Although Connie and the Bride were both members of AOII, the Bride first met Connie at the Health Care Management Student Association meeting during her Freshman year (before joining AOII). She admired her accomplishments as an upperclassman but was too afraid to speak to her. Flash forward to a few weeks after joining AOII, Connie took the Bride under her wing introducing her to friends in the Greek Community and serving as a mentor in her major (Healthcare Management). The Bride credits Connie for being her biggest cheerleader and driving force behind getting her Masters in Health Administrative and seeking an Administrative Fellowship that finally took her away from the South forever. The Bride and Connie speak on the phone/text on a daily basis, constantly being there for one another through thick and thin.
When the Groom had to push back their first date by an hour because of work, it was Connie who spoke to the Bride via FaceTime to convince her that the Groom was not trying to cancel and that this date could 'change her life'.
The Bride met Ramya in 2010 when they were both a part of BlazeRaas together. Ramya went on to serve on the Executive Board of the UAB Indian Cultural Association with the Bride(where she met her fiance Akshay!) Despite Ramya being a year younger, she has always been one of the Bride's wisest and most thoughtful friends. Although Ramya is extremely busy as an ophthalmology resident in Gainesville Florida, the Bride is thankful for their monthly catch-up sessions. With Ramya's wedding also occurring in 2022, the Bride is excited to not only have Ramya part of her big day but also be a part of Ramya (and Akshay!)'s big day as well.
Vinuta and the Bride met back in High School in 2007 at the Birmingham Temple Lock-In. They hit it off immediately and became good friends but it wasn’t till a few years later that they became closer after they both attended UAB. Vinuta actually brought the Bride onto the BlazeRaas’s Team at UAB, where she met Bridesmaid Ramya. Vinuta is a talented dancer being classically trained in bharatanatyam and served as the BlazeRaas team captain. If you ever saw the Bride perform at UAB, you probably saw Vinuta and Ramya dancing beside her. Vinuta is doing amazing things in her career as a Product Manager at Rad Sources Technologies in Atlanta, GA but the Bride is thankful that Vinuta can always make time for Video/Phone chats.
Helen is the Bride's best friend from UAB and AOII Pledge Sister. They met on the day they both joined AOII in 2009 and have remained friends ever since. Helen serves as her motivational coach by encouraging the bride to exceed her own expectations and always offering a perspective the bride may have not thought about. Helen is credited for helping the bride step out of her comfort zone and perform at the UAB Talent Show in 2012. The Bride stood by Helen's side almost 5 years ago at Helen's wedding and now she can not wait to have Helen join her own bridal party!
Varun is what happens when the Groom's parents want the perfect son, and don't give up after one try.
Some people make friends at college, and others make friends at summer camp. The Groom met Paul on the Stanford campus for an intense summer political workshop in 2006. It would be ten years before they'd meet again.
That handsome suit he's wearing is his default outfit for not only his job, but also the classroom. Yes, Paul wore a suit & tie to class from childhood through college. You wish you looked that good.
