Erica and James met serving in the U.S. Peace Corps Cameroon Africa in 2019! They were members of a 30 person cohort that spent weeks together in orientation and training before being stationed to live and work in separate villages more than 11 hours apart. In March 2020, everyone was quickly evacuated back to the U.S. due to COVID19 pandemic.

Erica and James moved back to the U.S. and started their long distance relationship! They lived in several places including Chicago, Baltimore, Cape Town, South Africa, Atlanta, and Washington D.C. They both worked and completed Masters degrees during this time, while taking every opportunity to visit each other!

James proposed marriage to Erica in Washington D.C. in Georgetown, and she said YES! James became a Diplomat in the U.S. State Dept. in Oct. 2024 and was assigned to work at the embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia! He moved there in January 2025. Erica will join James in Ethiopia summer of 2025 to start their married life together!