Kristen met Yang-Yang at Toko Japanese Steak House in Kent, Ohio, in March 2019. Over the next few months, they fell in love and officially started dating on May 4th, 2019.

At the time, Yang-Yang was in his second year of medical school, and Kristen was about to start her senior year studying chemical engineering at Cleveland State University. When COVID hit, they faced long-distance learning and the challenges of the pandemic—but nothing could keep them apart.

Kristen graduated in May 2020 and supported Yang-Yang through his third and fourth-year clinicals. As he approached graduation, he began the match process, where medical students are paired with hospitals for residency. Knowing he wanted Kristen by his side no matter where he ended up, Yang-Yang proposed on March 30th, 2022. Of course, she said yes!