my life who I got together with in my final few weeks in Leeds in 2014! We were on the same course but it took until those last summer days to make it happen, and over 10 years later, we have now tied the knot.

We got legally married in Goole, West Yorkshire, where my now husband David grew up and had a stunning celebration with our nearest and dearest - including respective Leeds uni housemates and coursemates - in my native South Africa.

Thank you Leeds for bringing us together!

William Trimble (Geographical Information Systems 2014)

My girlfriend and I met in London five years after graduating. On our first date we realised that we had both attended Leeds University, both lived in Hyde Park, and both lived on the same road! We never knew each other but fate (and a swipe right) brought us together. We share fond memories of Leeds University, and wonder if we ever saw each other, or noticed each other for that year on the same street. I guess we'll never know.

Tianya Zhu (MSc Finance and Investment 2016)

I met my future husband in Leeds, he was a master student of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, while I was a finance student. We met each other at the end of the academic year, and thanks to our common friends, we found that we shared lots of common interests.

Since then we kept encouraging each other to pursue better career development and became closer and closer. We got married and came back to UK for honeymoon travel in 2019. And one of my bridesmaids was also our schoolmate from Leeds. And we just had our baby at the start of this year. How lucky I am to have such amazing experience, I got both of my master degree and soulmate at Leeds University.

Junjie Rao (International Business 2017)

I met Lan at Innovation class 2017 when we were assigned as partners in business simulation, and we fell in love in 2021. It has been almost seven years since our graduation and we are planning to get married in 2025!

Sophie (International Business and Economics 2018)

On day two of moving to Leeds and settling into my shared flat in Lupton, I met George. He was in the same block so we got talking during pre drinks and just clicked straight away. We've been together 10 years now, and it's been an absolute joy! We've grown up together, experienced so much life, loss, adventures and happiness with so much more to come. We still reminisce about our time at Leeds and meeting in Lupton. I'm so grateful our paths crossed there so long ago!

Michael Houghton (PhD Food Science & Nutrition 2018)

Annie and I met in 2013 when I started my PhD and she started her Masters, both in the School of Food Science & Nutrition. We started out as friends and then, after a few legendary Otley Runs with the Swimming & Water Polo Club and a few blurry Friday nights in Fruity, we got together in 2014.

Since then we have been on countless adventures together - living together in Headingley 2015-17, running a ski chalet in Les Arcs, France in 2018, travelling around South America for six months in 2018-19 and then moving to Melbourne, Australia in 2019, where we still live and work today. I am now a Lecturer in Nutrition Science at Monash Uni and Annie works in philanthropy for the Baker Heart & Diabetes research institute. We got married in the UK in 2024, after I proposed to Annie in a vineyard in between all the COVID lockdowns, and then we honeymooned in South Africa (safari and wine!).

I will be forever grateful to Leeds for getting us both to where we are today and for crossing our paths so I could meet the love of my life.

Lea (MSc Biodiversity and Conservation 2018)

Kieran and I did the same masters in Biodiversity and Conservation, and coincidentally I joined the caving society which Kieran was already a part of so we were together all of the time. We bonded over a love of adventure and travel and soon started dating.

Once we graduated Kieran moved to Brighton to start his PhD researching bats. I joined him soon after and began my own PhD, researching pangolins. We started our degrees at different times and at different universities but managed to have our vivas within a one day of each other.

We didn't know what our next steps were but then we were incredibly lucky and found work together in Botswana for six months studying lions and leopards. Last year we moved to Malawi and are each now working with and researching the species we studied in our PhDs.

Paige Blake (Psychology 2018)

I met my partner 11 years ago in first year when he lived next door to me in The Tannery. We were just friends through university, but fast-forward to the pandemic and reconnecting on Instagram, we've now been together for four years and are looking for our first house in Birmingham!

Suruchi Sharma (MA in Corporate Communications, Marketing and Public Relations 2018)

Love isn't simple! Families have expectations, cultures have rules, and the world isn't always kind to what it didn’t understand. But, love is stubborn too.

It was the first time I travelled alone outside Asia with my two suitcases and loads of excitement to learn and make friends. I was the first female in my family and the only child of my parents in Nepal to have travelled abroad solo for education. Vishant Savio, my husband, had lived most of his life in Muscat, Oman and travelled to India for his undergraduate life and joined University of Leeds full of enthusiasm.

Both of us belonged to different countries, different belief systems, different stream of studies and most importantly different way of viewing life!

However, the air in the University of Leeds definitely played cupid. We often debate if we fell in love because of the times he cooked me meals, or when studied at the library together, or partied our hearts out at the city center, or went grocery shopping, or if it was just the time we sat on the stairs at the Parkinson Building.

All of it was too good to be true until graduation and we knew we had to part ways physically as we belonged in different countries. We kept each other in our prayers, tried meeting at least a once a year and six years later we decided to marry.

We had three different versions of our wedding. We had a traditional Nepali Hindu brahmin wedding in Kathmandu, Nepal and a Roman Catholic Church wedding and a South Indian wedding at Udupi, India. Were there highs and lows in-between all these years? Yes! Was it worth it? Definitely a big yes! It taught us the value of each other and how our decision to join University of Leeds will be one of the best decision of our lives.

Today he is my husband, my best friend, my cooking teacher and a soul I am thankful to have found. We are still navigating our lives in a place we call 'our home'.

