Donavan and Jessica met when Jessica moved to Fredericksburg, VA before their sophomore year of high school in 2016. After meeting through a friend, Donavan asked Jessica to dance at their homecoming (what a gentleman).... and the rest was history! Donavan and Jessica started officially "dating", despite not being able to actually drive to a date, on December 19th, 2016. While dating throughout high school and graduating in 2019, the two decided to attend separate universities at first, with Jessica playing softball at Roanoke College and Donavan playing football at West Virginia University. However, this first year was filled with a 7 hour round-trip commute on weekends to see each other and make the most out of the time! Jessica ultimately made the decision to transfer to West Virginia University in 2020. Then COVID-19 hit! The couple were forced to spend a LOT of time indoors together watching shows, learning new skills, and adopting their first kitten, Genny. Donavan frequently says that going through the lockdown together cemented their strong bond as best friends and partners for life! Jessica graduated from West Virginia University in 2021 and started her career back home in Virginia. Donavan continued to play football and work towards his degree. The couple balanced this long-distance relationship with school, work, football, among other distractions for a very grueling 18 months (filled with many late-night drives, FaceTime calls, goodbye hugs and tears, and counting down the days). Donavan graduated from West Virginia University in 2023, started his career, and the couple moved into their first apartment together in Richmond, VA. Then, on the most perfect Wednesday afternoon in September, Donavan proposed to Jessica at Maymont Park. The couple is beyond excited to take this next step in their life, and are enjoying every moment of this loving phase.