Dorsa and Michael met in the Anacapa Dorms at UCSB. They became fast friends and hung out together watching movies and playing air hockey. They kept talking through the end of the school year and the following summer. Their first date was just before the start of the next school year, on a hike at Lizard's Mouth in Santa Barbara on September 5, 2010!

After work on a Thursday, Michael drove Dorsa to Lizard's Mouth Hike in Santa Barbara, where they'd had their first date. They stopped and picked up burritos at Freebirds in Isla Vista and drove to the hike, as they'd done several times before. At the top of the hike they laid down a blanket, ate their burritos, and watched the sunset. Michael then suggested they head out, as Dorsa teased him about his missing a perfect opportunity to pop the question! As they were walking back to the car, Dorsa thought they were lost since it was starting to get dark and the trail was hard to keep track of. Michael led the way, climbing on top of a huge boulder and turning to help Dorsa climb onto it as well, at which point she saw all the candles he'd asked his friends to set up on the rock and the lights strung all around. Michael knelt down on one knee and asked her to be his best friend for the rest of their lives, she said yes, and the rest is history!