Eliana (International Business and Marketing 2019)

From housemates to soulmates. James and I met on our very first day at Leeds, but our love story didn’t start until five years later. We were on the same course— well, almost. I studied International Business and Marketing, while he did Management with Marketing. Close enough.

From the beginning, we just clicked as friends. By second year, we were living together with two others—a course mate and a friend from James’s first-year halls. The four of us became tight, bonding over The Black Keys, brewing questionable beer in our basement, and walking to lectures together.

Over the years, we went our separate ways. I did a placement year in Manchester; James, ever the entrepreneur, started his own brewing business, experimenting with ancient drinks through the Year in Enterprise programme. We both dated other people, but we stayed close friends.

Then, in 2018, things changed. James invited me to his hometown, and I immediately got along with his family. His mum and I spent the weekend baking brownies and doing crafts, and his grandparents were convinced we were already a couple (they were just ahead of the curve.) A month later, we made it official —just in time for a pre-booked family holiday to Greece. My parents already knew him as "Lawyer James", thanks to the time he argued our house deposits back in second year, so they weren’t too surprised when he showed up as my boyfriend.

Fast forward six and a half years, and we’ve lived in three countries, visited fifteen, and somehow found our way back to Leeds. We still visit campus often, grabbing a drink at Old Bar or reminiscing about the time we delivered a sustainability lecture at the Business School with ZeroSmart, the environmental social enterprise we launched in 2020.

Who knew that the guy I brewed beer with in a damp student house would turn out to be my person?

Krittin Thongmee (Business Analytics and Decision Sciences 2019)

I met my fiancé in Leeds and I am marrying her this year.

Georgina Bonney (MSc Sustainability and Consultancy 2019)

Despite having the same mutual friend, Sian, throughout our years in Leeds (that I had lived with in my third year), Daniel and I never crossed paths. Following my graduation I moved to London, and did not return to Leeds until June 2021 for a reunion weekend.

Still living local, Dan was invited but kept deferring his acceptance as his mum was visiting that weekend. After an 11am start with a bottle of champagne and a day full of laughter and sunshine drinking, at 6pm Dan decided on a whim to join the festivities. We had an instant connection and we hit it off. Unfortunately Dan was moving to Dubai (a place I grew up in as a child and always wanted to go back to) with work so we spent the period enjoying a summer romance between London and Leeds.

As the end of August approached I helped him back up his boxes and we said goodbye thinking that would be the end. We ended up speaking every day as he navigated his new life and routine. After a month I booked a flight out to see him as his first Dubai visitor. From then onwards we spent a year and half long-distance from London to Dubai, making the most of our businesses having local offices so we could maximise on our time together with limited annual leave.

In December 2023 we were lucky to get three weeks across Christmas together - at which time my London rent was coming to an end and I was feeling unchallenged at work. I took the plunge, got a job in Dubai, and moved in with Dan for the first time. Its now approaching two years and we've just purchased our first home in Dubai together. We often say 'we were always meant to find each other and it all happened at the perfect time'.

Melissa Ulrich (Theatre and Performance 2019)

I was in my first year of university and Matt was studying for his Engineering apprenticeship at the College. We met online but some of our fondest memories are of being on the University of Leeds campus.

We would often meet by the duck pond next to Rodger Stevens and have been back there several times to reminisc. Matt would also come along to the LUUMS and Theatre and Performance Balls or see me perform with LUUMS Symphonic Choir (I was their manager for two years and am a founding member) and LUU OperaSoc. We also attended Leeds Ball in my final year in 2019. It has been eight years since we met. We now love together in Harrogate and are getting married this May!

Dominic Smith (Politics 2020)

Somewhere in the blurred line between 2018 and 2019 I began to notice a very charming and beautiful young lady at work. John Lewis are famous for their 'Never Knowingly Undersold' motto and I sure got bang for my buck here.

We first properly spoke at Royal Park Pub's Friday night karaoke where she probably stole the show. It developed into treats and notes being left in one another's locker at work, as young and innocent love so often seems to do.

Before either one of us could do anything about it we were besotted, even if it did take a long time for me to drunkenly confess so. Early mornings driving her to work, singing along to Elton's Bennie and The Jets (without fail), The Eagles, Billy Joel. I'd do a lot to relive those trips.

It was a mature, potent, powerful love. We were like children together, having so much fun, but the love felt secure, as if it could withstand interrogation, could hold its own.

Covid came along and all the time we chose to spend together was now an obligation. Maybe that's where we could trace it back to. We moved back in with my parents after I graduated and then to London. Unfortunately we couldn't make it work and parted ways with a big hug and a few tears. She moved to Australia and I moved to Italy. On paper it sounds like we didn't handle the break up too well huh?

We're still in touch. We're both navigating a life and a world that hasn't always felt like it has an obvious place for us. I, at least, am so grateful I spent a few years figuring this whole thing out with her at my side.

Lucy Hutchison (nee Stott) (Geography with Environmental Mathematics 2020)

Both quite nervous, he approached me at a pre-drinks flat party in James Bailey in freshers week of first year before heading to “jungle jam” for a night out. There really was an instant connection but no contacts were taken down. A few weeks later on another night out at “go nuts at donuts” I entered onto the bouncy castle and there he was, the only other person on there. We spent the rest of the night hanging out and quickly became best friends.

Both too scared to tell the other how we really felt, we both kept just missing the boat as we alternatively fell into different relationships. We lived together in a 10-bed shared house in second year in Hyde Park, and a more civilised 4-bed shared house in third year. Hearts were broken many times but we always remained best of friends who just got each other.

