By Emily

Ethan and I both grew up in North Bend, WA, went to the same middle and high school, and shared a lot of the same friends. We even had classes together—but we were never that close. After high school, we went our separate ways for college, me to the University of Washington and Ethan to Western Washington University. I studied Marine Biology, and he studied Environmental Science. 

It wasn’t until December 2020 when I felt like I actually met Ethan. We found ourselves together at Christmas party hosted by our mutual friend, Cecilia Dahl. That night, we stayed up for hours, talking and realizing how much we had in common. From that moment on, things just clicked.

For the next eight months, our relationship quickly grew, and by August 2021, we were off on a cross-country road trip to New York, where Ethan was starting his PhD at Cornell University. I stayed in Washington to finish my senior year of college, so we braved the long-distance life—and fortunately, it made us stronger.

After graduating, I made the big move to New York, and we took another huge step: Ethan bought his first house, and we moved in together! Life in New York was good, but while Ethan was pursuing his dreams as an ecologist, I had some of my own to chase.

Over the next three years, Ethan worked on completing his PhD, traveled to Ecuador and Peru many times, and even started his own nonprofit. Meanwhile, each Spring, I would head up to Alaska to work as a Fisheries Technician and return to New York in the Fall. 

2024 was my favorite year yet—I spent three months assisting Ethan with his research in the Ecuadorian Amazon, then we lived together in Cordova, Alaska for a few months in the summer. We've been extremely fortunate to share each others adventures.