The HUB is a popular spot among students where they can study, catch up with friends, or grab a bite to eat between classes. However, for Leslie and Josh Golomb, it was the place where their love story began.

In October of 2001, Leslie was asked to work the night shift at Joegies, a restaurant in the HUB that has since closed. It was her first year at University Park as a junior after transferring from Penn State Altoona. Fortunately, that same night, Josh, a senior who had also transferred from Altoona, worked the night shift as a dishwasher.

During her shift, Leslie met Josh and his roommate, Tim. She complained to the pair about missing a friend’s party, and Josh offered to give her a ride home. Leslie accepted the ride and the pair occasionally ran into each other downtown. It wasn’t until the following year that their light-hearted interactions turned into something more.  

In November 2002, Leslie was at the Saloon, a former bar in State College, when she looked over and saw Josh and Tim on the dance floor. Josh approached Leslie and asked her to dance before heading off to the bathroom. When Josh returned, Leslie had already left with her group of friends.

A couple of weeks later, in December, Josh and Leslie again ran into each other at the Saloon. Josh asked Leslie to dance again, this time making sure not to disappear. The pair hit it off that night, shared their first kiss, and Josh asked Leslie on their first date.

They went to Faccia Luna on South Atherton Street and continued to hang out throughout the following weeks of the fall semester. One night, Josh asked Leslie to meet up at the Shandygaff for its Tuesday night specials. Leslie brought her best friend, Molly, who had known Josh at Altoona. It seemed like fate had brought Leslie and Josh together.

Entering the spring semester of her senior year, Leslie moved back home and began student teaching in Norristown, Pennsylvania. Despite the challenges of long distance, she drove up to Penn State during the weekends to visit Josh. They both graduated on May 15, 2003.

Josh decided to remain at Penn State for grad school, while Leslie got her first teaching job in Caroline County, Maryland. For almost an entire year, Leslie would pack up her car and drive six hours to Penn State to spend weekends with Josh. Josh finally popped the question in the spring, and the pair was engaged.

Josh and Leslie got married on August 12, 2005. They decided on a blue and white-themed wedding, featuring a cutout of Joe Paterno on the dance floor and a Nittany Lion ice sculpture.

“Our save the date is a picture of us with the Lion Shrine,” Leslie said.

Nine months after their wedding, they lived in an apartment in Baltimore, where they welcomed their first son, Noah, now a freshman at Penn State.

These days, Josh and Leslie continue to spend time at Penn State. The pair share four sons and several family photos in front of the Nittany Lion Shrine. Now that their eldest son Noah is a student, they have made it a goal to attend every Penn State football game alongside their college friends.

Leslie and Josh’s advice for a successful relationship is to remain authentic.

“We were our true selves, and I think that helped. We didn’t have to put on a front for each other,” Leslie said.