Feelings were never shared, until lockdown hit in our final year and he had to fly back to his home country, Canada. Suddenly in panic, we confessed that we wanted to marry each other one day. A year and a half later, having been separated by the Atlantic Ocean and only seen each other once briefly, we set sail together around the world. Still convinced we were just best friends as we embarked the vessel, no thoughts or feelings can stay hidden when you’re trapped on a boat with someone in the middle of the ocean.

Having loved each other for four years, we then spent two years finally falling in love as we sailed around the world. One year after we returned to the UK, I was walking down the aisle, looking into the eyes of my best friend who had captured my heart in James Bailey all those years ago, surrounded by fellow Leeds alumni. Leeds really does make dreams come true.

Charlotte (Psychology 2020)

I met Matt on the first week of freshers but even on Halloween I still asked if he was the ‘new kid’ in the halls. We quickly became friends and we would always go on nights out together - the best ones were at Wire Club which sadly closed last year. We moved in together in our third year with our other friends and one night whilst dancing our hearts out at pop world confessed our love for each other!

We’ve been together now for six years and thank Leeds endlessly for bringing us together, we graduate as doctors this year and are looking forward to moving back to Yorkshire in the future for GP training because our loves for Leeds is so special!

Amanda Wang (MA Business and Public Service Interpreting and Translation Studies 2021)

I met my husband when we were both pursuing our Masters at Leeds. At that time we were both living in the student accommodation and got acquainted because of the stewed chicken he made. We built up our small group that felt just like a ‘family’ with other friends, who also lived in the same building, and the two us became ‘besties’. We cooked and had dinner together, went travelling to every corner of the UK together, went to the gym and libraries together, graduated together, and became a couple.

We also decided to stay in Leeds to pursue our careers and now, we got married and it’s already our fifth year in Leeds.

Lewis Winstanley (Theoretical Physics 2021)

Back in late 2021, after graduating earlier that year, I was back in Leeds for my cousins wedding. On the off chance I opened the Hinge app and found Leah. A then Masters student at the University, we chatted and despite me living 50 miles to west at the time decided to go on a few dates.

I would regularly spend a few hours after work on the train to head over to meet up with Leah. I took a day off work to sit with her in Eddy B whilst she was writing an essay, I mostly just sat there and watched, with train delays it was a five hour round trip. After my persistence, and Leah’s confession of her surprise at me taking evenings after work to travel and see her, we eventually became official.

Fast forward to 2025 we now live together in Shipley with our dog Lexi and cat Leo. She’s smart, funny, interesting and I could not be happier with how our lives are progressing.

Xiaoqing Niu (MA Music Management 2021)

While studying at the University of Leeds, I met my primary school classmate in Leeds, who was studying at York. It's amazing because we hadn't had any contact for over a decade, then we stayed in touch and fell in love, and now we're married.

Ananthakrishnan Suresh Nair (MSc Data Science and Analytics 2022)

I was studying for my stats exam when I received a message in LinkedIn from a girl named Arya Jeshkumar, with no mutual connections. She said she had applied to my same course, beginning in September 2022 and wanted to learn more about Leeds, the University and the course. We caught up after my exams and she seemed like a person who had millions of questions to get through in a single day! She then asked me, "Bro, can you give me your WhatsApp number so that I can talk with you there?". And there began our friendship.

Over time, we would chat occasionally, which gradually became frequently. She has this habit of leaving you waiting for a reply for days. We talked over a call for the first time in June 2022, nearly five months after getting each other's numbers. But then again, it was more about the course and what Leeds has to offer for an international student. She got her visa sorted, and flew to the UK in Sep 2022, two weeks after I submitted my dissertation.

Despite being "really good friends", I only went and met her four days after she moved to Leeds. She was not that happy with it as she felt I was too busy to come and meet her. But when we met, everything seemed so easy and I have no idea why. The next weekend, she said she wanted to go for an evening walk and asked me if I could take her to some good place. We went to Sugarwell Hill in Leeds, about 25 minutes walk from her place, and spent about 3-4 hours taking in the scenic beauty of Leeds from the hill top, and talking about a lot of stuff. I'd say that really helped us to feel comfortable with each other, and we grew a lot closer.

We went for a Bollywood night in October 2022, and after coming back to her place, we literally sat in the hall and talked about a whole lot of different things from about 2am to 7am in the morning! A week later, we went together for Leeds Light Night and came back to her place for dinner at around 11pm. After having dinner, we continued to talk about the things we were discussing the previous week, and then started listening to old songs which changed the whole vibe. We got close listening to the songs, and eventually had our first kiss that night. It was something we didn't see coming, and that took us by surprise.

We were not sure what it was, or how we exactly felt about each other. We still kept going out, trying to figure out what exactly this is. However, on Dec 24 2022, we went to Leeds City Centre to enjoy the Christmas rides, like the merry-go-round and the giant wheel. I was sure how I really felt about Arya by then, and when we were in the giant wheel, I popped the question to her. I asked her, "Do you think we are in love?" and she started blushing as red as a tomato. She was smiling so gleefully that made her look ever so beautiful and she said, "Yes, I think so". That was it. We were in love, officially and I kissed her when we reached the highest point of the giant wheel.

