Our story began in May 2021 in a quintessential way for modern couples: through an online class for UGA’s College of Pharmacy’s International Biomedical Regulatory Science Certificate. It was the end of the semester, and all the students had to prepare video-recorded presentations that were to be graded by our peers. Brittny and her classmates decided to make a night of it and grade presentations together, and my presentation on microbial infection of orthopedic implants wooed them all away:

“Wow, this guy is really smart!”

“He’s way too cute to be an engineer!”

“Brittny, you should totally ask him out on date after giving his stellar presentation an A+!”

After our first date, I knew we had something special. I fell in love with Brittny’s sense of adventure and spontaneity, always pushing me to get out of my comfort zone and try new things together. At this point I had lived in Athens for 7 years, yet she was showing new places and new things that I never thought to look for. She, obviously, fell in love with how smart, funny, and good-looking I am.

After a few months of dating, Brittny had to move to Augusta for her clinical training while I still had 2 years left in Athens. While a semi-long-distance relationship can be hard for some, I believe it made our relationship stronger. The distance taught us to cherish the time we managed to get together and built an innate resilience in our relationship.

As time went on, I knew this was the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. We complement each other in the best ways and unconditionally support each other, which was tested especially during the toughest parts of our professional careers. With graduate school behind us and living in the same city again, it was a no-brainer to ask her family for permission to marry her.

We truly appreciate the love and support you all have given us over the years. Athens is a special place for us, and we are so grateful to share a weekend of memories with you all!