Sean Schwinghammer and Adriana (Callejas) Schwinghammer found love 27 years ago in their Italian class at the University of Florida. Sean (BA Art ‘90) said the first thing he noticed about Adriana (BS Psychology '91) was her eyes.
“I first saw her in the basement of Anderson Hall in Italian class,” he said. “I was required to take it for my major, and a new counselor had incorrectly registered her for a class she did not need. There was fate in those registrations. She was tall and thin. Her hair was well quaffed on high, heavily sprayed to stay in place. The most notable thing that I noticed were her eyes, large and dark, open wide to take in the room.”
Sean said that unlike himself, Adriana was a good student and excelled in class.
“She was not just in a language class, she was there to learn, and soon became the teacher’s favorite,” he said. "I was the class clown, who could barely recall a verb."
One day in October, after noticing that Adriana took the same path to class, he wanted to have a conversation with her, so he waited until she passed by.
“As I continued on just past Century Tower, the smell of Opium perfume filled my nostrils, I stopped quickly and turned, and there she was,” he said. “Her eyes were more intoxicating when I looked straight into them, her voice was lilting, her face was lovely."
He said that he and Adriana, who live in Miami Lakes, value being a couple and credit this as the reason for the strength of their relationship.
“While many advance the concept of being individuals first, we feel true strength lies in being a couple,” he said. “To go to bed at the same time, wake up at the same time, starting and ending the day with a kiss.”
The Schwinghammers still visit that spot where they first met.
“All these years later, 22 years of marriage, three children, a life together, we return to that spot under Century Tower and recall when we first spoke,” he said. “There is magic there.”
