Husker Love Story: Colton and Sylvia Stone

Monday, February 22, 2021 - 2:45pm

The first time Colton asked Sylvia out on a date, she said no. The couple met their freshman year in a large lecture class. Sylvia remembered initially not liking Colton because he was the “teacher’s pet.” Colton disagreed.

The couple connected in CoJMC professor Rick Alloway’s audio production class. Everyone in the class was close with inside jokes that often centered around Colton. Then when Sylvia was a video production intern for Husker Vision and Colton was working for Big 10 U as an announcer, they spent even more time together.

While at UNL Sylvia worked with Alloway as a learning community mentor and Colton worked with him at the college’s radio station, KRNU.

“Rick approved of Colton, which made me think, this guy’s OK,” Sylvia said.
Sylvia said yes the second time Colton asked her out, and the rest as they say was history.

After graduating from CoJMC, the couple got married, and Alloway officiated the wedding. The day was extra special because it was Alloway’s 39th wedding anniversary.

In 2019 the couple moved to Omaha to start their careers, but Sylvia was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 23.

Rick — who has had his own battles with cancer — was someone she regularly communicated with throughout her sickness.

When Sylvia began her treatment in February 2020, she decided to use the skills she’d learned at the college to educate people about her experience.

“I used my social media accounts to let people know the steps they could take to find out if breast cancer was hereditary, like it was for me,” Sylvia said.

After more than 20 rounds of chemotherapy, surgery and radiation, Sylvia’s current diagnosis is cancer-free.

And the couple’s advice for CoJMC students? Both encouraged students to “just go for it,” whether it’s an internship you think you’re not qualified for, or attending an event by yourself, or even asking someone out on that first date.

“You just never know who you’re going to meet at the CoJMC; they could change your life,” Colton said.

A photo from when Colton and Sylvia first started dating.
Colton and Sylvia engagement photo.