A Match in the Star: The Story of Marty and Emily ’17

By Chelsea Zhao

Marty Carlino came back to Dominican University for a special purpose on Saturday, April 24. Days earlier, he checked with DU about the guest policy, then with journalism professor Dr. Jenks on obtaining the newsroom keys to finalize his plan.

He planned to propose to his girlfriend Emily Lapinski at the most special place on campus – the Dominican Star newsroom.

With all the decorations in place in the room, it finally came down to leading the way for Lapinski, who had not expected any of this.

The couple’s paths first crossed in the History of Rock and Roll class. However, it was not until sophomore year that they met each other at the Star. Both majored in journalism with double majors in political science for him and psychology for her.

At the time, Carlino was the Sports Editor while Lapinski handled copy editing. In a team of seven to eight full-time staffers and six to 10 regular contributors, they found a community with the Star students.

In their junior year, during a communication theory class, Lapinski asked Carlino if he knew who the men’s tennis coach was. Carlino complimented Lapinski on the Fall Out Boy T-shirt she was wearing, and she commented “you have very nice eyelashes.”

Their relationship blossomed during the newspaper production Saturdays. They officially started dating senior year.

“For me, I feel like when anybody that meets Marty, automatically is able to build that connection with him,” Lapinski said. “I think he’s one of the most personable people I have ever met. I mean, he could go up to a stranger at a game and start talking, and the person would feel that they had known each other for years and years.”

“She (Lapinski) cares about other people and I mean this in the truest sense of the word,” Carlino said. “She really cares a lot about others before herself. I love her sense of humor as well, that was one of the things that really made me fall in love with her.”

“Conversation just always came easy to us,” he said. “That chemistry is something that’s always just instantly came to us.”

“There were times after class, we would sit in the library or stay in the classroom, and we’d look at the clock and we’ve been sitting there for two or three hours. It just never felt like there was ever any issue with talking. It never felt awkward or weird. Just from the start it felt like it made sense,” Lapinski said.

Lapinski appreciated Carlino’s attentiveness and focus on detail. She was often surprised at how good his memory was, recalling a detail or a remark after weeks or months.

“He really puts in the effort. He makes sure you know how he’s feeling and you know where he’s at,” Lapinski said. “And it’s just always super obvious and clear, which I love. Because, with a lot of people, it’s hard to tell, they put up a guard. And for him, it’s just always so transparent.”

When they graduated in 2017, Carlino went on to work at a community newspaper as Lapinski stayed another year at DU to finish her master’s degree in social work.  However, they kept the fire of their relationship alight and found ways to prevail.

“We always been able to figure out a way to make it work,” Carlino said. “You know, it certainly can be challenging at times with everything that goes on in life, but it’s worth it for love; it’s worth it to have time with Emily.”

The flowers and rose petals adorned the newsroom on the day of Carlino’s proposal to Lapinski. He did freelance work for the DU magazine that came out biannually. So when he picked her up from his house, they went to the business office to pick up the check

On the way there, he asked if they could stop by the newsroom. It was a very special place to them. As students, they used to spend time there, working or even watching a movie.

“It was just a shared space. We always knew we could meet up, we always knew that’s the other one would most likely be between classes,” Lapinski said.

It was a nostalgic request and she readily agreed. But when she saw the rose petals by steps to the newsroom, she sensed something. By the time they reached the newsroom, he proposed.

Friends they made working at the Star, Carlino said, probably knew about the engagement all along.

“You know, even before we’re officially dating, we always got a lot of comments like ‘Oh, you two would make such a great couple’ and things along those line,” he said. “They (students at the Star) probably knew it was coming and we have even been getting those questions about engagement in years prior. They probably even thought it was a little bit overdue.”

 

qzhao@my.dom.edu 

copy-edited by Shonda Dudlicek