Josh and Maria’s story began in the fall of 2019 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. They did not meet at Brick Street Bar & Grill, Pachinkos, New Bar, or any of the other Oxford hot spots where most Miami Merger stories begin. Instead, they met in a Paper Engineering class. Yes, you read that right… paper. We’re talking trees to pulp to print and everything in between. While neither of them had a “passion for paper,” they each thought they had their own reasons for taking the class (adding a minor to their resume, scholarship money, etc., etc.), but little did they know that God had bigger plans… much bigger. After that first day of class, Maria was locked in. Not on paper, but on the cute boy wearing the backwards hat. She immediately called her mom on the walk home to tell her all about this boy whom she knew nothing about other than that 1) he was in a Paper Engineering class and 2) he was so cute. Then when she got home, she ran up to her friends’ bedrooms to tell them all the same. And from then on, Josh was known as “cute class boy.” Turns out that Josh was also locked in on the cute girl from paper class, and while he may not have immediately called his mom, he did have his own agenda. He got Maria’s name from a mutual friend in her sorority and slid right in to those Instagram DMs. He then began asking her to send him the notes from class… which it turns out he did not need, but that didn’t stop her from using her cutest cursive handwriting. Slowly class notes and group projects turned into longer conversations, Gaslight Brewhouse dates, and movie nights. At the end of spring semester 2020, Josh graduated and moved to Macomb, Michigan to start his new job, while Maria still had her senior year ahead of her. The two then decided to go their separate ways (though Josh never did give Maria her calculator back iykyk ;)… but once again God had bigger plans. In August of 2020, Maria was quarantined with her housemates when one of them contracted COVID-19 (s/o Molly). Feeling stir crazy, Maria and her other friends were sitting on the roof of their house when Maria told them just how much she was missing Josh. Elle, knowing Maria well, talked her into reaching back out. Turns out that Josh was missing Maria just as much, and after the quarantine was over, he came back to visit her. And then he visited again, and again, and in November they decided to make it official and give long distance a shot. Maria graduated with her Bachelors in the spring of 2021, but stayed in Oxford another year and a half to get her Masters. Meanwhile, Josh moved to Williamsport, Pennsylvania for his job. Over that time, their relationship and their love grew, despite the distance. In August of 2022, Josh moved to Texas, and in May of 2023, Maria followed suit. There they moved into their first apartment and built a life together. On December 15th 2024, Josh got down on one knee in their home and asked Maria to marry him. After 5 years of knowing each other and 4 years together, Maria could not say “yes” fast enough! Their story is so special to them, as are all the people that have made them who they are today and supported them along the way. They cannot wait to continue their story on May 9th, 2026 and share in it all with you!