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Love Over Rivalry: Aaron Kirschenfeld and Deb Boxill

Aaron Kirschenfeld '07, a former Blue Devil mascot, and Deb Boxill, a UNC alumna, are engaged to be married

What degrees did you earn from your respective universities?

Aaron: I majored in history at Duke and graduated in 2007. I will graduate from UNC with a Juris Doctor and a Master of Science in Information Science in 2015.

Deb: I majored in English and completed a certificate in women's studies at UNC.

Where are you living now?

Bull City, baby!

Wedding date set? Where?

Yep, all set. We're having a small ceremony in western North Carolina in May and then a huge party in Durham in October.  

What was the initial reaction of hearing where the other attended school? 

Deb: It was the first thing we talked about. 

Aaron: I absolutely did not care.

Deb: Honestly, I was intrigued by the "second" thing we talked about -- that he was the Duke Blue Devil.

Aaron: Yep, I was. 

Was basketball something that sparked debate early on? Does it still spark debate? Was/is the debate friendly, heated, light-hearted, etc.?

Aaron: Yeah, there was no compromise on my end. I am and always will be a Duke fan. But we didn't really get too worked up about it.

Deb: Actually, we met during basketball season. It was during March Madness, so we had a whole year to prepare before the first Duke-Carolina game. 

Aaron: Duke has only lost once since we've been together, so that's been good.

Deb: We both just really enjoy the rivalry. It's fun. 

Can you watch Duke-UNC games together? Describe what it is like to watch a game together. Is it tense? Is there yelling or teasing? Are there rules you agree upon beforehand?

Deb: We have never watched one together! 

Aaron: Yeah, I am pretty tense. I don't actually like to watch the game with anyone around because I am basically a nervous wreck. 

Deb: I watch with my best friend, who also went to Carolina.

Aaron: We'll probably watch together this year. No prediction on how it will go. 

Who do you root for when either team plays a separate opponent? For example, if Duke plays Kansas or if UNC plays Kentucky?

Deb:  I always root for Duke.

Aaron: You're a better person than I am. I root against Carolina no matter what.

Deb: Do you really?

Aaron: Yeah. 

Is it Love or Rivalry?

Deb: Love! I love the rivalry. 

Aaron: It's respect, which is a form of love. I respect the rivalry, respect our rivals.