Assata: I vividly remember the first time I met Jared. I had been on Purdue’s campus for less than an hour and was headed to the dining hall to join the rest of my Business Opportunity Program (BOP) cohort for dinner. When I entered Earhart, there was a pretty attractive guy sitting at a table close by, and I quickly inquired to see if he was a part of the program. Once I confirmed that he was in BOP, I went over to introduce myself and asked if I could sit with him (yes, I’m bold I know). He gave me a bizarre look like, “who is this chick”, but agreed that I could join him for dinner. Feeling really proud of myself and eager to get to know this new boy, I dropped my stuff at the table and went to get some food. When I returned to the table about 5 min later, Jared was gone. Although he didn’t leave me completely alone, there were other BOP folks around, I wanted to sit with him! It was a devastating blow that I held onto until Jared came to reintroduce himself and apologize for leaving me later that evening.

While our first encounter wasn’t all sparks and butterflies, it was the perfect start to an incredible friendship that has since turned into a life partnership over the last 6 years. We started dating on December 1st, 2017 and have been learning from one another and building our life together ever since. Jared is the most loving, patient, genuine, and understanding man that I know and there is no one that makes me laugh harder (and if you know me, you know I love to laugh). I can’t wait to be Mrs. Assata Florell and I am so excited to lean into what God has in store for our little family.

Jared: When Assata and I first met we were young, goofy and naive 18 year olds looking to find our place and make our mark at University. I certainly had no intention of finding a partner that first summer on campus, or in undergrad at all for that matter, but God had a different plan for us. One of the first things I remember about meeting Assata, and what initially attracted me to her, was her smile and her laugh. (Years later, when we first moved to Minneapolis, we were told by a YMCA employee that our sense of humor was probably what kept us together). I was also drawn to her energy, beauty, kindness towards others, and her mind. I had never made a friend so fast or felt so connected to someone so quickly. That first summer we would sit up until the early hours of the morning `to “study” but would just talk and joke aimlessly for hours and hours about virtually anything. By the end of that summer it had felt like we had known each other for years. That’s when I knew I had met someone who would be in my life forever, either as a lifelong friend or a partner and lucky me, I got a wife!

The adventures, struggles and life changes we have shared and navigated together over the last 6+ years have only further solidified that this is the person that I want to spend the rest of my life with. When I think about the best version of myself and what kind of man I strive to be, I look at all of the amazing qualities that Assata so effortlessly exhibits every day of her life and think about the type of husband and man that she deserves. I am so grateful to have a partner who is so full of life, joy, love and creativity. I thank God and my lucky stars for her every single day. I can’t wait to take on this new responsibility of being a husband to Assata and beginning the next chapter of our beautiful lives together.

Thank you all for being a part of our community. We are so lucky to have such an incredible support system of family and friends that are helping us build our life together. We can’t wait to celebrate with you in August!