Fast forward to 2025, we got married back in Kerala, India with our family and friends there to wish us well. There are days when we disagree with each other, but there is not a single thing that I would give to change any of this. I'm glad that I opened that LinkedIn message in Jan 2022, as the butterfly effect meant that I found my best friend, girlfriend, lover and wife. Oh yes, I got out of the "bro-zone" and went into "husband-zone"! I love you, my dear Shibu!

Lydia Hutton (Music 2021, MA Music Psychology 2022)

We were both on the same course in the music department, and after Simeon walked in late to a seminar he ended up in my group for a project. We soon became good friends and often walked to uni together with friends as our accommodations, IQ Leeds and Carr Mills were right next to each other. The summer after first year we were living together in a house with friends and decided to turn our friendship into something more!

We were then inseparable, spending many an evening at music rehearsals, plenty of pints in old bar and fast forward nearly six years we are buying our first home together along with our dog Teddy. We still call Leeds our home and love when we pass by some of our old favourite spots and get to reminisce on our 4 years at Leeds University!

Shreya Sharma (MSc International Marketing Management 2022)

Love knows no bounds, a truth I only fully understood after meeting Anas, a tall, dark, and handsome gentleman who I met during my Masters studies in Leeds.

We come from two countries often portrayed as adversaries, and like many, we grew up surrounded by stereotypes of each other’s cultures. Yet, when we met, all of that faded away. We discovered that beyond the labels and the politics, we are simply two souls who share the same values, hopes, and dreams. As an Indian and a Pakistani, our love transcends borders, politics, and stereotypes which is why our story is a unique one.

Though we knew our journey wouldn’t be easy, we’ve stood strong together for three years, overcoming challenges and growing closer with each passing day. And as we continue this beautiful journey, we hope to stand by each other’s side for the rest of our lives. All of this wouldn’t have been possible without the University of Leeds, which is why it holds a special place in my heart.

Andrea (Artificial Intelligence 2022)

I met Julie during my first week in Leeds. The sun was shining, and I was wandering around the campus, familiarizing myself with what would become a second home. She was sitting on a bench, reading her book and listening to music. I’m usually not the kind of person who hits on girls in this kind of situation, but when she took a break to feel the sun on her skin and lifted her gaze, our eyes met, and we both felt that we were in the right place at the right moment.

"Hi," she said first.

"H-Hello! Sorry for disturbing you. I froze for a second when you looked at me."

She blushed. "I just finished my book. Do you want to grab a cup of coffee?"

So we went to the cafeteria and started talking until the sun set, as if we had known each other in a past life. We met again the next day, and the day after that, and without even realizing it, we fell in love like never before. We were together for a year, until we both understood that our love would never end, even though we had very different plans for our lives.

Despite the fact that we are no longer together, for one reason or another, every time I think about my time in Leeds, I can't help but smile.

Salvador Boon (Politics 2023)

We met in the midst of the Covid-19 when she moved into my first year flat in February 2021 for a semester as an exchange student from Argentina. As this was still the time in which most shops and pubs were closed, we slowly got to know each other through the many late nights spent playing cards, listening to music and sharing bottles of cheap wine.

A few months later, we began dating, and when the time inevitably came for her to return to Argentina to complete her degree, we chose to embark on the challenge of a long-distance relationship.

Now, after more than three years of travelling between Leeds and Argentina, we remain very much in love, looking forward to the future we are building together.

From those unassuming evenings spent in a dark and dingy student kitchen to the vast verdant pampas surrounding Buenos Aires - without Leeds, none of it would have happened.

Anna-Katharina Priesterath (English 2023)

During my Erasmus exchange year, I met my boyfriend Vikash at a speed friending event organised by the buddy scheme at the beginning of the second semester.

While I was studying English, he was doing his masters in business. What started as a friendship quickly developed into a great love. Today, I am pursuing my MA in Cork, Ireland, while he is working full-time near Bristol. We are planning on moving in together in the UK after I finish my Masters this fall. Thanks to Leeds I found my best friend and love.

William Au Cheuk Wang (MSc Biopharmaceutical Development 2023)

We met during my final year of my BSc and the start of her Law degree. We met at the most unexpected of places: LUU Taekwondo.

At first we didn’t speak to each other. But one time her friend was sick and she messaged me to see if we could walk to the Gryphon Centre together. That’s where it all started. Later that night she came to mine for dinner and we hit it off from there. Now three years later, we are celebrating our third year together and I have never been happier that I met her.

Nadra Bashamuher (Corporate Communication, Marketing and PR 2023)

Uni nights out are always fun but this particular one I was ready to go home as soon as I stepped outside.

At 12am, I left a house party on the Headrow to go meet a friend (let's call him Noah) who lived in the same student accommodation as me, so we could split an Uber. Noah was having the time of his life and wasn't ready to leave his own party, but he introduced me to someone who lived in the same building, and that someone was ready to end his night as well. That someone fancied a walk instead of an Uber and he wanted to pick up a pizza on the way.

That was enough to convince me to take the walk. We walked to our accommodation, sat in the community area where Hunger Games was playing in the background with the security making rounds and people chatting and laughing. We talked till 6am. As I was about to leave, he asked me out to dinner...

Now three years in and I couldn't be happier. We have spent countless days adventuring Leeds, walking, trying different restaurants (with some very special spots), and talking. Leeds is very special to me. I love Leeds and I found love in Leeds.

Vandana Rabindranath (MSc International Business 2023)

It all started when I first met him near the Majorie and Ziff building and he took me to the GP because I was sick! We were just dating each other and didn’t have a name for it! But later as time flew by my feelings became so strong for him that it just blossoms everyday!

