Ashley Rathappillil – @ashleyratha

Describe yourself in 1-3 sentences.

A 29-year-old first generation Indian American from Chicago that moved to JC 2 weeks before the world shut down. Virgo like Beyoncé

What do you do for a living, and what is your dream job?

Currently working in Marketing Account Management for an Alc Bev client. Dream job would be to do philanthropy, specifically in child refugee relief and traveling the world making a difference.

What is your ideal first date?

Watching an NBA game at a sports bar and rooting for opposing teams

What are the top 3 things you’re looking for in a potential partner?

Family oriented, kind, and willing to go to mass hungover on a Sunday then boozy brunch after.

What are your top 3 deal breakers?

Lack of ambition, self-absorption, and someone who claps when the plane lands.

Who is your celebrity crush?

I can’t pick between Michael B. Jordan and Liam Hemsworth.

Has the quarantine affected the way you approach dating?

Moving to a new city during a pandemic has been challenging to meet someone but I was on Bumble for a few months and didn’t have any success with dating, but I did meet the best girl squad on the BumbleBFF side! I’m vaccinated so hoping for a better year of dating socially!

What are you looking for in a partner overall?

Someone who is emotionally available, doesn’t complicate my life and wants to go on fun adventures around the world! Oh and laughs at all my jokes even if they’re not funny.

Mary O’Connor – @marypatoconnor24

Describe yourself in 1-3 sentences.

Hi, my name is Mary and a few things you should know about me is that, I am extremely family oriented probably more than the normal person ( I come from a huge family). I LOVE to travel, I have family in Colombia and Portugal. In normal circumstances, I go to both places once a year. I love to try new things  whether that is new food, drinks or exploring a new country. 

What do you do for a living, and what is your dream job?

I am a business manager for a cosmetics brand and my dream job that I am currently working towards is becoming a top selling real estate agent in NJ. 

What is your ideal first date?

My ideal first date can honestly be a nice dinner and drinks OR beer and bowling. 

What are the top 3 things you’re looking for in a potential partner?

3 things I’m looking for in a partner are: 1. Sense of humor 2. Loyalty 3. Drive 

What are your top 3 deal breakers?

3 Deal Breakers

1. Baby mama drama (I do not mind if they have children, I would just hope there are respect and boundaries when entering the dating world)
2. Leo’s (KIDDING! Just no narcissists)
3.Bullies / Jerks- i.e; someone who treats waitstaff like garbage.  

Who is your celebrity crush?

My celebrity crush is somewhere between Adam Sandler and Jon Snow – but with tattoos but also Italian.

Has the quarantine affected the way you approach dating?

I honestly feel like quarantine has affected my approach to dating only if the other person has complete disregard for what is happening in the world and believes masks do nothing and uses “we live in a free country” as an excuse. 

What are you looking for in a partner overall?

I am looking for someone to grow with, someone who is working towards becoming their best selves and who enjoys traveling, making plans for the future and who isn’t afraid to be themselves. I’m looking for someone who is fiercely loyal and has old school values but treats women as equals. 

Olivia Rodzen – @olirodz

Describe yourself in 1-3 sentences.

• Just turned 32, just moved into my own apartment in JC, just got promoted at work, and now just got nominated for Babes of JC so really having a moment! YASSS!
• I’d like to think I’m outgoing, funny, and pretty witty. Lover of big words and big ideas. I enjoy trips to places that really make you feel like you’re on the other side of the planet. I’m a textbook Sagittarius in that I’m blunt AF and brutally honest. Total straight shooter. 
• Superrrr ambitious – always doing everything to stay busy, keep learning, continuously growing, and improving myself. My background is Polish and I still can speak the language and am trying to learn Spanish so that I can say I’m trilingual. Always doing the most lol 

What do you do for a living, and what is your dream job?

• I’m the Marketing Director at Well+Good, a trendy wellness site that everyone should follow @iamwellandgood! I specifically work in ad sales marketing within the publishing industry. I was previously at Meredith Corp. working on major magazine brands such as PEOPLE, Entertainment Weekly, TIME and Sports Illustrated. 
• I am also getting my MBA in Strategy at Rutgers Business School part-time while working full-time and am on schedule to graduate end of this year. Again, doing the most. 
• My dream job would be a Travel Writer that gets to write about her findings from different corners of the world while soaking in the sun in some exotic destination – but also making BANK.

