Interviews and photos by Xochilt Andrade
Hailey Detterich, 23, English Education for Secondary Teaching
Q: Have you ever received a Valentine’s Day gift?
In middle school when you had those little plastic bags and you had to put the little Valentine’s in, with those sweethearts — the conversation heart things. Oh man, those were the times.
Q: What color do you think love is?
I think most people would traditionally say red, but I mostly associate it with green because forest-y green is kind of like where I spend a lot of my time and where I spend a lot of time with my partner. So that’s kind of what I associate with them and with my family too.
Casandra Aguilera, 22, Studio Art
Q: What is the perfect Valentine’s Day gift?
I’m not really about the whole typical flowers and chocolates. I prefer something more creative and personal, so maybe something handmade or something a little more thoughtful.
Q: What color do you think love is?
I think red. Whenever I think of love I just think red, and I’m an art major so I’m super into the meanings of colors, and red is THE definition of passion.
Alejandro Lopez, 25, Environmental Science and Policy
Q: What would you say is the perfect Valentine’s Day gift?
I’m not into gifts. I feel like we don’t need that much, a lot of people have what they need. But I would say something simple, it doesn’t have to be something big.
Q: What color do you think love is?
I would say gold just because it’s bright.
Abigail Rollins, 22, English Literature
Q: What does Valentine’s Day mean to you?
Valentine’s Day is just another day like any other, but it’s one where you have the opportunity to be especially kind and communicative with people in your life.
Q: What do you think is the color of love?
I’m going to go ahead and say purple. As much as I do love colors like red and pink and all the ones that are traditional, I feel like purple is a very deep color and it doesn’t seem to be overused, which I really like. I like the idea of love being special in particular.
Fernando Ramirez Bello, 23, Mechanical Engineering
Q: Do you think Valentine’s Day is a holiday solely meant for companies to make money?
I mean yeah, if anything there’s nothing wrong with that. You like giving? Take the discounts that they’re offering.
Q: What color do you think love is?
I think blue.
Manny Mora, 24, Environmental Science and Policy
Q: Do you celebrate Valentine’s Day or do you choose not to celebrate at all?
I do celebrate Valentine’s Day because my girlfriend would be upset if we didn’t. So for the past few years we’ve gone to the same small restaurant that’s in our neighborhood. It’s a small local restaurant that we like to support but that’s what we do.
Q: What color do you think love is?
I think love is a spectrum of colors, not just red and pink but just bright. Seeing all the colors and making you happy.
