I first noticed Neha during our 2nd year of medical school. Funny story... she was actually sitting right next to me during our white coat ceremony a year earlier! We did not interact much initially, but I respected her (aka thought she was cute). It was not until the summer of 2019, when this fiery beauty caught my attention on Instagram. She was interning at the World Health Organization and traveling across Europe. Two things I am passionate about are public health and travel. A perfect coincidence I thought. I was like, okay, we have similar interests and we could be closer friends during the next academic year. A few weeks later, we had a student organization fair and I saw Neha tabling for the nutrition club. I used this as an opportunity to kickstart our friendship.

Fast forward to a few days later, our class was going out that night and I saw Neha again. But this time I was struck by how beautiful she looked (solid 10/10). I remember her wearing a silky lavender top, and at that moment, I was like screw it, I am going to ask her out. I did not want to be just her friend. Later that night, I walked up to her and said “I think you are beautiful, do you want to go out sometime?" Keep in mind this was a crowded area and it was loud. For a second I thought she didn’t hear what I asked her. A few moments later, she hesitated, a little surprised, and said yes. At that point in time, I did not know where this would go, but here we are 5 years later and I get to call this amazing human my wife!

Together, we survived medical school, the pandemic, and long-distance which entailed many FaceTime calls. Times were tough, but Neha and I got through it together. We will still be long-distance when we get married. But I am looking forward to the day when we share one space and create our home together.

I first met Ashish on August 6, 2018. It was our long-awaited White Coat Ceremony before starting med school. If you know me, you know small talk isn’t necessarily my strongest suit, but nonetheless, I gave it a try. We had pre-assigned seating. Ashish and I were seated next to each other. I left the event learning he was from NJ and went to school in Pittsburgh. That was as far as my small talk skills took me.

I spent the summer of 2019 in Switzerland doing an internship at the WHO. In the day and age of social media, this news got to Ashish, who has a keen interest in travel and public health. As we started our second year, as would any other people our age, we met at the club. But our version... the club fair in our med school lobby. I was at a table promoting my interest group, and there came Ashish with the perfect conversation hook. And so we have the start of our relationship.

Then came the pandemic in 2020. Zoom and FaceTime became our new norm as we learned to celebrate milestones over a screen. Ashish spent an extra year to complete an MPH. I graduated in 2022 and moved to Memphis, TN for residency. One year later Ashish graduated and moved to NY for residency. Despite this, we remained committed to each other.

The time had come when I started dropping “subtle” hints regarding our future. Again, if you know me, you know my version of subtlety. Nothing screams “propose already” like a wedding venue contract.

On February 10, 2024, Ashish proposed to me in NY. He had it planned to a tee. Some said “wow he knows you so well”, I like to think of it more as “he’s great at following directions”. Semantics, right? In all seriousness, the proposal was perfect, and more than I could have asked for. Fast forward a few months, and we are so excited to celebrate our wedding with all of you!