What is your ideal first date?

Somewhere sexy and moody or relaxed and cozy. Just drinks and bites is fine for a first date – consecutive ones can be more creative. Lots of laughter and flirty banter. The true sign of a good date is when you are so deep in conversation, you lose track of time and quick drinks turn into a long, romantic evening. 

What are the top 3 things you’re looking for in a potential partner?

• Likes to laugh and can make me laugh, life’s too short to not be laughing all the time
• Intelligent and can have those deep, introspective, heady conversations 
• Kind, caring, and thoughtful (I know this is 3 but they kind of go hand in hand!)

What are your top 3 deal breakers?

• Passive-aggressive personalities 
• Someone who doesn’t like to travel or do things (ie. homebody)
• Closed mindedness  

Who is your celebrity crush?

Henry Cavill 

Has the quarantine affected the way you approach dating?

I basically haven’t dated much, so Covid has had a DETRIMENTAL effect on my dating life! I’m totally open to dating, but just being a lot more diligent with who I meet up with given the current sitch and all. I think a phone or video call is a good way to gauge if there’s any sort of a spark before an IRL date. Super excited for Spring and that new beginning energy that comes with the season so hoping to date more then. Honestly, even if there wasn’t a major global crisis going on right now, I would probably not be excited about trekking through this snow to get to a date LOL #hatethecold

What are you looking for in a partner overall?

• Someone who is also my best friend, not just a lover. I’m looking for my teammate.
• Ambitious, has things going for them, always working on themselves!
• Someone who is honest, not just with me but with themselves 

Caroline Aquije – @_vivi.aq

Describe yourself in 1-3 sentences.

The simplest things in life bring me much pleasure from a morning coffee to a great sunset view surrounded by nature. I’m a huge Star Wars fan, anything space related I love, going for hikes and just being one with nature. I’m passionate about fashion and feeling/staying healthy in shape. 

What do you do for a living, and what is your dream job?

For a living, I currently work at Zara as a Visual merchandiser. My dream job would be to work for a well-known fashion company and create/ research new visuals for the company. 

What is your ideal first date?

My ideal first date would be to grab some coffee or a snack and walk around getting to know each other, with some great scenery

What are the top 3 things you’re looking for in a potential partner?

My top 3 things that I’m looking in a potential partner is someone who is respectful, funny, self-motivated, adventurous.

What are your top 3 deal breakers?

Top 3 deal breakers is someone who is arrogant, can’t communicate or chooses not to communicate, and likes to judge others.

Who is your celebrity crush?

Celebrity crush would have to be Nick Jonas lol yes I’m a Jonas brothers fan always and forever 

Has the quarantine affected the way you approach dating?

Yes quarantine has affected the way I approach dating because it’s harder to get to know someone truly, we all seem to try to say the right things behind the screen. I rather be in person because it’s more raw and direct and you can’t hide your satisfaction or disappointment. During quarantine I have been on apps seeing what was out there but it’s hard to keep a Conversation when we are all trying to figure out this new normal. 

What are you looking for in a partner overall?

What I’m looking for in a partner is someone who i can call my best-friend. Someone who I can talk to about anything that goes on in my mind, someone that I can learn from and understand their life journey, someone who wants to be the very best version of themselves for themselves. They have to be caring, not afraid to take on life’s challenges together through the highs and lows,Not take the easy way out. Someone that I can feel that sense of peace with knowing that we both accept each other for who we are and not what we haven’t become yet. 

Rachel Rappeport – @rayyrapps

Describe yourself in 1-3 sentences.

Rachel, born an Aries in Jersey, and oldest of four kids, is a magical realist. When she was seven, she committed her life to being an artist after completing her first project: a drawing of her favorite red *NSYNC teddy bear keychain. Rachel has been working as a graphic designer the last 8 years in NYC and living in Jersey City since 2018. She can’t wait to get back to happy hour at Hard Grove and hoping she finds someone to share mojitos with.

What do you do for a living, and what is your dream job?

I’m a senior graphic designer for an apparel brand but I’m a painter at heart. My dream job is to live in Paris and find a new landscape to paint everyday and showcase them in local galleries.

What is your ideal first date?

