Although Thomas and I were both involved in Greek life at Southeastern, we somehow never crossed paths during our time as students. It wasn’t until October 16, 2021—at an alumni tailgate—that fate finally stepped in. Our mutual friends had talked us into going, and that’s where I saw him for the first time. This guy (aka Thomas) caught my eye from across the way and immediately walked up to me with some ridiculous pickup line that I still can’t remember. He asked for my name, and after I told him, he hit me with, “Do you know who I am?” I said “Tomcat—the DJ.” I kind of gave him a look and was like, “Well… I’ve heard of you, but I honestly didn’t know your real name.” Despite the goofy introduction, the night carried on and somehow just felt… right. By the end of the evening, we shared our first kiss under the Friendship Oak. If you’re from Hammond or ever went to SLU, you probably know the legend: if a couple kisses beneath the Friendship Oak, they’re destined to get married. At the time, it was just a sweet moment—but now, here we are, planning our wedding. Maybe it was just a fun tradition… or maybe it was fate. Either way, it brought us together, and we wouldn’t change a thing.

Thomas completely surprised me! He told me we had to attend an awards ceremony at Southeastern because his company was involved in the job fair and had hired a lot of SLU students. I was so stressed about finding the right outfit that my mom actually went shopping and picked out a few options for me! When the day came, Thomas had his friends Jaime and Cameron come pick me up. I was so nervous — I didn’t know exactly where we were going, what time the ceremony was, or even what building it would be in. My anxiety was through the roof. We finally parked and started walking, and I noticed some students taking graduation pictures around Friendship Circle, with photographers all around. Then, I saw Thomas — and just like that, all my nerves melted away. That’s when I saw the sign: “Will you marry me?” I ran up to him so fast! He was shaking as he pulled out the ring and dropped to one knee. I didn’t even need to hear the words — I knew exactly what was happening, and I immediately said, “Yes! I’ll marry you!” Then I gave him the biggest kiss! It wasn’t until afterward that I realized he proposed close to the anniversary of the day we met — at the Alumni Homecoming tailgate, three years earlier. He planned it all so perfectly. I was completely caught off guard in the best way.