Connect How did your love story begin?

We met in middle school and became best friends at 12. However, we lost touch after I moved to Grand Prairie. Fast forward to my senior year, I had just gone through a breakup, and my aunt had been diagnosed with cancer. I was posting a lot, and he reached out. We started talking again, and I asked if he wanted to visit her with me. We stayed close the whole time and ended the night holding hands, eating Jack in the Box, and bonding over anime. We've been together for almost five years now.

What is your favorite memory you've shared as a couple?

Our trip to South Padre in July 2024 is my favorite memory. We saved for three to four months and worked together to gather $3,000. It was our first time traveling somewhere new. We ate nothing but fish the entire trip and it was delicious! We went snorkeling, parasailing, and dolphin watching. We even booked a shady hotel last minute to stay an extra day and almost got stuck in an elevator. I also taught Alan how to swim! We wouldn’t have been able to share that if we didn’t work hard for it.

What would you do with $20,000?

The $20,000 would go toward our financial goals. We want to own a home, invest in retirement, and build our emergency fund. Though we’re in our early 20s, we value creating a stable future. Coming from low-income families, we’ve witnessed struggles firsthand. We were never poor in love, but financially things were hard. This opportunity could help us break the cycle and build something better for our future.