We went to the temple together, performed our rituals and then he started dancing, where I just started gettting butterflies and my heart went saying, “this is my man!” because he looked stunning.

And then later on as time flew I confessed my feelings for him but he took ages to process this and then he understood that I’m the one for him. We did and still do lot of adventures together and share lot of commonalities, we fight and we win it together, that’s our journey! Thank you Leeds for giving me the best gift of life and I cannot be more than grateful!

Huijie Xie (MSc Urban Data Science and Analytics 2024)

My boyfriend and I were in the same graduate program at the University of Leeds in 2023, yet fate initially kept us apart. At the very start of term, while I was watching a TV series, I noticed a classmate who bore a striking resemblance to the show’s lead. I found myself eagerly scanning every classroom session, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. I never imagined we’d ever have the chance to truly connect, especially since I’m not one to strike up a conversation with someone I barely know.

Then, as destiny would have it, during our first semester’s group assignment discussions, friends from both our groups decided to join forces for a collaborative study session. That day, we exchanged a few words for the very first time. Later that evening, as everyone gathered for dinner, he happened to sit right beside me. Summoning all my courage, I struck up a conversation, and before we parted ways that night, I managed to exchange contact details with him.

Before long, our online conversations began to blossom. Although I wasn’t in the UK during that Christmas break, our chats grew lively and warm over nearly a month. Upon my return, he invited me out for dinner and a movie, and it wasn’t long before he shared his true feelings with me. By the following Valentine’s Day, we were officially together as a couple.

Since then, our journey together has been filled with shared lectures, long study sessions, and adventures across the UK and Europe—each trip leaving us with beautiful, unforgettable memories. We proudly graduated from the University in 2024, sharing not only our academic achievements but also the love that the University helped ignite. Now, as we approach our first anniversary, we cherish the fact that Leeds gave us far more than an education - it brought us together and gifted us a lifelong partner. We miss the campus dearly and eagerly look forward to returning time and time again.

Kate Dutton (Psychology 2024)

I met my girlfriend in my second year at Leeds. I had already been a member of the Women’s University Rugby Union team for a year and then she joined as a fresher when I was now classed as an old girl. There was an instant attraction but nothing happened for a couple months. We bumped into each other in the queue for Projekt, had a little chat and then it picked up from there.

We got together and I told her I loved her in the Fruity smoking area. Two years later we’re still together, I’m a graduate, she’s in her third year and once she graduates we’re going to move in together.

Tanisha Groeneveld (Theatre and Performance 2024)

This is the story of how an accidental repost of a selfie made me leave my country for Leeds.

In 2016, I finally met the singer from Leeds that I had been following on Instagram for about three years, Oliver Mac. I skipped a class, just to meet him at Rotterdam station in the Netherlands (where I lived and studied to become a flight attendant). The meeting only lasted 10 minutes, as he had to catch a train to Amsterdam airport. We took a picture, hugged, and went our separate ways for the next three years…

On my birthday in 2019, he had reposted one of my pictures on his story. I was excited to see he was still thinking about me and slid into his DMs to thank him. He then told me that he must’ve fallen asleep scrolling on Instagram and accidentally shared my picture.

But… at least he was honest! And this was the start of us talking on FaceTime for hours every night (as we were both busy during the days). It was October that year that I boarded my first flight to meet him for the second time, and I arrived in the city of Leeds for the first time. My next time in Leeds was a few months later in January, and on my way home from this trip, I decided I was going to live there.

I arrived in Leeds to study in October 2020, during the pandemic, it was difficult and lonely as I only knew my boyfriend. But this meant that we had loads of time to get to know each other very well. It’s now 2025, I graduated with a BA in Theatre and Performance with my boyfriend by my side.

Elizabeth Eneh (Energy and Environment 2024)

Dalu and I were both coming from the same country for a Masters degree in Leeds, so the country coordinator added everyone from my country into a group chat to easily share information and this was how we started talking. Prior to arriving at Leeds, we would usually text each other for updates on stuff like the visa process or residence selection.

We met for the first time when we got to Leeds and there was never an awkward moment between us. We went to some of the freshers activities together including the silent disco and had so much fun together.

Shortly afterwards, he needed some help with his hair and I offered to help even though I had zero experience with hair I wanted to try! We hugged for the first time when he was leaving and he always tells me that was when he knew he liked me as more than a friend. We both soon realized how much we enjoyed each other’s company and we’ve been inseparable ever since.

From taking similar classes together, to running into each other in the Laidlaw Library, he made my time at the University of Leeds an amazing time that I would never forget.

Maria Gerella (Law 2024)

I had just moved to a whole different continent away from my family for university. It was very daunting but also quite exciting. I met him in the Taekwondo Society at University of Leeds. I have been doing Taekwondo since I was six so I knew I wanted to continue it. Little did I know, the sport would lead me to finding the love of my life. It was something we had in common that allowed us to hit it off straight away. We started off as friends, going to training together and having library sessions. He became my best friend. Our friendship blossomed into a beautiful relationship. I found a home with him. Three years later, we’re still going strong and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life and build a future with him.

Dina M (MA Education 2024)

During my final month of studies, I faced some personal difficulties that negatively affected my ability to complete my dissertation. To distract myself, I downloaded Tandem, and I spent all night in the Laidlaw Library, hoping to talk to strangers or practice new languages.

