We met during our freshman year of college at the University of Pittsburgh where we lived in the same dorm. After a few years of playing weekly board games and cooking with our friends, we started dating. We quickly got closer through our love of travel, food, and learning. We continued our education in eastern Illinois and graduated with PhD's in 2024. During graduate school, we adopted our kitty and got to explore a new part of the country. The summer after graduation, we traveled to Japan, and got engaged on Miyajima Island. Now we're starting a new chapter of our lives together in Tennessee.