Nearby Strangers: Findlay Faithfuls Brent ’19 and Rachel (Kohls PharmD ’21) Kahle

Brent and Rachel grew up in neighboring towns, separated by a 10-minute drive. Despite the short distance between them, they never met prior to arriving at University of Findlay for the 2015 fall semester. In fact, the two didn’t even meet each other until the spring semester of their freshman year, when the two of them were asked by mutual friends to play intramural volleyball.

Rachel recalls what happened after she first met Brent at volleyball, stating “Brent asked a mutual friend if I was dating anyone, and once he learned that I was single, he started following me on all social media platforms.” She continued by saying Brent claims that he tried to slowly add her on each individual platform, but that she definitely noticed that he took a sudden interest.

The two had their first date in Findlay, going to Hunan Gardens, and then to George House for coffee afterwards. “Coffee was a big thing for us, especially if we ever saw each other on campus between classes. Our favorite place was George House,” they said. The two started dating in Spring of 2016, hanging out in AMU (Alumni Memorial Union) and doing homework together. “In the springtime, we liked to study out on the lawn between the AMU and GFAP (Virginia B. Gardner Fine Arts Pavilion).”

Brent was the first to graduate in 2019, with a bachelor’s degree in environmental safety and occupational health management. Rachel continued her studies at UF, earning her PharmD in 2021. The two married one week after Rachel’s graduation, and moved to Ottawa, OH. Brent makes a short drive to work each day, serving as the Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Senior Analyst at the Ottawa Whirlpool plant. Rachel practices as a clinical pharmacist at St. Rita’s Medical Center in Lima, OH, but also holds a second job. In 2022, Rachel received the opportunity of a lifetime, and now also serves as an assistant professor in pharmacy practice at the University of Findlay.

Looking back at their story, Rachel said, “I think it’s so ironic that we met during intramural volleyball, because I played volleyball since 5^th grade, and I was naturally competitive. That being said, my husband on the other was not so great,” said Rachel. “It’s also ironic that we went to college to find each other when we grew up 10 minutes apart, with similar upbringings, and raised with similar values.”

The two love their married life together, and are happy to have career paths they enjoy and that excite them every day. As for the title of “Findlay Faithfuls,” Brent and Rachel fully embrace it “It’s cheesy and quirky, but we as a couple can embody those adjectives pretty well, so it fits us,” they said.

As part of a series alongside Valentine’s Day, we’re featuring stories about UF couples, past and present, called “Findlay Faithfuls.” If you’re interested in sharing your story, we encourage you to share a picture using #FindlayFaithfuls and tag @oileralumni on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. We’d love to hear from you and re-share!