Hüseyin messaged me, and we began discussing everything—from childhood memories to the things that inspire us. Then, on August 15 2024, we met in Leeds…

I was sitting on a bench near the station, by the Queens Hotel. That evening, you arrived—or rather, flew in—like my guardian angel. You told me how you had raced on your bike to catch the last train from Liverpool to Leeds, how the train had, by some twist of fate, departed two minutes late, and how you had rushed out of the house in the first clothes you could find, carrying Dostoevsky’s books and that one about the Soviet Union. It all felt so surreal, as if fate itself had led us to meet.

Six months later, we’re still together—despite the distance and new challenges. And just as I had wished, we were together on my graduation day!

Thank you for everything, Hüseyin. Love you!

Naitra (MSc Management Consulting 2024)

I met him on December 31st, at a New Year's party in the residence. He was a friend of a friend. That night, it didn’t feel like we were meeting for the first time—it was so magical that we both felt an undeniable pull towards each other. As the days and months passed, we grew close, like two magnets drawn together. From our first spontaneous movie nights and dinner dates, we couldn’t resist what we shared. It truly felt like we were destined to be together.

But ironically, despite everything feeling so perfect, we are not together now. Yet, I cherish every moment we spent in Leeds during our university days. In the end, it doesn't matter whether the relationship lasted or not. I’ve come to realize that love and compatibility, while important, aren’t always enough. What truly matters is that we can look back and treasure the time we shared. It may not have been a happy love story, but it was definitely a magical one.

Anthony Turner (MA Bibliography and Textual Criticism 1977)

I attended a postgraduate interview on Thursday 18 August 1976, and as soon as I stepped off the bus in front of the main entrance had the uncanny feeling that Leeds University was the right place for me to be.

This was significant because I'd just graduated from an institution I was not happy with and, without sounding judgmental, was mediocre. Dr John Horden, who interviewed me, was one of the kindest people I've ever met, and he made me feel valued and someone with a contribution to make in life. While a student, I used to particularly enjoy browsing and delving in the English Literature collections in the Brotherton Library, and going down into the stack to find interesting books. My degree in Bibliography has been the springboard for my life ever since.

Mark Rasdall (Economics 1981)

I had been a Leeds United fan since 1967 and so the choice of university in 1978 was very easy for me. Apart from memorable trips to Elland Road - especially under the floodlights - I loved the city arcades, the No 1 and 4 green buses that could take us anywhere we wanted to go, and the trains out to the West Riding if we wanted to go further.

As a writer I draw on my experiences of that time - as with everywhere since - especially long, lonely walks along the Ridgeway, overlooking Harehills, connecting Devonshire Hall on Cumberland Road and Lupton Flats which were my first two homes away from home. Most of all, the people who tolerated us gauche, naïve and totally unworldly-wise students with knowing smiles.

Dr Ahmad Ibraheem Ahmad Al-Ghamdi (MSc Energy and Environment 2006)

Ahmad arrived in Leeds with a head full of dreams and a suitcase of determination. Coming from a modest background, he was the eldest of 11 siblings, each one looking up to him with hopeful eyes. His parents had always emphasized the value of education, and Ahmad took their words to heart, hoping to pave the way for his brothers and sisters.

The city of Leeds, with its rich tapestry of culture and history, immediately captivated Ahmad. The University of Leeds stood as a symbol of opportunity and growth, a place where dreams took shape. Though he was drawn to engineering and science, Ahmad quickly realized he was not fully prepared for the challenges they entailed.

In those early days, Ahmad found himself struggling with complex equations and scientific theories. But he refused to let setbacks define him. With determination and the support of his professors and peers, he gradually gained confidence. Late-night study sessions in the library became a routine, as he slowly mastered the subjects that once intimidated him.

As Ahmad's understanding deepened, so did his aspirations. Inspired by the vibrant opportunities in Leeds, he decided to expand his horizons beyond engineering. He pursued five MBAs, each one adding a new dimension to his knowledge of business and leadership. His passion for learning led him to earn two PhDs, bridging the gap between technology and management.

Not stopping there, Ahmad achieved a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), combining his technical expertise with strategic insight. His academic journey was a testament to his resilience and dedication, transforming him into a role model for his family.

Throughout his time in Leeds, the city became more than just a setting; it was a nurturing ground for his ambitions. The diverse community and cultural richness fuelled his creativity and broadened his perspective. Ahmad often wandered through the lively streets, drawing inspiration from the art, music, and stories of those who, like him, sought to create a future in Leeds.

His family watched with pride as Ahmad turned challenges into triumphs. He shared his experiences with his younger siblings, encouraging them to pursue their dreams with the same passion. His story became a beacon of hope and perseverance, demonstrating the transformative power of education.

Years later, Ahmad will stand before a graduating class at the University of Leeds, sharing his journey. He will speak of the city and University that had shaped his life, expressing deep gratitude for the experiences that had moulded him into who he was.

Ahmad's story was a celebration of love between an individual and a place —Leeds and its university had given him the tools to build not only his future but also to inspire others. His legacy of ambition and achievement would continue to flourish in his family for generations to come, fuelled by the dreams that had been nurtured in the heart of Leeds.

Xuejian Wang (MSc Engineering, Technology and Business Management 2020)

Dear University of Leeds,

In the summer of 2020, with our Engineering, Technology and Business Management (ETBM) diploma, we bid you farewell at the bell of the Edward Boyle Library. Now, four years later, when the school launched the call for love letters, memories came flooding back - those days and nights in Leeds were not only a journey of learning, but a feast of growth, exploration and love.

