Colonial Inauguration (CI) brought Kristyn Feldner Carrillo, ESIA BA ‘04, and Arturo Carrillo, CCAS BA ’03, GSEHD M.Ed’06 together, but not when they went through the program as incoming freshman.
The pair hit it off in 2001 while working at CI’s student organization fair, where they were recruiting new students for their organizations. “We were in a slower room and had to entertain ourselves,” says Arturo.
Arturo was heading into his junior year at GW, while Kristyn was preparing for sophomore year. They became friends after the CI fair and started dating in Feb. 2002.
Although drawn to the school for different interests (Kristyn for international affairs and Arturo for history and psychology), they both knew GW was the place to be—each had applied for early decision admission to the university.
Arturo and Kristyn had one of their first dates at the Foggy Bottom Ball, and that was just the beginning of their adventures together. Their favorite memories include everything from the Monumental Celebrations at Union Station, to George’s Birthday Bonfires, to lunch on Kogan Plaza before class.
“We have had lots of fun at GW—both while we were students and since graduation,” say the couple. One memory that stands out is their wedding day on Dec. 31, 2007—they returned to campus to take some photos after the ceremony.
“We will never forget Arturo getting on the hippo in his tux and cowboy hat or standing at the Tempietto with our maid of honor and best man!”
Last year, they added another milestone to their GW experiences when their son Diego was born on March 4, 2012—at the GW Hospital.
“Having a child is more awesome than we ever imagined!” say the Carrillos.
Arturo, who is a senior assistant director of admissions in GW’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions, has been a GW staff member for nine years. Kristyn is the associate director for residential programs at N Street Village, a community of empowerment and recovery for women in DC and has been with the organization for seven years.
The pair remains close to GW, particularly with Arturo working on campus. They often return to Foggy Bottom for basketball games and other events—including Alumni Weekend.
“We attended both of our five year reunions and convinced a bunch of friends to make a weekend out of it for Kristyn’s reunion! We partied at Lotus Lounge, ate Jumbo Slice andvery creatively made s’mores in our hotel room. Many of our closest friends today were Kristyn’s fellow residents at Lafayette Hall!” says Arturo.
Now, Arturo and Kristyn, who love spending time with their families, look forward to introducing Diego to life at GW. In addition to teaching their son both English and Spanish, they’re also teaching him how to show Colonial pride.
“Diego is well dressed in all of his GW gear—he even sends some to his fellow Colonial babies!”
