Abhilash and Shristi
'Most university love stories begin in lecture theatres or libraries. Ours began on a staircase.'
'It was September 2019, during the Guild’s pizza night for freshers, when I first noticed Shristi standing on the stairs in Jarratt Hall. Her bright blue hair made her impossible to miss.
'We started as friends, navigating university life through late-night chats, walks across campus and an unofficial tour of Birmingham’s Wetherspoons.
'Then the world stopped. COVID-19 transformed the university experience into online lectures, empty corridors and uncertainty.
'In a time when everyone was forced apart, we experienced the opposite––sharing everyday routines and finding comfort in each other’s company. And somewhere along the way, friendship quietly became love.
'After graduating in 2020, we moved to the Netherlands, built our careers, bought our first home and adopted Leo, our extremely energetic cat. This December, we will get married.
'Sometimes the biggest moments begin with something as small as a shared staircase in Jarratt Hall.'
Abhilash Daph (MSc Advanced Engineering Management, 2020) and Shristi Mondal (MA Human Resource Management (CIPD), Human Resource Management, 2020)