A fateful encounter between two individuals from vastly different worlds. Ann, a dedicated and compassionate school social worker, had spent her entire career helping students navigate the turbulent waters of adolescence. She was known for her warm smile, kind heart, and unwavering commitment to her students. On the other side of the spectrum was Giovanni, a brilliant and introverted tech operator at the brink of his career. His world was one of algorithms, firewalls, and code, far removed from the human emotions that Ann dealt with on a daily basis. One special day during a professional development session at Democracy Prep, Harlem Prep High School, she was introduced to the new "Tech and Operations Specialist." They say, you just know when you've met your soulmate; that feeling permeated all through Ann's body. It was a feeling of softness, safety and harmony in one hand shake. From that moment on, Ann and Gio were in sharp contrast. Two extremes purposefully pulled together by the universe. Ann and Gio's meeting was a reminder that soulmates could come from the most unexpected places, and when two hearts truly connect, they create a love that is as infinite and awe-inspiring as the universe itself. Ann and Gio's love story became a testament to the power of destiny and the magic of finding that one person who completes your soul. *En Español* Un encuentro fatídico entre dos individuos de mundos muy diferentes. Ann, una trabajadora social escolar dedicada y compasiva, había pasado toda su carrera ayudando a los estudiantes a navegar las turbulentas aguas de la adolescencia. Era conocida por su cálida sonrisa, su buen corazón y su compromiso inquebrantable con sus alumnos. En el otro lado del espectro estaba Giovanni, un operador tecnológico brillante e introvertido al borde de su carrera. Su mundo era uno de algoritmos, cortafuegos y códigos, muy alejado de las emociones humanas con las que Ann se enfrentaba a diario. Un día especial, durante una sesión de desarrollo profesional en Democracy Prep, Harlem Prep High School, le presentaron al nuevo "Especialista en Tecnología y Operaciones". Dicen que simplemente sabes cuando has conocido a tu alma gemela; Ese sentimiento impregnó todo el cuerpo de Ann. Fue una sensación de suavidad, seguridad y armonía en un apretón de manos. A partir de ese momento, Ann y Gio estuvieron en marcado contraste. Dos extremos unidos intencionalmente por el universo. El encuentro de Ann y Gio fue un recordatorio de que las almas gemelas pueden provenir de los lugares más inesperados, y cuando dos corazones realmente se conectan, crean un amor que es tan infinito e inspirador como el universo mismo. La historia de amor de Ann y Gio se convirtió en un testimonio del poder del destino y la magia de encontrar a esa persona que completa tu alma.

When I thought about proposing to Ann I felt blissed. I neither felt nervous, fear, or excitement. I simply felt at peace. My decision to propose to Ann felt like the right decision and no matter what anyone said, I couldn’t change my mind. Then again, I didn’t have to ask for anyone's thoughts or opinions. Some may ask when is the right time to propose or get married for that matter. My answer will be, “I did not consider if it was the right time for either one of us to get married. It just boiled down to one thing, will my future lifetime partner and I be happy for the rest of our lives together? My answer to that question is YES!” Even though I said the idea of proposing to Ann was blissful, finding a ring and coming up with the plan to propose had me stressed. I did not want to propose in a cliche and old fashioned manner. In other words, I did not want to be corny! What I wanted for Ann was a classy, memorable, and private moment for the two of us. But my first priority was finding a ring. Not just any ring but a yellow gold band with her favorite gemstone, Lapis Lazuli, as the centerpiece to one of her forever rings. I spent 4 months tracking down a jeweler who can deliver such a ring but I could not find one. I reached out to everyone I knew that was married and people connected in the jewelry industry and had no solid leads. One day I was hanging out with a fraternity brother, Chris, who dropped the news he was also planning to propose and showed me a picture of the ring he purchased for his now wife. He connected me to his jeweler and within a week we drove up to Connecticut to meet my precious metal savior. I explained to him what I was looking for with the guidance and approval from Ann’s sister, Somah, and within three weeks the jeweler found the stone and prepared the ring for me. After the ring was purchased, I had to plan the proposal. In order for this to happen the first thing I wanted to avoid was any holidays and anything that would throw us off our routines. During this time Ann was in the process of starting her own therapy practice and developed her website from the ground up. She was using old photos of herself for her website so as a Christmas gift I hired a professional photographer to take professional headshots of Ann for the new website. After talking with colleagues that were engaged and/or married about their own proposals, I asked them all the same question. “What would you have liked to have during your proposal?” The answer was the same across the board, photographs! Since I had already organized a photoshoot for Ann’s headshots, why not use that opportunity to propose too. I managed to capture two moments in one shot! Between Somah, the photographer, and I we managed to set the time and place thanks to Ann’s cousin, Devand. Devand organized an office space to shoot the headshots and a rooftop for the final proposal shots. With so many moving parts to the proposal I continued to feel blissed. I neither felt nervous, fear, or excitement. I simply felt at peace. That was until I got on one knee to ask this amazing, intelligent, and beautiful woman to marry me. At that moment, I felt relieved because my journey to finding my life long companion is officially over and I couldn’t be any more proud to call Ann, my wife.