I have found the one my heart loves.

TL;DR: We met in law school. If you ask Victor, he'll tell you that we met when he was a 0L. Victor was part of Pipeline to Justice program at CUNY School of Law in the spring of 2015 while I was a few final exams away from finishing 1L. He sat in on a study session and noticed that I was using a notebook and laptop. He was deciding how to take notes in class - type or handwrite - and asked me. I don't recall what I told him. But do I recall noticing Victor a few months later: it was the start of my 2L year and his 1L. The Black Law Students Association (BLSA) led a mentorship program for 1Ls, and I was on the executive board of one of the affinity groups that worked with BLSA. At the interest meeting, I spotted a 1L walking in a bit late. I asked a classmate, "Who's that?" He said, "That's Victor." A few weeks later, while helping to pair 1Ls with participating 2Ls/3Ls, I read Victor's responses to the questionnaire; he listed volunteering at church as one of his activities. Based on this info, I emailed him to gauge his interest in being a part of the then-inactive Christian group. He replied sometime later but I - caught up with other extracurriculars and classes - didn't follow up. On the day of the NYC Marathon, we ran into each other at the subway station. I was heading to campus to study after church and he was heading home from campus, where he had watched the runners and studied. We chatted a bit, and he was able to put my face to the email I had sent over a month ago. Then during finals, we shared our stories with each other over lunch at Mu Ramen. I marveled at how our paths crossed at law school. We made the most of winter break, getting to know each other as we attended each other's churches, went ice skating, listened to the New York Philharmonic, and ate quite well. On my birthday, we officially became a couple. And the rest is history.

I knew a few things before I proposed to Sara. First, she would say yes because we intentionally studied marriage and she knew that I had asked for our parents’ blessings beforehand. Second, she would like the engagement ring because she helped pick it. Third, Sara did not want a public proposal. Lastly, I knew that I was not a good singer and guitarist, but I had to try to do something to make the proposal surprising and memorable. For a week, I learned to play and sing Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect,” during every moment of my daily commute and while I washed the dishes each night. I planned to propose during the sunset of the fall equinox. The setting would be her home’s backyard, underneath the Japanese maple tree with glowing lanterns hung around. A few hours before, Sara’s sister-in-law and nephew kept Sara busy at the Queens County Fair so I could set the mood. Afterward, I stood ready in the backyard, under the lantern-lit tree as it started to drizzle. Her family asked Sara to go out to the yard to pick perilla leaves for the sushi that her father was making for dinner. Sara’s brother flickered the bathroom light to signal that she was on her way. While I could see Sara in her mother’s garden, Sara, thankfully, did not see me through the tall plants and flowers. Then I hit the speaker and I channeled the best Ed Sheeran in me. Sara looked up, and the rest was history. There were some tears, some “dancing in the dark... while holding each other in our arms." We were not “barefoot on the gra[h]ss,” but when I saw Sara “in that dress” (actually, a flannel shirt and jeans) "she looked perfect" that night. I’m thankful that Sara cried, not just because of my singing, but because she will be happy with us spending the rest of our lives together.