Sheku and Anna met at Denison University’s pre-orientation for students coming from abroad in Granville, Ohio. Sheku was coming from India, and Anna was coming from China. They did not talk much early on at Denison, but later became friends during a biology class at the end of their junior year. During senior year, Sheku and Anna had another biology class together and Sheku decided that he wanted Anna to be his lab partner. Sheku brought the fun to those afternoon labs, and Anna kept them on track.

Anna's favorite study spot at Denison University was a table on the 5th floor of the biology building. This was coincidentally right outside of Sheku’s research lab. While Anna was studying, Sheku would frequently come out from his lab to show her the salamanders he was working with, scare her with fake bugs and snakes, or show her his favorite music. Sufficient to say, little studying was done.

At one point during senior year after they had started to hang out outside of class, Sheku asked Anna if she had ever been to Royal Thai, which Anna knew was his favorite restaurant nearby. Anna told him that she had not been to Royal Thai yet, thinking that he was going to ask her on a date there. Instead, Sheku said, “You should go sometime!” But not to worry, Sheku did ask Anna out on a first date to Royal Thai a few weeks later.

They started dating at the end of senior year, and after “graduation” (during covid quarantine) they moved to Columbus, Ohio. Anna was starting medical school at the Ohio State University and Sheku had gotten a job at Denison University in the biology department. Sheku worked there for two years and then started a master’s program at the OSU in public health specializing in epidemiology. The timing worked out perfectly and they graduated from their programs at the OSU at the same time in May 2024.

A few weeks after graduation during a trip to visit Sheku’s sister and sister’s fiancé in Seattle, Sheku proposed to Anna at Golden Gardens Park, which Sheku’s sister and sister's fiancé helped plan and execute.

Sheku and Anna moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, in June 2024. Anna started her Emergency Medicine residency program at Indiana University, and Sheku got a job at the Indiana Department of Health working as an epidemiologist.

Throughout their five years together so far, some of their favorite memories have been going on trips with each other's families to places like Arkansas, Seattle, North Carolina, Nevada, and Hawaii. Things that they enjoy doing together include playing Call of Duty Zombies, playing basketball, going mini golfing (Sheku 20: Anna 1, but Anna is not giving up), going to church and their church small group, and exploring the local food scenes. Things that they are excited for include moving into their first house together, getting a dog, and eventually making trips to visit India and China together and show each other the places that had such big impacts on them growing up.

We are so excited to be getting married in Indianapolis on April 19, 2025, and you’re invited!! We can’t wait to celebrate and spend time together with some of our favorite people in the whole world!