Sarah and Jackie met in 2017 while students at the University of La Verne. They were both on student government at the time and first met at a retreat in Temecula. A couple months later, at Jackie's fraternity Homecoming tailgate, Jackie asked Sarah out. For their first date, they went to an Italian restaurant in Claremont Village. Soon, they were going on walks along the Santa Monica pier, hiking in Eaton Canyon, and looking at neighborhood Christmas light shows together. A few months after their first date (and after Jackie met Sarah's parents) they were official!

On Tuesday March 21, 2023, Jackie picked up Sarah to take her to a surprise lunch outing. Sarah had no clue where they were going and they eventually ended up in Palm Springs. Sarah and Jackie first enjoyed a lovely lunch and then went on a walk around downtown Palm Springs. They bought each other fun socks at a local store for World Down Syndrome Day. Jackie then told Sarah that they were heading back home. Sarah was too busy singing along to Taylor Swift to notice they were actually heading a different direction. She eventually looked up out the car window and asked: "Is that a Joshua Tree?" Jackie got really quiet and then nodded as they pulled up to Joshua Tree National Park. This was Sarah's first time in Joshua Tree. They drove along the desert road, barely staying ahead of looming rainclouds, before they finally pulled up to a parking spot at Hidden Valley. When Sarah stepped out of the car, she saw that there were red solo cups on the ground forming a trail. Together, they followed the trail of cups. At the end was a big heart drawn on the ground, with a bouquet of flowers and a bottle of sparkling wine placed in the middle. That is when Sarah and Jackie's friends Esther, Hagop, Jade, and Pascal popped out with signs reading: "Sarah, will you marry me?" Just before the sun set, and before clouds finished filling the sky, Jackie got down on one knee and proposed. Sarah was so happy and said YES! They popped opened the wine and celebrated with their friends right before the rain started to fall. The whole car ride home, they were filled with excitement and the surprises did not end there. Waiting at Sarah's parents house were her parents, Jackie's mom and brother, Sarah's roommate Diana, and their family friends Mr. and Mrs. Beckley. Together, they all shared in the first dinner of Sarah and Jackie's engagement. Sarah and Jackie are so happy and blessed to have so much support from their friends and family, and are so excited to start their next chapter!