Valentine’s Day | Cameron won over Francesca during a student pub quiz
Love is in the air this week: Saturday, February 14 is Valentine’s Day once again. In this mini-series, different couples share their stories of how they once met as UvA students. Today’s story: Cameron Brown (26) won over Francesca Di Pietro (22) during a student pub quiz.
Cameron: “We met each other in January 2023 during a pub quiz at the Lion’s Head café in De Pijp, which was organized by our student association, Mercurius. A mutual friend introduced us to each other there.”
Francesca: “Later on, we actually realized that we must have seen each other before, at another party organized by the student association. In photos I took there, Cameron can be seen in the background.”
Cameron: “But the real meeting only happened at that pub quiz. I arrived a bit later for drinks, and at that point our two separate friend groups were brought together by that mutual friend.”
Francesca: “At the time, as a first-year student, I was still quite shy and not very talkative. On top of that, I was already in a relationship, so I wasn’t looking for someone to date at all.”
Cameron: “I was immediately enthusiastic when I saw her, such a beautiful girl. Later that evening, I was standing on the corner of the street with some friends eating a Turkish pizza, and suddenly I saw Francesca standing next to me. She asked if she could have a bite. Of course I couldn’t say no to that. From that moment on, I knew it might turn into something.”
Antwerp
Cameron: “But the real dating only started later, when I began going to Francesca’s house parties more and more often, mainly so I could see her again there.”
Francesca: “That was a few months later. By then I was single again, and I thought it was pretty cool to date an older student.”
Cameron: “During that period, we started doing things together more and more. We even went to Antwerp together with the student association, and grew closer and closer. Still, it ended up taking about a year before we officially became a couple.”
Francesca: “That only happened when I took Cameron to Italy, where I’m from, over Easter in 2024. I wanted him to meet my family. Once we arrived there, it felt like the perfect moment to make our relationship official.”
Cameron: “So we actually have two anniversaries every year: of course March 31– the exact day we became official – but Easter is also a kind of anniversary for us every year.”
Tenth Floor
Francesca: “In the early period of our relationship, we often studied together on the tenth floor of the B Building at Roeterseiland. It’s a quiet place with a beautiful view over the city, although we did have very different study methods.”
Cameron: “That’s quite an understatement. She was trying to study, while I was chatting away next to her. Her grades went down, but mine actually went up. At one point I even failed the same exam three times, but with Francesca’s help I eventually passed.”
Francesca: “I’ve never had to do a resit, and I made notes that I was happy to share with him. Sometimes it was almost like I was his tutor. Those moments were when we really got to know each other well.”
Cameron: “That also makes it extra nice to be back here now. I spent four years at the UvA, and our relationship is strongly connected to the university. Our entire friend group comes from here.”
Francesca: “And since this summer, we’ve even been living together, in an apartment in Zuidoost with two roommates.”
Cameron: “I now live in a house with three Italians, so I’m quickly learning the language.”
Francesca: “He’s really getting better at it, too. We watch Italian films together without subtitles.”
Cameron: “I hear more Italian than English at home, so the practice comes naturally. It’s great fun, but we do hope that at some point we’ll find a place in Amsterdam where we can live just the two of us.”
Francesca is still working on her master’s in Business Administration; Cameron completed his master’s in Political Science in 2025.
