Erica and Nicholas’s story started with lab coats, lesson plans, and just the right amount of academic chaos. It was 2019 at Adelphi University when they became lab partners in Animal Behavior class. Their big assignment? Create an educational lesson to teach kids at the Long Island Children’s Museum about animal migration—yes, real kids, real science, and real nerves. But somewhere between prepping worksheets and chasing down crayons, something clicked. After the museum field trip, Nicholas asked Erica for a ride back from campus. Seems normal, right? Except halfway into the drive, he was already changing her music and messing with the volume like he owned the aux. Bold move, but clearly it worked. The “lab partners” title quickly turned into "let’s hang out more," especially when Erica “needed help” with organic chemistry. (Spoiler: it may not have been just about chemistry class.) One of the most memorable moments? Nicholas was ridiculously late to meet Erica on campus—but for a sweet reason: he walked a blind student across campus. Chivalry wasn’t dead after all. Suddenly, the semester wrapped up, summer hit, and even though they lived over 400 miles apart, they kept in touch every day. When fall semester rolled around, they reunited on move-in day and basically never stopped hanging out after that. Nicholas met Erica’s family at one of her soccer games, where he watched from the sidelines and then tailgated like a true MVP. Erica’s first trip to visit Nicholas in Niagara Falls happened in January 2020—they hit all of the touristy spots, met his amazing family, and froze in the name of love. Then COVID hit and schools shut down in March, forcing them into four long months of FaceTime dates. Nicholas swears he still has PTSD from it and will never voluntarily open FaceTime again. Erica graduated in 2020, Nicholas followed in 2021, and they left behind their beloved Doc O’Grady’s pub (RIP to late nights, endless pitchers, and McGeever's wings). Since then, they’ve been busy exploring the world together—Belgium, Amsterdam, Denmark, Oregon, Washington, California, and more. And after nearly six years of adventures, Nicholas got down on one knee at Rialto Beach in Olympic National Park and asked Erica to marry him. Now, they're beyond excited to celebrate their big day with all their favorite people—lab reports not required.