As a proud Haitian daughter, I’ve learned two things: trust your instincts and always listen to Mommy …she’s right the majority of the time. Going into my junior year at Florida A&M University, I was on the hunt for a new off-campus apartment close to campus. My mom kept insisting I check out a place called Adams Pointe, she must’ve mentioned it a dozen times. Eventually, just to make her happy, I decided to go see it. It was one of those classic Tallahassee afternoons, just hot for no reason. If you ever been to Tallahassee during the summer you know exactly what I mean. As I got off the bus and started walking toward the leasing office, a young man in a gray FAMU hoodie and khakis stopped me and asked if I needed help. (Yes, a hoodie. In that heat.) From where I stood, he looked like a freshman or sophomore. (Elijah has a baby face, so imagine him without a beard). I smiled and said no thank you. In my mind how can this kid help me and is he really trying to help me or flirt with me. In fact it was both he wanted the bonus for the potential lease I would sign and flirt with me. So, I walked into the leasing office, and there he was again — sitting behind the desk, grinning like he already knew something I didn’t. “Hi, I’m Elijah, the leasing agent,” he said proudly. I couldn’t help but laugh. From Elijah’s side, he was also a FAMU student working part-time at the complex. He wasn’t just hanging outside for fun, he was actually greeting potential residents before they made it inside. What he didn’t realize was that one of those residents would end up being his future wife. After my tour, I decided to apply for both an apartment and a job. Once my applications were in, my mom made it her personal mission to follow up. Every. Single. Day. She called the office so often that Elijah and the staff started to recognize her phone number. Eventually, whenever the phone rang, Elijah would say, “Hey everybody, Karnita’s mom is calling again!” That persistence paid off I got the apartment, the job, and, without knowing it, met my future husband. Looking back, we still laugh about how fate, our illustrious institution, and one very determined mom led us straight to each other.