The Gabas are Coming!

His Version It was my junior year at Penn State (Shoutout to all my Penn Staters), and I was feeling pretty good after being elected President of Alpha Phi Alpha ('06 to all the good brothers). I was on my way to run an errand with my fraternity brother Joe to deposit fraternity funds when I spotted Tiana. My first impression was shock because she was easily the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. I offered to show the "new girl" around campus, but I knew from that first conversation that it would be something special. As we started spending time together, my impression of her shifted from her beauty to getting to know her incredible personality. We connected instantly over our dreams and the fact that we laughed at exactly the same things. We quickly became best friends who could spend hours watching our favorite movies and TV shows, but somewhere in the middle of all that laughter, I realized this was it for me. I knew it was forever when I recognized that she brought a level of peace and perspective into my life that made me want to become the best version of myself. As we step into marriage, the promise I am most intentional about keeping is to handle life as her ultimate teammate and protect the friendship that started it all. I want to make sure our future together feels like one long, exciting tour where I never leave her side. Her Version Lets take it back where it all began, August 2014 at the Pennsylvania State University. It was my junior year, and I had just transferred to the University’s main campus. During my work shift as an Accounting Assistant on campus, Serge walks in and immediately grabs my attention as he is wearing a full suit (and if you know Serge, you know this is a very normal attire). As I assisted him with a transaction for his organization, Alpha Phi Alpha, he looked at me and said “Are you new here? Because I have never seen you before”. A classic line – but somehow it worked. What should have been a quick five-minute transaction turned into a 20-minute conversation as our conversation flowed effortlessly, and before I knew it, Serge asked me to hang out that weekend. I walked away from that conversation feeling something I never felt before. That following weekend, we went to The Den (if you know, you know). It was nonstop laughter, nonstop conversation – and we both knew. We knew this was something different, something special. It only took one date to begin our forever. Looking back, it’s amazing how one simple conversation turned into a love that continues to grow stronger with time. From that first date to this moment, Serge has remained my safe place, my best friend, and my forever. Together, we’re so excited to begin this next chapter, hand in hand, laughing, growing, and choosing each other every day.