We met in the fall of 2018 on our first day as architecture students at Columbia University’s Graduate School for Architecture, Planning, and Preservation. Assigned seats at the same long studio desk, Alek made sure he was sitting directly across from Nelson for the first semester. Long nights spent working on our respective projects fostered a close and special bond.

We had our first date in Bryant Park, ice skating on a quiet night after the holiday crowds had subsided and before the start of the second semester. Four years later (to the day!) Nelson proposed next to the Bow Bridge in Central Park.