Caroline Bryant
Features Editor
As a commuter student, Rachelle Petit Homes hung out by the Career Center, where other commuter students would gather. This spot is where she met her now husband, Robens Petit Homes, for the very first time.
“I was a shy person, so he probably thought I was very quiet,” Mrs. Petit Homes said. “He was friends with everybody. He was very talkative, very likable, always laughing, always smiling, and a very outgoing personality.”
They weren’t in the same major, either. She was in biochemistry and molecular biology; he was in the business program. She feared they were too different. But, to her surprise, they hit it off. When they created the Commuter Student Association, the two grew closer to each other, soon becoming a couple.
Date nights frequently occurred at the local Hungry Howies for pizza on South Florida Avenue. They’d attend Mocs basketball games, school plays and studied together in any empty room they could find in Ordway.
“Even though we were studying two completely different topics, we liked being around each other,” Mrs. Petit Homes said. “We would find that the Ordway building would be empty and we would just study…”
After a year of dating, the couple discussed the possibility of an engagement. They agreed to get married in the future, but what Mrs. Petit Homes didn’t know was that Mr. Petit Homes had bought a ring and asked her dad for his permission to marry her. Her future husband was coming much sooner than later.
“He had gone out and bought a ring – I didn’t know – and I think he wanted to wait until my birthday which was Oct. 30…but it was like August. I was at his house and I was trying to figure out how to use the printer at his house and I turn around, and he’s behind me on one knee.”
The engagement occurred in 2018, the same year Mrs. Petit Homes graduated from FSC. She loved how special the engagement was because it was just the two of them. That same day, they called her dad, her sister and other family members to share the news. The two were so excited that they posted their engagement on social media a day later.
Similar to their dating timeline, Mr. and Mrs. Petit Homes spent a year engaged. In 2019, they were married in the Annie Pfeiffer Chapel at FSC and celebrated with a ceremony in downtown Lakeland. With her family residing in Winter Haven and his in Lakeland, a local wedding was the most ideal.
The newlyweds then moved to Plant City while Mrs. Petit Homes completed her doctoral program in Tampa. Now, they live in Riverview. Mrs. Petit Homes is a pharmacist for Publix, and Mr. Petit Homes is a part-time substitute teacher while he completes his MBA at FSC.
The Petit Homes’ story is proof that opposites can attract. That said, Mrs. Petit Homes encourages those looking for love to step out of their comfort zone and meet people who might surprise them.
“Keep an open mind,” Mrs. Petit Homes said. “Even though your personalities might not seem at first like they would mesh well, like me and him, our personalities are complete opposites, but getting to know each other and learning his heart and how big his heart is something that really sealed the deal for me…”
Something as simple as joining a club could lead you to your soulmate.
“Get involved on campus because that’s how we met each other…” Petit Homes said. “Always be willing to meet new people because you never know what might happen.”
