Heads turned every time Shonda Smith walked around Nicholls during her years as a student. Captured by her striking beauty, it seemed as though every guy she met was eager to flirt with her and get to know her better. Except one.

Sullivan Turner, a muscular football player who had just transferred from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette on scholarship in the spring of 1998, ignored her. Sullivan became friends with one of Shonda’s friends, and she noticed him while hanging out one day in the Student Union.

“I was like, ‘Oh no, this is weird. Something is not right.’ … I was not used to that. He didn’t even look at me twice,” said Shonda, a 2002 alumna and sixth grade teacher at Sixth Ward Middle School in Chackbay.

Disturbed by the situation, Shonda initiated conversations with Sullivan and finally captured his attention. They soon became acquaintances. Even then, she realized Sullivan would not pursue her as more than friends. She quickly gained respect for him.

“I thought that was so different,” Shonda said. “He was just my friend, and he didn’t look at me like I was just some girl he could hit on like other guys did. He was respectful and never treated me like a piece of meat. He was the kind of guy I wanted to know better.”

Sullivan and Shonda admitted they were physically attracted to each other, but they never thought about being more than friends. Sullivan had a girlfriend at the time.

The two saw each other frequently since they had the same circle of friends. For the next two semesters, the friendship continued to grow. Still, there were no hints of being more than friends. Then things gradually changed.

During the 1998 winter break, Shonda decided to take her Christian faith seriously and change the way she was living. Sullivan, who was now single, and another friend did the same. But the trio didn’t know the others had made a new commitment to God until later.

“When we came back for the semester, all of our friends thought we were weird suddenly,” Shonda said. “No one wanted to be with us anymore because of our faith. So, we just kind of hung out like we were the Three Musketeers.”

The trio would become closer than they ever were before. Within months, Sullivan and Shonda became best friends. But even then, the pair did not have an interest in taking their relationship beyond just a special friendship.

Growing closer each day, however, Sullivan and Shonda could not fight it. The couple was soon overcome by feelings and emotions they knew were not possible through only friendship. Finally, the couple decided to date in May of 1999.

“It just happened,” Shonda said. “It was so weird. A lot of people didn’t even know we were dating because we didn’t change the way we acted. We were best friends already, and we weren’t doing the whole, ‘let’s kiss now’ thing. But I was with a great guy, and it was amazing.”

For the next two and a half years, Sullivan and Shonda’s love for one another continued to deepen and blossom. Then in November of 2000, Sullivan asked Shonda to marry him. She said yes.

The couple married on July 28, 2001 and spent their honeymoon in Cancun.

“It was awesome,” said Sullivan, a 2001 alumnus and middle school basketball coach. “I’m just glad everything went the way it did with the friendship coming first. I really got to know Shonda. I learned who she was, and I knew that she’s the one I wanted to be with for the rest of my life.”

While the couple realizes their path toward marriage differs from many relationships experienced by college students, they wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Many people jump into romance so quickly that there’s a chance they could miss friendship,” Shonda said. “I was fortunate to truly know who Sully was before we started dating. Then, I got to see that side you normally don’t see as being just friends. I feel like God brought us together. I can talk to him about anything. He’s a one-of-a-kind guy.”

Sullivan said although they married at an early age, he wouldn’t trade his journey with Shonda for anything less.

“I was 23 and she was 21. For most people that can be too young,” Sullivan said. “Some people feel that can be a negative, but I’m really glad I did get married young because it kept me from going through many unnecessary relationships that could have possibly hindered me in life.”

The couple, who recently bought a new house and now live in Houma, said marriage has been a wonderful experience. They credit God, family and friends for teaching them to value life and marriage as something sacred. They are also thankful for the things they learned as students at Nicholls.

Sullivan, who earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing, was a standout Colonels athlete. During his junior year as the starting running back for the Colonels football team, the Metairie native led the team in rushing. Limited by injuries, however, he saw little playing time during his senior year.

Sullivan also served as Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship’s president for a year, and he continues to direct the Fellowship of Christian Athletes organization where he has been president for the past four years.

“Going to Nicholls was a great experience,” Sullivan said. “By being at a small university, I was able to build lots of meaningful friendships with coaches, faculty, students and teammates. Those relationships have stuck with me.”

Shonda, a New Orleans native, graduated in 2002 when she earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She was also involved with Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship where she served as secretary for two years and vice president for another. She spent her final semester student teaching at Thibodaux Elementary School.

Before teaching full-time, Shonda spent an entire year as a campus missionary aid for Chi Alpha where she assisted campus pastors Josh and Heather Higgins with their everyday duties.

“I love Nicholls,” Shonda said. “It’s a great place to be because it has a home-like atmosphere. It’s not too small and not too big, and the faculty and staff really care about you. You’re not just a number to them.”

Sullivan and Shonda hope to stay close to college life by becoming full-time campus pastors one day. While they don’t know when that will happen, they are currently searching for possible internships with an established campus ministry.