This post was updated April 29 at 9:02 p.m.
He is a band drummer and music enthusiast. She is a dedicated student and member of the Chancellor’s LINK program.
Sophia Mutell, a third-year political science student, and Oliver Mangulabnan, a third-year musicology student and drummer for the band Lady Vengeance, have built a relationship grounded in friendship, shared interests and an openness for adventure.
Navigating love and relationships is an integral part of the college experience, and each couple’s story is inherently unique. Rigorous academic and extracurricular loads can challenge every relationship, but the strongest ones ultimately thrive when nurtured by patience, communication and mutual understanding.
Mutell and Mangulabnan’s journey began in November 2023 at an Alpha Omega Tampon club event.
The spark between them ignited when Mutell drew on Mangulabnan’s black-and-white floral tattoo with colored markers. This interaction marked the start of their close bond and budding romance, which has filled their lives with vibrant colors for years.
“I pretty quickly realized I liked him,” Mutell said. “But then I was like, ‘What am I going to do about that?’”
The pair went on several unofficial dates – hangouts as friends that would always turn into just them together, such as messing around in the rain on the UCLA tennis courts after walking home from class. Their playful chemistry grew into an apparent attraction.
Many Bruins have felt as Mutell once did. We find someone who sets that flame alight within us, yet when we verbalize that feeling, we feel apprehensive and almost paralyzed by the fear of rejection. When combined with external academic stressors common in students’ daily lives, these fears may only multiply.
Mutell and Mangulabnan finally confessed their mutual attraction for each other at one of his concerts. The romantic attraction was undeniable and reinforced the strength of their bond. Communication and mutual understanding keep Mutell and Mangulabnan’s relationship healthy despite the tumultuous daily stress of being UCLA students.
“We really try super hard to understand each other, even though we have different backgrounds, different experiences and different values,” Mutell said. “Despite it all, we love each other.”
Those closest to them have also observed the strength of their relationship. Glorimar Cortes-Velasquez, a fourth-year biology student and Mutell’s roommate, described the couple’s connection.
“She would come back very giggly, very smiling,” Cortes-Velasquez said. “That’s when she started telling me the story about him and how they met.”
She bonded with Mutell and strengthened their budding friendship by allowing Mutell to share her feelings about Mangulabnan.
“If I don’t hear Sophia talking about him, he’s talking about her,” Cortes-Velasquez said. “They’re always supporting (each other) on social media. She’s always posting about his band.”
Mutell chimed in, jokingly calling herself a groupie.
Mangulabnan expressed that though he and Mutell share the same life goals, their academic aspirations differ. However, it’s good to have a mix of your own values and goals while also having ones you share with your partner.
It is easy to allow one’s identity to conflate with that of one’s partner, but retaining forms of individualism is imperative for a healthy relationship.
“One of the biggest things you can do in a relationship is work to understand each other and realize it’s not you versus me when we have differences,” Mutell said. “It’s you and me versus the problem.”
Strong relationships, especially between students, require patience and allowance of growth for deep love to continue to thrive.
“At the end of the day, we have just grown to love each other,” Mangulabnan said. “It’s like this love that grows. It’s not like it stays in one place.”
Mutell and Mangulabnan’s love has become a testament to balance and partner communication. They work together as a team to confront the ups and downs of life with their distinctive touch of liveliness and grace.
Throughout their bumpy moments, the two eventually understood that they were both individuals who operated and behaved differently. They have since learned to compromise with each other and admit to their own mistakes, Mutell said.
Remember that you and your partner are two different people with different backgrounds and won’t necessarily have the same way of thinking. To add to this sentiment, a strong relationship is built on friendship and mutual understanding, Mangulabnan said.
“Give your partner grace, period,” Mangulabnan said. “Friendship is magic.”
While balancing UCLA’s fast-paced quarter system, a relationship undoubtedly increases the complexity of one’s everyday life.
However, Mutell and Mangulabnan’s priceless connection evokes a deeper understanding of human affection over time, ultimately proving that mutual love itself is a worthwhile pursuit.
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