Corey and Allie: From High School to Forever
Over the summer of 2020, EC Alumni of 2015, Corey Abma, sat in a fire truck during the Green Pond Fourth of July Parade. He wore a firefighter helmet on his head, held a sign that said “Allie Marie, will you marry me?” and held a bouquet of flowers in the other hand. Corey remembered the ring in his pocket and hoped that after a year of trying to figure out how to propose to his girlfriend and battling COVID-19 obstacles, everything would go smoothly.
Meanwhile, 2018 EC graduate Allie Steiginga watched the Fourth of July Green Pond parade with Corey’s sisters, wondering why it was taking Corey so long to “get iced tea.” Where is he? she thought. Then the fire truck came by in the parade but to Allie’s surprise, stopped right in front of her. Corey came out of the firetruck holding flowers and a sign. He handed both to someone nearby, pulled a little box out of his pocket, and got down on one knee.
EC alumnus Allie Steiginga and Corey Abma celebrate their engagement and share about their journey together through high school and beyond.
Corey and Allie were introduced to each other through a mutual friend. They first met in the fall of 2014 on the school bus when Allie was in middle school and Corey was in high school. “We didn’t think much of it,” Allie comments.
In their high school years, Corey and Allie were both very busy students. They spent their time getting involved in as many honors classes, sports teams, student government opportunities, and extra curricular activities that they could.
They soon started spending more time together at their church youth group and while they were dance partners during the 2015 high school production of The Wizard of Oz.
They officially started dating in 2015 during Allie’s freshman year and Corey’s senior year, and any leftover time that they could find was spent together.
Now, Corey has graduated from college and Allie is in nursing school. “The hardest part has been trying to find time to hang out with each other with our busy schedules” says Corey. Corey’s family recently moved to the Sussex area, making it even more difficult to spend time with each other. “We’ve learned to communicate and to be understanding,” explains Allie. Whether they are in the city together, at outings with friends, or cutting down the Abma’s annual Christmas tree, Corey and Allie usually spend weekends together.
Since high school, God has been doing great things in Corey and Allie’s lives. “He [God] has definitely given me insight into who I am in getting to know Corey,” Allie describes. “He’s shown me parts of myself and how to be the best parts of me and how to cooperate with another person on a deep level.” Corey also shares about how he enjoys going to church with Allie and discussing different sermons and Bible classes. “I’d say God has helped us be better people with each other,” he says. “We are more understanding of each other.”
After the marriage proposal at Green Pond, Corey and Allie set their wedding date for August 12, 2022, after Allie is done with college. They look forward to being there for each other at all times, no matter what. The couple also looks forward to the places that God will take them to, spiritually, globally, and within their careers. They are excited to make their lives what they want.
When asked to look back on their relationship and pinpoint the moment they knew they would marry each other, both said that it was in high school. “The feeling got stronger and did not go away,” says Allie. For Corey, as he got to know Allie on a deeper, personal level, he was able to conclude that she was “the one.”