Our Love Story

Kara and Aaron have modern technology and a series of coincidences to thank for their initial meeting. We do not control how the stars align, but Kara and Aaron are thankful that the One who does found favor in pairing them together.

How Kara & Aaron Met

Kara and Aaron both chose to attend the University of the Incarnate Word and their good grades provided each of them an invitation to join the Honor Society, Alpha Lambda Delta.

Aaron chose to not attend his Alpha Lambda Delta induction ceremony in early 2010, opting instead to attend a trip to Enchanted Rock with TRiO, a student success service funded by the Federal Government for first-generation college students. By missing his induction ceremony, Aaron missed receiving his certificate. For many years Aaron regretted not obtaining his certificate but made no effort to participate in the organization or obtain his certificate of membership.

Years later, in 2014, Kara became President of Alpha Lambda Delta. Her mission was to increase student engagement, as many members were inactive. She began sending emails to inactive members inviting them to participate in a pizza social. Two of these emails were delivered to Aaron’s Cardinal Mail account, an email account issued to active students.

After graduating, Aaron struggled with the decision not to pursue his Master’s Degree. Aaron eventually applied and was accepted to UIW’s Master’s Program, however, did not attend. His Cardinal Mail account remained active, allowing him to receive Kara’s emails.

Aaron maintains hundreds of online accounts with a Password Manager called 1Password. On September 27, 2014, Aaron checked his Cardinal Mail account to update his password to keep all of his accounts current. This is when Aaron saw Kara’s second email from five days earlier.

Hello everyone!

Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society will be hosting a pizza social this Wednesday from 7 pm til 10 pm in Marian Ballroom, where we’ll be showing one of the following movies: Life of Pi, Divergent, or Hunger Games followed by a brief discussion of upcoming community service events and initiation ceremony. We hope to see you all there! Please email us back so we can get a headcount on how much food to buy.

Kara Acosta, President Alpha Lambda Delta (OrgSync email 9/22/2014 4:32 pm)

Aaron remembered that he had never received his Alpha Lambda Delta certificate and saw the opportunity to finally get it. While Aaron had paid his dues, he never received any benefit from the organization while he attended college.

Kara and Aaron were active members of a student organization social network called OrgSync. Both updated their profiles with profile pictures. Aaron seeing Kara’s profile photo, attempted to find her on Facebook, figuring that Facebook chat is a more efficient to communicate than email.

Hi Kara! I graduated in May 2013 from UIW… I was going through my cardinal mail, hadn’t checked in awhile and saw your emails about Alpha Lambda Delta events. Thought I’d add you and become friends!

Aaron Garcia (Facebook 9/27/2014 6:43 pm)

Aaron’s desire to search for Kara on Facebook and for Kara to accept Aaron’s Facebook request did stem from a mutual attraction to each other’s profile photos.

We would not be here today if Aaron had chosen to attend his induction ceremony in 2010. Had Kara not uploaded her profile picture to OrgSync, we would not be here today. If Aaron had not used 1Password to organize his online accounts, he might not have checked his email and seen Kara’s messages. Had Alpha Lambda Delta been a more active student organization, Kara’s motivation to send email blasts to members may not have existed.

Aaron went on to “like” several of Kara’s profile photos on Facebook, which let Kara know they had a mutual attraction. Phone numbers were exchanged, text messages were sent, and a first meeting was arranged at W.D. Deli.

After a few more dates, Aaron asked Kara to be his girlfriend on October 16, 2014.

Dating Life

Kara and Aaron have dated for over half a decade. During this time, they have remained stable in their relationship and have experienced several significant milestones, including graduation, career advancements, and the passing of their grandparents.

The Proposal

Aaron and Kara dated for 5 years and 3 months before he proposed to her on UIW’s campus at the Headwaters Sanctuary on January 26, 2020. Aaron had intended to propose after 2 years of dating. Still, he wanted Kara to finish her education distraction-free and wanted to become financially stable after a year’s layoff so that their newly-wed days would be more blissful.

Kara and Aaron had to wait many years for each other, but come Valentine’s Day 2021, and they will finally be together forever.