More than 80 single Hillsdalians will mingle at off-campus Halfway House April 25, searching for the perfect match. Seniors Adriana Azarian, Maria Birzer, Clare Horvath, Erika Kyba, Annika Monson, and Meredith VanDerWeide will host the inaugural Halfway House Matchmaking Party.

Invited guests filled out an application, and the women matched couples based on similar responses to silly questions like: “What sorority/fraternity do you belong to in spirit?” “Crunchy or creamy peanut butter?” “Martin Luther or John Calvin?” and “What is your favorite brand of toothpaste?”

“Our goal for the matchmaking party is to have a fun, silly, and casual time,” Horvath said. 

Horvath, the unofficial event planner for Halfway House, worked with Azarian to come up with the questionnaire.

“The big get-to-know you question we had was ‘What literary character would you be?’” Horvath said. “That really told us how people view themselves and what they value.” Attendees will first meet their least compatible match. Then they will be assigned to their best match to  play yard games, partner charades, or dance.

“In the dining room, there will be supplies to make friendship bracelets if you decide to friendzone each other,” VanDerWeide said. 

The event started as a way for the Halfway House women to raise money for a wedding present for Birzer, who will marry Ben Papez ’25 this summer.

“I think it was either me or Annika who suggested that we could matchmake people,” Horvath said. “Meredith, being her very professional self, is able to actually make things happen, so she said, ‘Yes, let’s do this.’”

VanDerWeide said they sent an email to 175 of their acquaintances who they knew were single, inviting them to apply for the party and asking them to share the email with their friends. 

“If you are single, rejoice!” VanDerWeide said in the email. “You are in good company. There are over 100 people receiving this email who are also single (by all appearances).”

They set the entry fee at $3 per person to help fund the wedding gift. 

“What better way to support them in their love story than by also helping you begin yours?” the email said. 

When the application closed April 8, the “Matchmaking Council” had received a total of 94 applicants. 

The ratio broke down to 60% women, 40% men.  Sophomores comprise the biggest class representation, and the top three residents represented are Whitley, Galloway, and Olds. 

The Matchmaking Council took its job seriously. They crowded onto the couch in the Halfway House living room last weekend to decide matches.

“We put a guy’s profile on the TV screen, because the guys are the limiting factors,” VanDerWeide said. “And then each of us had multiple pages of girl profiles. Every time I present a guy, each person comes up with the best girl from their pile. And then we discuss what is the best match.”

Monson said the matchmakers had some fun “eureka” moments when considering  matches.
“There was one match that was so funny. Meredith said, ‘Well, this guy likes this unique brand of toothpaste.’ And Clare added, ‘Oh my gosh, I have someone with that brand,’” Monson said. “And Clare just went down the whole list of questions — peanut butter, salsa, almost every single one matched. There was another guy who said that he liked curling, and then a girl specifically mentioned that she enjoys watching curling. So that was also a match.”

Horvath said she hopes matchmaking party will bring together people from various cliques to mingle with each other and to find common interest or even love.

“Many people feel like they can’t find their match at Hillsdale because they feel like they know everyone and nobody has stood out as a potential boyfriend or girlfriend,” Horvath said. “Hopefully, this event can show people that there are a lot more people to meet.”