Andrew and Mattie met on the first day of freshman orientation at Purdue University, though they weren’t close friends right away. Over the first few months of college, they grew closer through mutual friends, spending time together doing everything from playing Just Dance in their dorm lobby to running around campus playing sardines in academic buildings. Around Thanksgiving of freshman year, while Andrew was visiting family in New Jersey, the two began talking more regularly. Andrew admitted he liked Mattie, and although they briefly dated before deciding to step back, they found their way back to each other during finals week — studying together, decompressing, and officially beginning their relationship on the final day of the winter semester. They spent the rest of their undergraduate years together, even navigating a semester apart while Andrew completed a co-op with NASA and Mattie participated in the Disney College Program. After graduation, they continued long-distance while Andrew finished his master’s degree at Purdue and Mattie worked in Illinois. When Mattie found a job in Indianapolis, the distance shortened and visits became more frequent. At the end of a work training trip to Orlando, Andrew surprised Mattie with a proposal, just a few months before completing his master’s degree. What began as a college friendship grew into a partnership built on patience, laughter, and choosing each other through every season.