It’s August 2015 and Tadd and Maria are trekking up eight flights of stairs as they move into Champagnat Hall and begin their four years at Marist. Little did they know the honors floor would be the start of many friendships, relationships, and everything in between.

While Maria was quiet and found it difficult being away from home, Tadd was the life of the party and usually the source of commotion on the 8th floor. Nevertheless, they were always friendly with each other.

After all, Marist is only so big…

Fast forward to sophomore year. There’s nothing in the world Maria loves more than a Friday night at Darby’s while Tadd has shifted his focus. He now has his sights set on Maria, but winning her over would be no easy task. Given his track record freshman year, Maria was weary and tried everything to avoid him.

But Tadd was persistent.

If Maria was “busy studying,” Tadd would meet her in the library. If Maria had to “grab a bite to eat before class,” Tadd would sit in the dining hall with her. Finally, Maria gave in and started willingly hanging out with Tadd. They were complete opposites but it seemed like each needed a little of the other in their lives.

One night while hanging out, Tadd decided he wanted a quesadilla but realized he forgot his student ID after they made the walk to the dining hall. Maria handed over her card and paid for his food. Little did she know, the true way to Tadd’s heart was through his stomach. On the walk back, Tadd finally mustered up the courage to ask Maria out.

But that’s another story for a later day…

After graduation, Tadd decided to stay in Poughkeepsie and work for IBM while Maria headed back to Long Island to start applying to PA school. Tadd soon realized he also wanted to pursue graduate school and headed to Penn State to start his PhD in civil engineering while Maria made her way back to Marist for PA school.

Long distance was not easy so Tadd and Maria had made a goal to visit all fifty states as a way to plan trips to see each other. A few years later, Tadd decided to propose to Maria while checking off Vermont from their list in December 2023.

Only 40 more states to go!