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Sarah and Riley met through a mutual friend in January, 2015. As they were both studying Biochemistry at Western, they had a lot of classes overlap. Sarah wanted to be a top student and Riley wanted to spend more time with Sarah. As such, they spent a lot of time in the library studying together. Outside of school, they quickly bonded over their love of the outdoors, good food, concerts, and spending time with friends. Their time in college was highlighted by numerous great ski trips, concerts, dinners, and good times with friends.
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Fast forward to 2018, Sarah and Riley both graduated from Western and had only vague plans of what post-graduation life would entail. They moved in together to a small studio apartment in North Bellingham. This is where Riley learned how to decorate a home with something other than bikes and snowboards and Sarah learned how to appreciate Pearl Jam and Dave Matthews Band.
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After a year of working in Mount Vernon together, Sarah decided she wanted to pursue teaching and began applying to Western to obtain her master’s in teaching. At the same time, Riley applied to medical school. They were both accepted to their programs in 2020, at which time Riley had to move away for the first two years of school to central Washington. Although difficult living apart, they both made frequent trips to visit each other and spend quality time together. In 2022, Sarah graduated and was able to obtain a job teaching science while Riley was able to live in Bellingham for the second two years of medical school. These two years were highlighted by weekend ski trips and camping trips broken up by weeks of hard work on both ends.
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With medical school graduation approaching, Riley was able to obtain a residency position in Portland, Maine. Like most things over the previous 9 years, they were also going to complete this big move as a team. Shortly after finding out about the move, Riley and Sarah decided to (finally) make it official, get engaged, and start planning a wedding. They are both over the moon with excitement to celebrate their love and longstanding friendship with all their great and supportive people.