Emmalene and Rob - University of Birmingham

'Despite being on the same course, our paths finally crossed at a house party in January 2015.'

A newly married couple hold hands outside a church

'After a few “just friends” denials, we admitted we were more by April, just in time to hunker down for first-year exams (which featured countless walks between iQ Student Accommodation and Tennis Court).

'Many inseparable hours of study later, graduation arrived, but our Birmingham journey continued as we balanced diverging career paths. Rob 'sold his soul' to academia for a PhD, while I (Emmalene) dove into industry as a Technical Business Analyst.

'Three years ago, we embraced a bold new adventure by moving to Hamburg, quickly followed by the even bolder adventure of parenthood. While navigating the happy chaos of expat life with our bouncing two-year-old, campus nostalgia still calls. On visits back to the UK, we can't help but add an extra Brum stop to wander through campus and catch up with the lifelong friends we made during the amazing nine years at the heart of our relationship.

'This past April, after 11 years together, we finally tied the knot in South Wales. Naturally, we served curry bowls for our evening buffet – a small tribute to the city where our story began.'

Emmalene Ward (MSc Physics, 2018) and Rob Ward (MSc Physics, 2018)