Classmates fall in love, get married: ‘Pinakopya ko noon, asawa ko na ngayon’

Who would have thought that you’d be spending the rest of your life with the classmate who used to copy your answers?

In a now viral Facebook post, Simmeon Nicole Kalantongan and her husband Ark flexed their wedding rings in what looked like a graduation photo.

In the shot, she held a sign that read: “Pinakopya ko lang noon, asawa ko na ngayon!”

Simmeon shared in an interview with GMA News that their love story began when she shifted courses from political science to physical education when they were in second year college.

She said she had a boyfriend then, but when that person broke her heart, “bad boy campus crush” Ark came to the rescue—by asking help for their accounting exam.

“We started getting closer since then and that’s when I saw that there is also a good thing within him,” she said in a mix of English and Filipino.

Because of their different religions—Simmeon is a Christian while Ark is a Muslim—she admits that they encounter challenges in their relationship, but they don’t let it get in the way of their love.

She also said that they respected each other’s beliefs that both of them did not need to convert to the faith of the other.

“We struggled a lot right from the start. No relationship is all sunshine. You have to go through everything that’s meant to tear you both apart, so be each other’s anchor,” she said.

They both studied at University of Southern Mindanao. They have been together for four years and have been married for two. – Franchesca Viernes/RC, GMA News