THE COUPLE
After a full day moving into their freshman dorm Roble Hall, Xavier knocked on his neighbor Elisa's door to introduce himself. He made quick friends with Elisa on that first day of college, especially when she was the only one in their hall who joined in on his puns. It did not take long for them to become close, finishing chemistry problem sets and dining-hall chicken tenders into the wee hours. Xavier was more likely to fall asleep on Elisa's sofa than to make the trek one room over.
The two leaned on each other as sophomores, whether as lead-and-follow in swing dance class, as study-buddies surviving challenging classes, or as Xavier accompanied Elisa to events (usually involving karaoke) with her close-knit Pilipino student community. As they shared more and more activities together, friends would ask: "So, what's really going on with you two?" Xavier and Elisa would maintain that they were just best friends until a heart-to-heart talk on June 10th, 2007. They've been best friends and committed partners ever since.
After college, both Xavier and Elisa entered the healthcare field and have supported each other throughout medical school. With Elisa studying in Portland and Xavier in Los Angeles, a big part of their experience has been regular visits up and down the west coast when school schedules have allowed.
For Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend 2017, Xavier traveled to visit Elisa, seemingly as part of a normal weekend trip together. But a few tight-lipped conspirators had been keeping a big secret for months, and a special jewelry box had been shipped to Elisa's friend Florence in Portland.
All might have gone smoothly had Portland not been struck by an uncharacteristically severe snowstorm! With the city's roads and transit at a standstill, Xavier spent all weekend planning romantic outings while nervously wondering how he could meet with Florence to collect the engagement ring. By Monday the roads had cleared enough to allow an undercover exchange in a taco truck parking lot, just in time for the last few hours of Xavier's visit!
Elisa might have suspected something was afoot had Xavier not distracted her with the suggestion to make snow angels. With only a snowperson as witness, Xavier began to bend down on one knee... and just when Elisa thought he was about to start a snowball fight, he asked if she would marry him and spend their lives together.
And thus, Xavier and Elisa started the countdown to Spring 2018. It will be a busy season - in March they found out that they will be pursuing their residency training together in Los Angeles, in June they will graduate with their medical degrees in hand, and they will finally build a home together as they live #XavEliEverAfter!