Despite a small, 600 person class size, I didn't know of Aki until my senior year at Vassar. This was largely a coincidence, as we had most of the same classes in most of the same buildings. On top of this, I was extremely focused on academics and on getting into medical school - meaning I wasn't out as often on the weekends as I would have liked. After a brief meeting first semester of senior year, I finally met him properly during January of 2013 at a party after I had sent off my last medical school application. We talked throughout the night, primarily while defeating beer pong opponents. He quietly confessed his Taylor Swift fandom, which led to phone numbers being exchanged. This led to a coffee date a few days later and dinner the next week. From there we began to date, not knowing what the future held due to our rapidly approaching graduation and different career plans. We left school in an unclear place, but then he managed to convince me to join him on a two week Summer escapade around Europe. Our adventure through Spain, Italy, and France was unforgettable, and now here we are, six years later, planning our wedding together.

I knew that I wanted my proposal to be special. After looking at Pittsburgh's offerings, I settled on Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens where I reserved the Broderie Room. I also knew that a spontaneous visit on a random Sunday to the Gardens would be suspicious, especially considering she had just gone recently with her mom, so I enlisted the help of her friends. They suggested a group visit, and once she accepted, the trap was set. Once we were there though, I knew that I wouldn't be able to hold a normal conversation with Nicole without giving away the surprise, so I tried to spend most of my time catching up with her friends. Despite my best attempts, she eventually cornered me, where she found that my hands were ice cold. When she asked if something was wrong, I didn't have an answer for her, but my mumbled response was good enough that I held on to the secret until we finally arrived at the Broderie Room, where I brought her out to the clearance, got down on one knee, and asked the most important question of my life.