Our Story

During her first week as a college student, Elly crossed paths with Rishi in an audio recording studio at the University of Michigan’s Duderstadt Center. She had come there to gain regular access to the studio through an orientation. Rishi, who worked for the university as an audio engineer, taught Elly everything he knew, and it was love at first sight.

Except it wasn’t…

It took many years of friendship for these two to get their acts together. Two years after they first met, Elly was hired in the same department, and the pair worked together for three years in close quarters. They spent one memorable summer building two world-class audio studios with a small team. Elly eventually left the audio staff to pursue a job in video recording, while Rishi ascended to a higher role in the audio department. Only after they stopped working in the same building did they realize they belonged together.

After a few glorious months of dating, Elly returned to the Duderstadt Center in a new role. She began working in a lab just fifty feet from the audio studios, and got to see Rishi walk past her door every day. In a work environment focused on emerging technologies, Elly and Rishi reinforced their love of learning, and they shared knowledge with each other daily. They haven’t been able to stop talking ever since.

Fast-forward to spring 2015, when love was in the air—and these two knew they would devote their lives to one another. On a brisk April day, Rishi took Elly to Ann Arbor to visit their favorite shops and restaurants. After they spent the afternoon visiting all of the places they used to frequent together, Rishi led Elly through Nichols Arboretum and proposed to her under the pavilion. She said yes, enthusiastically, before he could even finish asking her.

Among other activities, the couple currently records bands in the Ypsilanti area, and plays in one of their own. They feel lucky to live such a musical life. The best is yet to come…