Since 2012, Seniors Amanda Harty and Jake Luna have been supporting each other in all aspects of life. They have attended each other’s sports games, cheered each other up and invested countless hours spending time together, everywhere from the Staples Center to Disneyland. Their secret is best summed up by Luna: “We just love each other a lot.”
As varsity basketball and soccer athletes, Luna’s and Harty’s schedules are often crowded with games and practices. They can rarely make time for each other during the week, but they make a point of watching each other play and cheering from the sidelines. On the weekends and special occasions, they often watch basketball together.
“I think a few of my favorite memories were for our second and third anniversaries,” Harty said. “I got him tickets to Lakers games because he loves the Lakers.”
When not watching sports, they love comedy movies and cooking together on the weekends. Some of their favorite titles are “Stepbrothers,” “Get Hard,” and “Dodgeball.” They make or buy dinner before the movie, and they often like to bake cookies and brownies. At this point in their relationship, they realize that spending time together is more important than the places they go to for dates.
People often ask the pair about how they have managed to stay together for years during high school, when typical couples break up after a few months. They think the most important aspect is that understanding each other holds them together.
“If we have a disagreement, we just take our time and figure things out,” Luna said. “We listen to what the other has to say, and we are constantly communicating.”
Their connection has always been very clear to their friends, including Senior Amber Greene.
“They are seriously each other’s other half,” Greene said. “They act really similar and say the same things, and they’re also a lot happier since they have gotten together.”
Harty and Luna have taught their friends more than just high school dating. They push each other to do better and calm each other down. The way they complement each other establishes them as a model for their peers. Senior Mia Makris, in particular, sees that they are committed to each other’s well-being because they make a point of supporting each other and thinking about the needs of the other person first.
As they graduate and move on to pursue their dreams, it’s clear they still value each other even if they don’t attend the same school. Harty hopes to attend Cal State Long Beach and major in kinesiology, while Luna plans to major in business. Though they may not know what lies ahead, they are sure they have each other to lean on.
TCHS School Newspaper