So after waiting for several years, my boyfriend recently popped the big question.  And it is amazing how people respond when you share the news of your engagement. Apparently the most popular questions that you will receive in your first 48 hours of being engaged are:

• How did he do it?
• Have you set a date?
• Have you found a dress?
• Are you pregnant? (You only here that question from the obnoxious friends/family members.)

Well, in the first 48 hours I, of course, had not yet found a venue and set a date, nor had I found a dress–and, if you are curious, I am not pregnant.  But I am excited to be in the wedding planning mode. Now that a few months have passed, our date and venue are set, but the dress is yet to be found. Although I haven’t had enough time during the busy application season to make it out to a lot of dress shops, I have been looking at websites of bridal shops and designers.

During my online browsing, I came across a designer, Amsale, whose face looked so familiar on her website. I couldn’t place it for nearly a week. Then I opened up the UMass Boston website one day and noticed her face staring back at me.  Amsale Aberra graduated from our political science department and found her way into the world of bridal gown design while she was planning her own wedding. While at UMass Boston, her friends encouraged her to pursue design after finishing her degree. And sure enough she is now a designer for the stars as well as her own personal line of wedding dresses.

Isn’t it amazing where our UMass Boston alumni family go in life?