UMich rising senior Reagan and recent graduate Josh were perfect strangers this time last year. Different majors, different areas of campus, different interests—the chance of crossing paths organically was slim to none.
Luckily, statistical probability has nothing on fated romance. (Ironic, given that an algorithm was the very thing that sparked their 8-month relationship).
Josh:
I don’t think we ever would have met if not for the survey. She was mostly on North Campus, I was mostly on Central. She was poli-sci, I’m pre-med. We were in very different circles.
Reagan:
I didn’t know what I was expecting. I hadn’t even heard of the Marriage Pact, because my first year on campus was a COVID year. My roommate was like, “Did you fill out the Marriage Pact?” and I was like, “The what?” It sounded fun, so I ended up doing it right before the deadline.
Initials dropped days later, and Josh and Reagan got right to work.
Reagan:
I got JB. I just started by looking through people I know, but it’s a big school, so it was difficult to say it could be anyone with confidence.
Josh:
She was disappointed it was a J name. I’m kidding.
But when I got the email, I saw RR. So I went on the list of school emails and searched up every R name I know to find anyone with an RR, but with no luck.
Once matches finally dropped, Josh and Reagan connected almost immediately.
Josh:
She tried to find me on Instagram, but I didn’t have anything in my bio.
Reagan:
He was a bit of a ghost on social media. I had his email, so I was planning on reaching out to him there, but he got to me on Instagram first.
Josh:
Within a couple hours, she sent a message back. Our first date was December 18, but we talked for a couple of weeks before that.
Reagan:
We went and got coffee at Sweetwaters.
Josh:
I had never really done a coffee date in Ann Arbor before, so I went out and scouted like five different coffee shops for her.
Following the holiday break, Josh and Reagan eagerly made plans for a second date in Ann Arbor. The pair continued to see each other over the next few weeks. Each moment spent in each other’s company was better than the last.
Josh:
I really like cooking. So for our third date, I wanted to make her something. And Reagan is amazing, but also kind of a picky eater. And she said her favorite food was buttered noodles. So I was like, “Alright! I’m gonna make you the best damn buttered noodles you’ve ever had.”
I followed this gourmet recipe and spent way too much money buying these ingredients. And they were really good. I still make them to this day. They’re one of my favorite meals now. I like to think that the fact I can make buttered noodles made her want to come back.
Reagan:
He has perfected that recipe to this day.
Josh:
It’s literally the only reason we’re together.
The pair finally made things official on January 30.
Josh:
We were hanging out and had played a bunch of Nintendo Switch games, and were just chatting in her bedroom. I really like doing this thing where I ask really goofy questions, like, “If you could eat only one food for the rest of your life, what would it be,” or “If you had to move somewhere right now where would you go.” Things like that to just keep the conversation going.
So I asked a few of those, and then I said, “I have one last question for you: do you wanna be my girlfriend?”
Perfect build-up, impeccable execution.
Despite their high-compatibility match, Josh and Reagan had few shared interests at the start of their relationship. Things didn’t stay that way for long. Their wholehearted investment in each other’s passions from the start was proof of the respect and admiration they hold for each other.
Josh:
I’d say we definitely have very different interests. That was something that defined the first couple weeks of us dating. I’m very much into “nerdy” video games and movies—as you can see from all my posters—while Reagan is really into sports and athletics.
So when we started talking, I was like, “Oh shit, I know nothing about football or anything like that.” But I really liked her, so I had to learn.
Reagan:
I played everything growing up. I even thought about golfing in college.
Josh:
She took me to a hockey game, and it was so much fun. And now I’m super into other sports like basketball just because of her.
Of course, a couple so compatible is bound to have some similarities from the get-go.
Josh:
We’re both older siblings and heavily lean into that. We are the “perfect” children in our family, and it’s funny that we both ended up that way. We talk a lot about how our younger siblings always get away with everything.
Reagan:
And although our academic paths aren’t exactly the same, he’s pre-med and I’m pre-law, which are both pretty difficult grad schools.
Josh:
Very much older sibling paths. We’re also both similar politically, which is great. No issues there. There was also a question about raising our kids religious, and I remember we both disagreed with that very strongly.
Reagan:
I also think kindness is a big thing for both of us. We both tend to care about others before ourselves.
That spring was Josh’s last semester on campus—and certainly one he’ll never forget.
Reagan:
Josh’s graduation that spring was a great moment for me. It was the first time I met his parents, and they were just as amazing as he is.
Josh:
That’s so sweet. Reagan spent the whole time with my parents. I just remember introducing you to my parents for the first time, and immediately being like, “Bye!” because I had to go get on stage.
While Josh had originally planned to move to New York after graduating, a change of plans landed him in a biology lab at UMich—conveniently just a half hour from Reagan’s hometown.
Reagan:
I think we definitely would have gotten through long distance.
Josh:
We could have made it work. But I’m glad we don’t have to.
After enduring a few weeks of COVID isolation, the couple had the chance to spend the last half of their summer together.
Josh:
We were planning to hang out more, but COVID kind of threw a wrench in things. I have gotten the chance to go stay with her family during a few long weekends, which has been really nice.
More than anything, Josh and Reagan say they complement each other wonderfully. Had Reagan waited those extra 5 minutes to take the survey, they never would have known it.
Reagan:
I’m the opposite of Josh in some ways. I’m very quiet, and he doesn’t take my silence as uncomfortable, which I really love and appreciate.
Josh:
Reagan is the best because she listens to me talk. And I talk all the time, I just spill words. But somehow she’s always listening.
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