I like a simple first date to break the ice – maybe some coffee or a drink with flirting and good conversation. It’s nice to know there’s chemistry before you’re stuck in some extravagant date with nothing to talk about. The second date though? Let’s commit to a baseball game (bonus points for the Mets!)

What are the top 3 things you’re looking for in a potential partner?

• Will take a tequila shot with me to celebrate the small things
• Makes me laugh and appreciates a good prank
• Turns heads with a great smile

What are your top 3 deal breakers?

• Being too cool for a Halloween couple’s costume
• Has a pet snake
• Doesn’t wear a mask

Who is your celebrity crush?

He’s everyone’s latest crush at the moment: Regé-Jean Page. Looking for someone to burn for…

Has the quarantine affected the way you approach dating?

I was hoping it would make online dating better and more interesting; it definitely did not. And it’s pretty much impossible to meet people in person, so I haven’t been too lucky. I can’t wait to get out there.

What are you looking for in a partner overall?

I want someone who I can be myself around and who can be themselves around me. Someone who is a true friend I can grow with, who challenges me and supports my (sometimes crazy) ideas and will never get bored of trying new things.

Dan Scharch – @danscharch/ @njflipshark

Describe yourself in 1-3 sentences.

I am a wild mix of ambition and goofball, balancing my goals and responsibilities with the silliness to induce belly laughs. I’ve been building my own thrifting business, Flipshark, for a few years now, juggling unique home decor and vintage toys and games. In the Before Times, I trained in jiu-jitsu and lost horribly at weekly bar trivia, but lately I’ve spent more time cracking books, Facetiming as the fun uncle, and doing push-ups in my living room.

What do you do for a living, and what is your dream job?

Turns out you can help a community of millions of 3D artists from the comfort of your couch. I pay the bills as one half of a Customer Support duo for a 3D platform called Sketchfab.

But my dream job would be turning Flipshark into a full-fledged business. I want the freedom to hit the road in search of treasure and return home to a garage full of goods. I want to be my own boss so I can work at my best and I’m not expected to be anywhere or do anything besides that.

What is your ideal first date?

In a crowded and vaccinated Jersey City taqueria, the lights would be dim and the tables would have some space between them. (You said ideal, right?) We’d share a conversation so engaging we’d almost forget there are tacos in front of us. And a second round of margaritas would have us sharing our funniest and most embarrassing memories. I love getting to know new people. Life is more interesting if you’re interested. I’m a gentleman so I’d walk you home. And if we’re still talking ideally here the goodnight kiss (or two) would be electric enough to seal the second date.

What are the top 3 things you’re looking for in a potential partner?

I don’t know about anyone else, but I can’t imagine not placing sweetness at the top of the list. Life can be hard enough, I want a genuine partner, someone that’s there through it all. A dangerously close second is a compatible sense of humor. Laughter is extremely important to me. I’m funny as hell. I need someone who appreciates that. Last but not least, I’m looking for someone that’s trying to grow. Ideally with me.

What are your top 3 deal breakers?

I’m going to bend this question a bit because smoking cigarettes and not wanting kids are deal breakers for me, but they’re nowhere near the top 3. I suppose being a murderer would be right up there. I prefer to get to know terrible people through Netflix documentaries. Being an exotic pet owner would break the deal too. Tarantulas and rats? I’m fairly certain dogs are even better than man’s best friend. And, I’ll be honest, if you want a lifetime full of fine dining and fancy dress, I’m not your guy. I can spiff it up if the occasion arises, but I’m convinced I look much better in a t-shirt and jeans, grabbing us a pizza for a Saturday movie date night. 

Who is your celebrity crush?

Dua Lipa. Does this require more explanation? She’s painfully beautiful with the voice of a raspy angel. Plus, every cute little Instagram video I’ve seen of her makes me think she’s just as sweet and silly as I’ve imagined.

Has the quarantine affected the way you approach dating?

Most definitely. In the Before Times, I tried to meet someone doing the things I loved doing anyway – yoga classes, bar trivia, and parties at friends’ apartments. The pandemic had me return to online dating. Bringing a digital connection into the real world has a bit more weight now and we need to get to know someone behind a mask.

What are you looking for in a partner overall?

I’m looking for someone curious enough to stay up late chatting about the universe or all the weird things in it. Someone with a good head on her shoulders and jeans on her butt. Someone who likes to balance fitness with food. Someone who takes the meaning of life and silliness both very seriously. Someone to make memories with.