How did your love story begin?

We circled each other for a year, both too nervous to make a move, the kind of crush our friends were sick of hearing about. We finally got the courage to exchange numbers, and our first "not-officially-a-date" led to constant excuses to see each other. A month later, Colin had a serious accident and Tessa was facing a dramatic career pivot. We'd both built our lives around going it alone. Instead, for the first time, we chose to rely on each other, and found a love neither imagined possible.

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

Colin's had many surgeries, and always warns how angrily he wakes up post-op. The first one I was present for, I braced for an irate version of the man I love. Instead, the moment he saw me, he broke into a massive grin, tears streaming, gabbing about how much I mean to him. It wasn't a fluke: we've changed each other's defaults from fear and anger to joy, even with every filter gone. The memory is fuzzy for him, but it meant the world to us both, a showcase of the safety and love we’ve built.

What would you do with $20,000?

We'd spend 3 months driving across the U.S., combining Colin's storytelling and Tessa’s love of community to interview those who choose courage and optimism on purpose, many already in our worlds, others we'll meet along the way. Founders building what doesn't exist yet, local business owners investing in their communities, youth advocates building better futures. We know what it takes to bet on hope, and want to weave our worlds together and showcase how a better world is already being built.