NCHS Panther Partners
Celebrating Panthers who met at North Central and built a lasting love that’s still going strong today!
Drake and Brittany (Rogers) Crossley met during a passing period in the lower L hallway in 2002. Drake was a gym assistant, and on his way to class, when he locked eyes with Brittany. At first, they became good friends and would hang out from time to time. They would call each other up on the phone and even write notes. So old school!
Brittany describes Drake as cute, confident, easygoing, and very easy to talk with – “a ladies’ man,” she says. For Drake, “Brittany was beautiful, and I was waiting on an opportunity to say hi and introduce myself. I always saw her with her friends and other students, so I thought she was very social.”
They had their first date soon after they met, venturing downtown to watch the July 4th fireworks. They were both so nervous that they didn’t pay attention to where they parked the car, so once the show was over, they realized neither of them remembered where they had parked, and they had to take a cab home! This remains a fond and defining moment for their relationship because that cab ride is where they shared their first kiss.
Reflecting on their time at North Central, Drake recalls the senior bonfire as his favorite memory, while Brittany shares that graduation is hers. As a first-generation college student, Brittany was excited to take her next step after graduation and was wide-eyed and ready for the world. She had the opportunity to attend an HBCU (Historically Black Colleges & Universities) in another state and says, “NC definitely prepared me for college. The transition academically was seamless, and that was, in part, a result of my exposure to honors classes, the African American cohort, and clubs at NC.” Drake agreed that “NC created a well-rounded foundation where we were exposed to diverse groups of people, classes, clubs, and of course, where we met each other.”
The Crossleys have been married for eight years and live in the Indianapolis area with their four kids. Brittany works in compliance for a financial firm, and Drake works on community economic development.
Drake is also very involved with the community. He participated in the inaugural class of Public Allies and currently serves on the board of the Edna Martin Christian Center. In 2021, he was recognized by the Indy Star for his involvement in turning a vacant IPS school into a community center.
Young love was in the air early for the Mallovs, who met in Mrs. Rodman’s second-year honors French class. Elizabeth was a freshman and thought Jeremy was cute and funny – almost a class clown. Jeremy, a sophomore, thought Elizabeth was gorgeous, incredibly smart, and good at French. Their first date was pretty traditional. They saw Dragon Heart at Clearwater Theatre and got ice cream next door.
Because they were one year apart, they each got to attend Junior Prom and Grad Dance twice. They also both participated in Key Club and French Club so they could spend extra time together. But their love was not the only love they discovered at North Central. Jeremy credits NC with his love of art and Elizabeth with her love for foreign languages.
They also shared, “NC gave us an opportunity to meet so many different people from different walks of life. We both felt prepared for college but also were able to explore new hobbies! Coming from such a large high school, college didn’t feel overwhelming to either of us. We also both still have several good friends from NC!”
Today, the Mallovs live in Fishers with their four daughters (ages 15, 12, 10 and 7), three cats, and one dog. Jeremy teaches elementary art to 1st-6th graders in Lawrence Township at Amy Beverland Elementary. He also paints and sketches in his spare time. You can check out (and purchase) Jeremy’s artwork here.
Elizabeth works part-time as a plaintiff’s civil rights and employment litigation attorney and spends the rest of her work time writing – publishing under the pen name Liza Malloy. She has published eighteen romance novels, and her book Mafiosa Princess just reached #1 in its category on Amazon. To learn more about Elizabeth and the books she has authored, click here!
Elizabeth and Jeremy also share a love of giving back. They both volunteer at the Hamilton County Humane Society by fostering stray cats and kittens, and Elizabeth is a Girls Scout Troop Leader.
In June 2022, this beautiful couple celebrated their 20th anniversary! Congratulations, Elizabeth and Jeremy!
Chris and Kris (Karrmann) Wu met in the fall of 1991 as Juniors at North Central High School thanks to mutual friends. Both were pretty low-key and easygoing. Weekends with friends and participating in student life are special memories for both. They adored spending time with their fellow panthers and just having fun!
They each loved to be active and worked hard to maintain solid grades. Chris played tennis, and you could always catch Kris with a softball or volleyball in hand on her way to practice. As they each look back on high school, Chris remembers making the varsity tennis team as an important milestone for him, while Kris reminisces on participating in the longstanding tradition of Junior Spec. They both still hold a fondness for their time at North Central and share that, “NC provided us with a lot of great classes and teachers during our time there. We had so many opportunities to get involved with sports, student council, and other clubs.”
Although Chris and Kris met in 1991 and became friends in high school, their love did not blossom until college. Chris went off to study at Notre Dame, while Kris attended IU. Then, one day, Kris invited Chris to Bloomington for a dance at IU, and the rest was history!
After graduating from college, Kris worked as a school teacher in different area elementary schools while Chris continued his education. Today, Chris is an area rheumatologist, and Kris works for First Steps as a developmental therapist.
The Wus have been married for 22 years now. They currently live in Carmel with their two boys, Nick and Quinn.