How lucky we are as ETBM students! We are at the intersection of engineering and business management. In the class, the professors turned the boring formulations into vivid cases, allowing us to build bridges between supply chain optimization and technological innovation; in the lab, every practice, from mechanical design to data analysis, is like unlocking the code of the real world. And the most memorable, is the library lights. Under the dome of the Brotherton Library, we argued over group projects; by the window of the Edward Boyle Library, a cup of Leeds tea accompanies us through the late night of the paper. The Latin school motto, "et augebitur scientia" (knowledge shall grow), has long been etched in our veins.

Every inch of Leeds carries our affection. Just a 10-minute walk from campus to the city centre, Britain's third largest city draws on its industrial heritage but weaves its own fireworks with flea markets, independent cinemas and the home of Marks & Spencer. I remember vintage cameras I picked up at the Corn Exchange, indie movies I watched at Hyde Park Picture House, and the smell of world food wafting through Kirkgate Market -- all the pieces that make up our second home. In Leeds in winter, it's four o 'clock in the afternoon. On the way back from the library to the dormitory, the cold wind was blowing with drizzle, but the hot cocoa in the corner convenience store and the warm yellow light in the dormitory building always turned the loneliness of a foreign country into warmth.

You taught us how to solve business problems with engineering thinking, and you taught us the power of collaboration. Remember that mock competition for multinational companies? Our team won the championship with the supply chain model optimization solution, and the mentor's encouragement still resonates: "True innovation is the resonance of technology and humanity." When you graduate, you have paved a broad career path for us - some have entered the world's top 500 to promote smart manufacturing, some have engaged in sustainable energy entrepreneurship, and the employment support you provide, from resume revision to industry internship, has always been our most solid backing.

After leaving Leeds, we scattered around the world, but the common memory is always fresh: the sweat left on the climbing wall of The Edge Sports Center, the all-night conversation with students from all over the world in the activities of the students' Union, and even the "slow" intercity train in the city center. These fragments are fermented over time, resulting in a glass of wine called "Leeds", which gets better and better with age.

Dear Leeds University, you are not only the cradle of knowledge, but also the habitat of the soul. Here, we learn preciseness, but also embrace romance; Experienced challenges, but also gained belonging. If we could go back in time, we would still be willing to raise our hands in ETBM's professional classes, still be willing to run in the rain in Leeds, and still be your children forever.

With regards,

ETBM students, Class of 2020

Jillian Mah (Music 2022)

Leeds will always and forever hold a dear place in my heart. When I embarked on my study abroad semester from Canada, I never expected Leeds to mean as much to me as it does. It was here that I found what it means to truly feel at peace and completely content. I can still hear the sounds of the rain under my umbrella as I’d walk back to my dorm from the Clothworkers Concert Hall. Or the birds singing out my window from my Devonshire Hall dorm. I can still picture every step on the cobblestone as I walked to campus, or as I wandered the shops in the city center.

It was here that I also met some of my best friends. Cultivating the Leeds spirit, we grew to love each other quickly, bonding over exploring the beautiful city that we were fortunate enough to call home. We would have weekly flat dinners that grew with more people each week, potlucks and cultural ‘share weeks’ where we would share something from our home country. We had myself from Canada, Sasha from the Netherlands, Zoe from New Zealand, Ari from Italy, and Rina and Shiori from Japan. Leeds was the perfect place to bring us together.

While I was studying in Leeds, my boyfriend at the time proposed over Christmas. My friends in Leeds were the first people I called. When we got married this past July, despite not seeing each other in person for what felt like forever, they were the first ones to say they were coming to our wedding. And lo and behold, our reunion was made a reality in Canada.

If it wasn’t for Leeds, I wouldn’t have met some of my best friends, wouldn’t have learned all the amazing things I did, I wouldn’t have the experience I am so grateful to have had and I know I wouldn’t be the person I am today.

Timothy Wasswa Kisuule (MA Communication and Media 2023)

I was trying to write a historical war novel when I came to Leeds for my MA in September 2022. But I found myself struggling with the question of whether and how to include a cavalry charge in the climactic battle of the book. It was three horses which I saw in Leeds that helped me solve this riddle and made me fall in love with the city.

I saw the first one while I was standing opposite the Starbucks on Albion Street in Leeds city centre and a mounted police officer rode past. I had never been that close to a horse before and so had never appreciated just how large they are. The next was when I was walking up from the train station and I noticed the equestrian statue of the Black Prince in Leeds City Square and I thought to myself how very lucky I was to live in a city with such a fine thing. The scene in my novel where I describe Apollo Kaggwa, one of the real historical figures appearing in the book, riding out to battle on horseback in 1897, draws its inspiration from the statue.

At the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds I discovered the dramatic diorama of the Battle of Pavia (which happened exactly 500 years ago this month by the way) and I saw the startled horse rearing my god.

I am currently back home in Uganda where horses, in real life or in art, are extremely rare and I am sustained only by the memories of those four that I saw in Leeds. They are my muses. My novel isn’t quite finished yet. Newer, tougher questions about its plot and themes have arisen which I still need to sort out but this one thing is certain - there will be horses in it.

Anna-Katharina Priesterath (English 2023)

During my exchange year I met some of my best friends until this day. The city helped me to rediscover myself, make incredible connections, and gain memories I carry in my heart for a lifetime.

