Our story starts with a double coincidence before college–in June of our respective senior years of high school, we both found out that we got off of the waitlist for Harvard. We then both took gap years before college, volunteering in global health settings (Mike in Haiti, Cynthia in Uganda) and working in food service (Mike at Dairy Queen, Cynthia at a local pizza shop). The coincidences continued. Living in very separate worlds in college (Mike in ROTC, Cynthia on the premed journey), our paths would not have crossed, if not for CrimsonEMS, the college EMS organization we both joined. Not long after Mike was certified in the spring of 2016, we first met working as EMTs for reunion and graduation. One could say we got to know each other catching (and dodging) vomit at college parties. By the end of spring 2017 we went our separate ways for the summer, Cynthia to Europe and Mike to San Diego for some Navy summer training, but little did Cynthia know that Mike had grown very fond of her presence. Back on campus in the fall, we continued working shifts together and also spent time in the CrimsonEMS space working on problem sets and papers. Our friendship and mutual admiration for each other deepened–Cynthia was struck by Mike’s exceptional generosity, humility, and work ethic, and Mike quietly admired Cynthia’s emotional intelligence, thoughtfulness, and composed leadership in EMS. One December evening, Cynthia sent Mike a cryptic text: “Do you want to meet up in Dunster grille?” It was that night that she worked up the courage to share her feelings with Mike about feeling a connection that was more than a friendship, and the rest was history. It started with a late December Felipe’s nacho run (the unofficial first date!) followed by a windy walk along the Charles River, with long and serious conversation bringing us closer than ever before. January 16th, 2018 would be the first date with ice skating at the Frog Pond in Boston, to kick off a wonderful exciting semester of more EMS shifts together and adventures exploring Cambridge. Smitten with one another and our newfound joy together, our first big obstacle, long distance, loomed on the horizon as Mike was due to head off to Navy flight school in Florida by the end of the year. We both knew, however, that what we had was going to be worth the distance. In May we were both back working EMS, until Graduation Day, when Mike received his own diploma and commissioned into the Navy, with Cynthia right there to celebrate. The summer would see Cynthia stick around Boston to do research but for many New England adventures including fishing in New Hampshire, day trips to coastal Massachusetts towns, and the start of a long Labor Day weekend tradition, hiking in Acadia National Park. Before we knew it, November was upon us and Mike was moving south. Lots of tears and hugs were had that day but it wouldn’t be long before we were reunited for a whirlwind set of adventures to come. Over the next 3 years Cynthia would graduate and start med school in New York, finding us both a trove of loving friends/roommates. Mike would spend time in 4 different states, with Cynthia there to see everything, from Texas quarantine fishing to Mississippi thunderstorms. As it did for everyone, COVID created its challenges as we spent months in quarantine not knowing the next time we would be able to safely travel to see each other. Finally, in March 2022, Mike took the big step and spoke to Cynthia’s wonderful parents and sister Kasey and got their support; Cynthia spoke to Mike’s amazing parents in June 2022 to do just the same. She said yes in Acadia National Park on Labor Day Weekend of 2022, surrounded by both our families, ALL of the 11F goons, and the second best man himself, Nikhil. Our travels have been far and wide and our future shows no signs of that changing, as we head to California in May 2023 to start living together in our very first lease!