Never in a million years did we think we would go to Washington D.C. Never in a million years did we think we were going to find each other and be inseparable ever since. Our love story would not exist if we didn't put God in the center of our relationship. We give all the glory to God because without him we would have never met each other! There were so many obstacles preventing Mel from going to D.C., but with God’s grace and putting all her faith in Him, something amazing came out of it. Our story starts back in 2015. We both were attending college at California State University, Northridge at the time. Mel and Ryan were studying completely different majors. She was majoring in Geography, emphasizing in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Ryan was majoring in Political Science. The College of Social & Behavioral Sciences announced a DC Internship Program where we intern and take classes for the Spring semester. Without even knowing, we both were interested in the opportunity to go to D.C. The only thing setting Mel back from going was that she needed to secure an internship before the program began. Mel was applying for internships like crazy and getting denied left and right. She was getting discouraged, but something was telling her to go to D.C. anyways. So she started praying everyday with her parents and believing that she would secure one. Mel’s faith played a pivotal role in how we met, and without her strong faith, family support, and perseverance along the way, none of this would have come to fruition. Mel’s faith had officially paid off, which made this all possible meeting Ryan! Mel's first impressions I remember when I first met Ryan I was thinking, “oh he’s tall, great smile, and handsome, but is he a good fit for me?” As soon as we started talking, I felt like I had known Ryan for years! I was shocked how comfortable I was around him. I still had my guard up, but when he started opening up to me, I slowly started opening up to him. We were talking throughout the whole day, that we even forgot our roommates were around lol! He was such a gentleman since the first day that we even had our first fancy meal together at The Old Ebbitt Grill and paid for it lol. As the days had gone by, our conversations felt so effortless and from that day forward, we have been inseparable. Ryan's first impressions To be honest, I was not even thinking about finding a girlfriend on this trip. My mind was focused on school and finding my career path. Little did I know I would find a beautiful person during this time. She had a very nice smile that caught my attention right away. After talking to her, it was apparent that she was equally beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside. From my past experiences, she was unlike the typical LA girls who are always so into themselves. She was a breath of fresh air and I knew it when I talked to her that she was different from the rest. As the days passed, we realized that most of the people in our program just wanted to party and drink. I quickly realized that Mel was like me, in that she wanted to explore the rest of the east coast! We knew we wanted to get the most out of our 4 months over there. We ended up going to Boston, New York City, Connecticut, Philadelphia, and Baltimore! To conclude, our trip felt magical! After the program was over, it felt like one big adventure that we both were able to explore together. It wasn't until a month after we got back that Ryan asked Mel to be his girlfriend! Through all the ups and downs like in any relationship, we both realized it is best if we put God in the center of our relationship. Eight years later, we are both looking forward to the next chapter of our lives together, and to see what God has in store for us.