Jacob and I met on our first day at the University of Alabama. After one conversation, I exclaimed, "talking to you is like looking in a mirror!" and we became best friends. We were inseparable, traveling the short hallway from his dorm room to mine every day to share dinner and conversation. After three years of spending nearly every day together, I finally told him that I was in love with him. Jacob beamed, he asked me to be his girlfriend, and we have been together happily ever since!

Jacob and I first connected through our mutual love of stuffed animals. Jacob always learns each of their names (not an easy feat, when I have almost 30). My most treasured stuffed animal is named New Cat, which I creatively named at two years old. One night, I cried while holding New Cat, realizing that she felt much smaller in my arms than she did when I was a toddler. For Valentine's Day, ever-thoughtful Jacob gave me a 30" stuffed cat with a note that read "a New Cat as big as you remember."

This August, we will be moving to a new city we can call home. I am starting my journey towards my Ph.D. in chemistry, and he will be entering law school, both at the University of Pittsburgh. We've picked out our dream apartment, and $20,000 will turn it from a blank canvas into a bountiful garden where we can grow together and in our love for each other. After we furnish and decorate our home, we would use the rest of the award for our dream wedding to celebrate with our friends and family.