David Paff graduated from Wake in 1986. I graduated in 1993.

We didn’t know each other during our time as undergrads at Wake Forest, but a mutual friend and fellow Deacon, Steve Holland (’90), introduced us in 2009 and our common experiences at Wake were an instant connection.

I left Winston Salem for New York in 1994 and returned to Winston Salem in 2008, with a lot more than a diploma as baggage. David grew up in Winston- Salem and never left. With freshly broken hearts we had to utilize our skills from our communication majors and be open to another chance at love.

Both of us have lifelong friendships from roommates at Wake. These are people from chapters in our lives that are part of our fabric that have made us who we are and have offered support, advice and laughter, and with whom time stands still. We see them at David’s 25th Homecoming, or a rare girls’ beach weekend, and we are laughing like we were in the Snack Pit.

This August, I will have added another four years to my time at Wake Forest, in a different capacity. I am working full-time in the Z. Smith Reynolds Library as the Service Desk Student Employee Manager, a job that allows me to interact with students of amazing intellect and use my own life experiences to provide mentoring and guidance for the inevitable challenges that lie ahead.

As to what the future holds for David and me? That chapter has yet to be finished. But I am cautiously optimistic about a happy ending.