Some love stories are written in grand gestures. Others, like Chris and Cassie Busby’s, begin quietly as nervous first hellos turn into lifelong devotion. Reinhardt gave them more than an education; it gave them each other.
Cassie Irvin (RU-2003) first spotted Chris (RU-2002) at freshman orientation. He was a senior leader, restless with senioritis, and she thought he looked like he would rather be anywhere else. Still, she noticed he was handsome, and that first impression stayed with her.
Soon after, Chris asked Cassie out for her birthday. Their first date at Provino’s Italian Restaurant was filled with small-town charm and easy laughter. Chris grins when he remembers how Cassie enjoyed every bite of her meal. “She ate everything. I liked that she wasn’t shy about it.”
The following semester, Chris invited her to the Spring Formal. He pulled up in his old navy-blue Camaro; the car Cassie still teases him about. After the dance, beneath the stars by the swing outside Hagan Chapel, he kissed her for the first time. It was unexpected and unforgettable, the kind of moment that lingers long after the night ends.
The Reinhardt campus framed every step of their story. They worshiped together at The Real Deal on Wednesday nights, played Frisbee with friends on the James and Sis Brown Athletic Center lawn, and shared countless breakfasts in Gordy Dining Hall. Even the smallest routines became treasures.
Scholarships made it possible. Chris, the son of a Methodist minister, received the Harold and Blanche Hagan Scholarship for Children of United Methodist Ministers. Cassie’s cheerleading scholarship allowed her to live on campus instead of commuting, placing her at the very heart of Reinhardt life. “Scholarships opened the door for us to attend Reinhardt,” Chris reflects. “We might not have discovered this community otherwise, and it changed the course of our lives.”
Today, Chris and Cassie live on St. Simons Island with their children, Gracie, Lily, and Chase. Chris owns a personal training business, and Cassie teaches special education and coaches cheerleading. Their bond has carried them through joys and trials, including Chase’s leukemia diagnosis at age three. Through years of treatment, they leaned on faith and on Reinhardt friends who remain an enduring part of their circle.
Looking back, the Busbys smile at how many couples from their era found love at Reinhardt. They often recall President Floyd Falany’s words: “Reinhardt is like a shoe factory. We send people out in pairs.”
As we celebrate stories like Chris and Cassie’s, we are reminded that scholarships are more than financial aid. They are opportunities that change the course of lives, shaping futures filled with faith, family, leadership, and resilience. When you give to the Fund for Reinhardt, you give students the chance to write their own stories, just as Chris and Cassie did.
Your gift today will place a student in a classroom, on a field, or at a table in Gordy Dining Hall where lifelong friendships begin. It will fuel the kind of experience that opens doors to futures they never imagined. The next generation of Reinhardt students is waiting for that chance, and your generosity can provide it.
Please make your gift today and help another student discover not only Reinhardt, but also the future that awaits them.
