Meet six young couples whose love story began with UCLA and continues to this day. Whether they met on campus or halfway across the world, they’re thankful for the UCLA experiences that they got to share.

James & Rosa

They’d been at the same school for four years, but it took flying halfway across the world for James Aboagye (Anthropology ’11) and Rosa Isela Magaña (International Development Studies and Art ’11) to meet. The summer before their fifth years, they studied abroad together in Ghana. As James recalls, “it was like a fairy tale” as he stood on the balcony of the hostel and saw Rosa for the first time. They made the most of their one full year at UCLA together, sharing Spring Sing, Dance Marathon, Jazz Reggae, Roll AIDS and graduation. James was an R.A. in Delta Terrace and Rosa supported the programs that he put on for his students. They were featured together in the Daily Bruin and shared their fifth-year experiences. Right now they’re both taking additional classes before applying to medical school (James) and veterinary school (Rosa). James works as an after-school program leader and Rosa is an office assistant in a nursing school. They love eating, trying new foods, experiencing new cultures, watching movies and meeting interesting people.

Rachel & Bardia

Maybe it was fate that brought these two together – or maybe it was the UCLA Housing Office. Rachel Winet (History ’09) and Bardia Moayedi (Philosophy ’09) were assigned as neighbors in Delta Terrace in 2007. Their favorite UCLA memories include taking more than one food item out of Covel Commons, Undie Run, Unicamp, football games, Rachel’s summer abroad in Paris with Teo Ruiz, Sunday hockey nights, working out in Wooden, running the perimeter, and late night Westwood strolls to establishments that, sadly, are no longer with us. Rachel is an English language and AVID teacher for middle schoolers, and Bardia is a third-year law student.

Amy & Shannon

Amy Franklin (Sociology ’12) and Shannon Flint (English ’13) saw each other for the first time in summer 2011 but never formally met until fall quarter rush. Amy founded the Gamma Rho Lambda sorority in 2009, and Shannon pledged during her first year as a transfer student. They started spending more time together through the sorority and began seeing each other during Amy’s senior year. After graduating, Amy moved back home to San Francisco, and the two had a long-distance relationship while Shannon finished her senior year. On Shannon’s 21st birthday, Amy told her she had to stay for work and would arrive Friday evening. She secretly took Friday off and flew down Thursday night, surprising Shannon at her birthday party. Amy gave her a promise ring, and Shannon returned the favor by giving her one on their second anniversary. Though they were nervous about having Shannon move to Nor Cal without a job lined up, they secured an apartment and she found a job within a month of moving. Amy works as a business manager for MassMutual Financial Group and Shannon is the office manager for Pecan Pie Productions, an advertising agency. In their spare time they love going to farmers’ markets in San Francisco, drinking tea, marathoning TV shows, and spending time with their rabbit, Horchata. Their favorite UCLA memories include exploring campus at night and enjoying light saber fights, birthday scavenger hunts, and long conversations with friends. Shannon also loved her term as President of the sorority senior year.

Tiffany & Conrad

Tiffany (Business Economics ’06) and Conrad Chan (Computer Science and Engineering ’06) have known each other since middle school summer camp, but did not start dating until their freshman year at UCLA. Tiffany now works as a Finance Manager at Electronic Arts and Conrad is a Software Engineer at Cisco. During their four years together at UCLA they enjoyed the glory years of Ben Howland, UCLA’s comeback over Gonzaga in the Sweet Sixteen, Spring Sing with Sara Bareilles ’03, theme dinners in the dorm, dormal and Diddy Riese trips. They enjoy hiking around the Bay Area, food adventures and have recently been learning about kid-friendly hangouts. They had their first child, Theodore, in 2012 and are dutifully indoctrinating him into the Bruin family.

Homaira & Ashraf

In 2006, Homaira Hosseini (Political Science ’09) was coordinating USAC’s Thinking Globally Acting Locally conference. A presenter failed to show up to his workshop and one of her friends scrambled to find someone to facilitate it. Ashraf El Naga (Electrical Engineering ’06) stepped in and saved the day. Homaira recalls his first words to her: “I like your color-coordinated schedule.” Both were involved with USAC, CPO, and SIAC, and they enjoyed discussing politics together on the steps of Kerckhoff, where they realized that they shared a passion for advocating for underrepresented communities. Ashraf graduated and went to medical school at UCSF. Homaira continued her USAC involvement and was elected UCLA Student Body President her senior year. After she graduated from UCLA, she became a Coro Fellow in San Francisco and attended Berkeley Law School. They reunited through a cohort of fellow UCLA transplants, and after a three-year hiatus realized that they still loved to talk about the same things. They are now married and living in NorCal, where Ashraf is an orthopedic surgeon resident and Homaira is a civil litigation attorney. They love traveling to exotic beach locations and have snorkeled in Kauai, Maui, Costa Rica and the Virgin Islands. They’re also extremely competitive and love playing sports and board games like Settlers of Catan.

A.J. & Victoria

A.J. Shalabi (Aerospace Engineering ’11, M.S. ’13) and Victoria Wang (English ’10) attribute the strength of their relationship to the great friendship that came before it. They met on the hill when they both worked on Courtside’s Residential Life team in 2007. As Vicky recalls, she first saw A.J. at a Sunset Village social and thought, “Hmm, he’s cute!” A few months later, they bonded through summer training. Of their great UCLA memories, Vicky notes, “it’s hard to pick just one!” While the adventurous couple enjoyed football games, musicals, and snowboarding, they note that some of their most cherished memories are of “the ordinary things,” like when A.J. would visit Vicky when she was on duty and couldn’t leave the dorms. They would get dinner and do homework together, which Vicky describes as “quiet, intimate and pretty darn awesome.” The hard work certainly paid off! A.J. currently works as a design engineer for ATK and Victoria is a consultant for the ADEPT Group, Inc. In their spare time, they enjoy spending time with their dog, Little Bear, and the dogs that they foster for a rescue organization. This Valentine’s Day will mark their fifth anniversary together.