Some couples meet on the first day of freshman year. Others meet through friends or mutual interests.
And although Josh Schimmerling, GWSB BBA ’04, GSEHD MA ’06 and Jessica (Levine) Schimmerling, CCAS BA ’05, GSEHD MA ’09, shared friends and interests, they never met at GW.
GW was the first school Josh visited in high school; he fell in love with the city and GW’s location. Jessica, who also loved Washington, was drawn to GW’s walkable campus and community atmosphere.
While at GW, Josh and Jessica were involved students. Jessica was a member of the honors fraternity Phi Sigma Pi Fraternity, while Josh served as the school’s mascot, Big George.
Josh and Jessica overlapped as undergraduate students and hold master’s degrees from GSEHD, but they met on JDate.com in the summer of 2007. They soon learned how much they had in common—including the fact that they both worked for the university.
“Jessica worked for the Office of Summer Sessions while I was with Marketing & Creative Services,” says Josh. “We spent a lot of time emailing via Colonial Mail!”
On July 18, 2010—exactly three years after they first met—Josh and Jessica were married in Boston, MA. Coincidentally, their venue had a large portrait of George Washington on the wall—Josh made sure to snap a picture with “George” in homage to GW.
Josh still works for GW’s Marketing & Creative Services department, as a project manager. Jessica is now a school counselor at Anacostia High School.
The Schimmerlings often return to GW together for basketball games and Colonial Inauguration dinners, and enjoy sharing their alma mater as alumni.
They’re also looking forward to sharing something new this summer.
“In January, we got exciting news that we’re having a baby girl,” say the couple. “ ‘Baby Schimmy’ is due in June and we can’t wait to put her in a GW onesie!”
