In the Summer of 2016, Carolyn and Pat both traveled to Notre Dame from their homes in California and Delaware for the two-week Summer Scholars Program, neither thinking anything more than some time on campus was in store. For Pat, seeing Carolyn was love at first sight; he could barely get enough courage to ask what her name was. Carolyn, not quite as swept off her feet, decided she’d keep Pat as a friend and made the mistake of giving him her phone number. After a week of one-sided flirting, Carolyn realized how sweet Pat was, and a summer fling emerged with the two never truly expecting to see each other again. The pair kept in touch throughout senior year of high school and reunited at Villanova’s accepted student’s weekend - deciding to start a cross-country relationship and resulting in Pat flying to California to attend Carolyn’s senior prom.

As the couple began their time at Notre Dame, they were randomly placed in dorms next to each other - McGlinn and O’Neill Family Hall. After three years of dances, football seasons, and travel during study abroad, they took a break as the world shut down over the Summer of 2020. This time apart only made them realize how much they needed each other, and the two rekindled their relationship when they returned to campus for senior year. This final year on campus only served to strengthen their bond and bring more good times before entering the real world.

After graduating from Notre Dame in May of 2021, the two navigated long-distance as Pat started medical school at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and Carolyn began working as a CPA for Deloitte in Chicago. With two years of flights and late-night phone calls, Pat asked Carolyn to marry him on April 15, 2023, by the bank of St. Joseph’s Lake, overlooking the church they would one day get married in. (Spoiler: she said yes!)

Today, Carolyn works at Deloitte in New York City, while Pat is now a fourth year in medical school and will graduate in May of 2025. The two of them can’t wait to get married a month later at the place that means so much to them.