I met Julius in March of my junior year at Towson University. I had recently stepped into the role of "Social Chair" for my sorority—basically, I was the mastermind behind all our parties. The first event I organized was a social at one of the local bars, and I invited all my sisters to bring their dates and swing by my apartment before we headed out.

Amid the chaos of blasting music and people laughing, I caught a glimpse of Julius in my apartment. It was a quick glance, but I thought, "Huh, that’s a cute random guy in my apartment." And then, naturally, I went back to managing the madness. When we moved the party to the bar, I spotted him again. A bit of quick sleuthing confirmed that he was my sorority sister’s date... and just a friend. With that intel in hand, I made my move.

The rest, as they say, is history. We ended the night with Taco Bell (a classic), and Julius must've really liked me because, even after accidentally leaving our Taco Bell feast under the seat of his car, he still stuck around.

From that point on, we’ve been a team. While Julius pursued his master’s in occupational therapy, I took a few detours on my career path. Throughout it all, Julius has been my unwavering support—always patient as I found my way.

As we built our lives together, we became part of each other’s families, with annual 4th of July trips to Newport, Rhode Island, and countless home-cooked meals at the Rosales household in St. Mary's County.

Then, during our 2023 4th of July trip to Newport, Julius proposed at the Castle Hill Lighthouse—the very spot where my father proposed to my mother decades ago. It was a beautiful full-circle moment, and I’m so excited to continue this journey with him, as we now embark on the next chapter: marriage.