Language of Love Learned at Middlesex College

Yamileth and Fady Saldana came to Middlesex College to learn English. They ended up learning the language of love, and will celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary in August.

The South Brunswick couple met on the campus of Middlesex College in the Fall of 1993 taking English as a second language (ESL) classes. She was from Colombia and he was from Egypt.

“He was the clown of the class,” Yamileth said. “I liked his personality. He was fun and funny. He started to give me rides home since I lived in North Brunswick at the time. And then, one thing led to another.”

Fady was smitten. He started hanging around other students in Yamileth’s social circle and even joined the Hispanic Student Association. He told Yamileth to register for classes first so he could pick the same classes she was in. “The minute I saw her, I immediately fell in love,” Fady said.

Later, Fady approached his academic advisor and asked if he could start taking Spanish classes so he could learn Yamileth’s native language. The advisor looked up his schedule and said he was still taking basic English classes, so maybe he should concentrate on that first. When Fady explained that he needed to learn Spanish for a girl, the advisor smiled and approved. He still speaks a passable Spanish.

Yamileth transferred out of Middlesex College to the Fashion Institute of Technology and now works for Simplicity, a fashion pattern company. Fady graduated in 2001 with his associate degree in electrical engineering and continued his education at the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

The couple have two children – Yasmin, a student at East Brunswick Magnet School, and Sebastian, who is in his first year at Middlesex College. Having Sebastian back on campus has brought back memories for the couple.

“When we took our tour of campus, Sebastian was like, ‘Hey, this isn’t memory lane,’ and it has changed so much,” Fady said. “But believe it or not, I ran into a librarian I remembered from when I worked and studied here.”

Middlesex College played a significant role in Fady and Yamileth’s personal and professional lives, and they’re thrilled to see Sebastian on the same path.
“This is where our foundation is,” Fady said. “We loved Middlesex College, and it was a big stepping stone in our lives. I’m glad he’s following the same footprints.”