My buddy Yui from the buddy scheme was an international student as well. Her and I are best friends until now, and she even moved to Germany for work. My other best friend Sofia was in a Jane Austen class I took. Today, we are both pursuing our MA at UCC in Ireland. Yui, Sofia and I are meeting up at least once every year, all three of us.

From birthday celebrations at the Ivy Asia, endless study session in Laidlaw, balls we attended together, and movie nights in Devonshire- these girls have become sisters to me that I will cherish forever. I love you so much, my Leeds ladies!

Jenjira (Business 2023)

I had a semester abroad in 2023. I fell in love with Leeds and I promised I would come back again. I met so many good people here, especially the local students. I was assigned to the dorm full of nine British flatmates and I thought I was in trouble due to language difficulties, but it turned out I had my best experience there. They looked after me and involved me in a lot of activities. I got to watch movies, cook, play in the snow (which was so much fun as my country doesn't have snow!), and have lots of nights out.

I also joined the societies and made some special connections with people I won't forget. The locals were so nice I was so comfortable walking around even at night time. The Leeds feeling will stay with me forever.

p.s. I'm not sure they will allow this pic though...

Lucas V (JYA English and International Relations 2024)

A year later, now back to France, Leeds often feel like an adolescent love: short, intense but deeply touching and deeply real.

Like every love, I will remember the big things like seeing everyone wearing their gowns at the end of the semester and celebrating. But like every love, I will remember the small things; studying in the Brotherton Library, drinking tea at the Union, ordering a beer for a friend at the Old Bar.

However, one thing I will always remember is snow falling one winter and students writing messages on the benches and tables. These messages were silly, sweet, funny or even weird at times. They were temporary, something that would be gone in a few days. But they were so real.

And I realised that my time at Leeds was like these messages. Temporary, destined to end, but so touching and real.

At the end, even though I was a young adult, Leeds was my adolescent love. Maybe it is gone or maybe will I meet this love again, but I will never regret it.

Vaibhav Sonone (MSc Environment and Development 2024)

Spending a year in Leeds was an experience I will always cherish. Having travelled to more than 26 cities in the UK, I can confidently say that Leeds holds a special place in my heart. There’s something unique about this city and the University—the vibrant atmosphere, the welcoming people, and the perfect blend of history and modernity. It isn’t just a place to live; it’s a place to fall in love—with its charm, its culture, and in my case, to celebrate love itself.

Last year’s Valentine’s Day was particularly special because I got to spend it in the University of Leeds with my wife. It was a day filled with simple yet beautiful moments, the kind that stay with you long after they’ve passed. Unlike the usual Valentine’s celebrations of normal dinners and elaborate gifts, we chose to spend the day at the University of Leeds.

The University had always been more than just an institution to us. It was where we had spent countless hours, finding peace in its bustling campus, enjoying quiet corners, and making memories in places that might seem ordinary to others but meant the world to us. We started our day near the Social Sciences Building, a spot where we had often sat together, sharing stories, discussing our dreams, and simply enjoying each other’s company. The crisp February air made the moment even more special.

From there, we took a stroll towards the Great Hall, an iconic landmark of the University. The glory of the building never failed to impress us, but on that day, it felt even more magical. We sat there for a while, taking in the beauty of the surroundings, and appreciating the silence that spoke volumes. It was one of those rare moments where words weren’t necessary—just being there together was enough.

A visit to the LUU Café was next on our list. There was something comforting about sitting there, sipping coffee, and watching students come and go. The familiar hum of conversations, the clinking of coffee cups, and the warmth of the place made it feel like home. We laughed, reminisced about our time in Leeds, and talked about the future, all while enjoying the simplest pleasure - each other’s presence.

As the day continued, we found ourselves on the stairs of the Parkinson Building, a place where we had often paused during our walks across campus. Sitting there, looking at the towering structure above us and the lively world in front of us, we felt grateful. The University of Leeds had given us more than just a place to study and work—it had given us a canvas on which we had painted some of the best moments of our lives.

That Valentine’s Day held a special surprise for us as well. For the first time, we visited the Business School Building together. It might not seem like a big deal to many, but for us, it was another piece added to our University of Leeds journey. Every corner of the University, every building on campus, had a story to tell, and that day, we wrote another chapter of our own.

As the sun set over Leeds, casting a golden glow over the University, we realised something—it didn’t take grand gestures or expensive gifts to make a day special. Sometimes, all it takes is a familiar place, a beloved place, and the person you love by your side.

The University of Leeds and Leeds City was not just a city we lived in for a year; it became a part of our story, a place where love was not just celebrated on Valentine’s Day but was present in every little moment we shared.

The University of Leeds is more than just a place of learning; it’s a place that inspires, nurtures, and stays with you long after you have left. From its stunning architecture to its thriving student community, the University offers an environment where knowledge and culture merge beautifully. Walking through its halls, sitting in its libraries, and being part of its vibrant academic atmosphere felt like being at the heart of something truly special. Whether it was the friendly faces, the supportive professors, or the endless opportunities to grow, Leeds University became a home—a place that taught me as much about life as it did about education.

And for that, the University of Leeds will always be special.

Anna Maria Panuta (JYA Business & International Relations 2025)

As an exchange student, I fell in love with Leeds' international vibrancy, chaotic-ness, and how there's always something social, creative, or crazy going on, in the best way possible. In Leeds, I felt the inner freedom to finally explore my identity and sexuality more. It was magical to be able to rediscover myself and connect deeper with my heart & soul.