• Yonne’s Side: Yonne came to Pittsburgh planning to spend just a year finishing her PhD. As her scholarship neared its end, her suitcases were almost out of the closet, and the plan was clear: go home → defend → celebrate. But then a postdoc opportunity showed up and flipped the script. Suddenly, she wasn’t leaving anymore. Staying meant more science (amazing!), but socially… things were quiet. She didn’t know many people in Pittsburgh, and dating in English felt like a mission impossible. After a friend encouraged her to try something new, she took a deep breath, downloaded Hinge, and hoped for the best. That’s when she saw a handsome guy in a Cornell shirt. Like. Sent. • Nico’s Side: Meanwhile, Nico had just moved back to Pittsburgh from New York. He wasn’t into social media, hadn’t dated in a while, and downloaded Hinge only because his mom said, “Why not give it a try?” His expectations were… let’s say zero. Until he opened the app and saw a like from a beautiful Brazilian PhD student named Yonne. Match. Instantly.

From the very first conversation, everything felt easy. Nico impressed Yonne right away because he knew Brazilians speak Portuguese (huge points) and even mentioned a Brazilian singer she loved. The song he brought up — Morena — was her favorite. Coincidence? Fate? The algorithm? Whatever it was, it worked. • Their First Chapter Together They met on April 16, 2022, at Phipps Botanical Garden. Two people from different countries, walking through flowers, nervous and excited, talking nonstop like old friends. They walked the gardens twice, then headed to City Works, where Nico delivered an enthusiastic performance of random movie quotes. By the end of the night, they both knew: this is something special. From then on, they were inseparable. On June 17 — his birthday — Nico asked her to be his girlfriend. (Officially the best birthday gift ever.) A year later came more milestones: a trip to Brazil to meet her family, moving in together, and adopting Leo, their golden retriever, who decided immediately he was the king of the house.

When it was time to begin the next chapter, Nico returned to where it all began. With help from Monica, Yonne’s maid of honor, he organized a “casual lunch” that mysteriously ended at Phipps. There, Yonne found a path lined with friends — some who flew in from North Carolina, others joining on FaceTime — each sharing sweet words about their relationship. At the end of the path, inside the Broderie Room, Nico waited with a proposal he wrote in Portuguese. Through happy tears, Yonne said “SIM!” (Yes) (Though Nico swears she cried so much she may have forgotten to actually say it.)

Their story now is a reminder that love finds its way across continents, languages, and timing that makes no sense until everything falls into place. Two people from different countries, cultures, and languages discovered that God was writing the same chapter for both of them long before they ever met. What began with a single “like” in a garden has blossomed into a home full of laughter, shared dreams, and one very spoiled golden retriever. They look at each other every day with the same certainty they felt on that first date: we were meant to find each other. Surrounded by family and friends, they are ready and grateful to step into the next chapter of the beautiful love story God has been unfolding all along.