By Laila Ali

Juniors Yaajushi Valluri and Semaj Pennix have created their own blind dating service for Tusky students known as Match@. The idea had actually come up after Yaajushi had decided to set up two of her friends together.  “So I thought that my two good friends would be a great match together, so I introduced them to each other and set them up on a date. It turned out in the end that they both liked each other and they are now dating.” That success inspired her to start a business which she then set up with Semaj. “So because of this event I thought that many other people in my grade would be interested in this idea of a blind date service. So I asked Semaj to be my partner in designing the business.”

Once everything was thought of, the two quickly got to work. The logo, Instagram, business cards and google form were all quickly created during one study hall period. 

The steps to using the service aren’t actually difficult at all. On their Instagram page @Match.at, there’s a link in the bio that takes you to a google form. In that, there are multiple questions asking about date budgets, preferences and interests so the matchup can be more accurate. “After filling out the google survey, Semaj and I look over the clients and pair them up with other clients that match their interests. Then the two will be given each other’s number and they can talk on it and get to know each other better.” The chats are monitored so too much information isn’t exposed before the meet, and after getting permission from the clients, the dates are set up. 

So far one couple has been created successfully through the service, and this probably won’t be the last. The group is currently looking for more clients so the matchups could be evened out a bit, “The only problem is that we have a lot of guys that have filled it out, who are also straight, and not enough girls to compare with. Once we reach the target of attracting more females to the business then we might be able to set more people up. But I would also like people to know that the business is LGBTQ+ friendly, so everyone is welcome to experience this service.”