About Ryan & Sophia
Ryan was born in Colorado, and Sophia was born in Hawaii. Both of their families moved to Castle Rock when they were in elementary school and lived there for the remainder of their childhoods. As kids, Ryan wanted to be an Astronaut and Sophia wanted to be a Lawyer or a Horse Brusher (despite knowing nothing about Horses).
After Ryan’s junior year of High School, he made the big decision to study abroad in Switzerland for a year. Following a thrilling adventure abroad, he returned to Castle View High School as a Super Senior.
During his fifth year, Ryan took AP Chemistry, a class Sophia was taking the same time as a Junior. Sophia and her lab partner would always race against Ryan and his partner to finish first (Ryan was unaware that he was part of a competition). She found herself without a prom date at the end of the year, and a mutual teacher of theirs, Ms. Nichols, wrote Ryan urging him to ask Sophia.
The two had a fantastic time at prom and quickly hit it off. They started dating shortly after and have fallen more and more in love ever since.
Ryan started college at Colorado State University months later, marking the beginning of nearly five years of long distance. While there, he earned a B.S. in Mathematics and a B.S. in Computer Science. Sophia moved to California a year later to begin her studies at Stanford University. She graduated with a B.S. in Physics and M.A. in Public Policy. Both of them worked throughout college, amassing seven internships, seven jobs, and numerous volunteer roles.
Following his graduation, Ryan took a job in Seattle to work for SpaceX as a Software Engineer. At the same time, Sophia started an internship with SpaceX in LA. She earned a return offer in her dream role doing International Policy, and the two could finally make plans to live together upon her graduation.
Now, Ryan and Sophia live in Long Beach, CA. Ryan proposed in one of their favorite places in Los Angeles. They’re huge foodies and like to cook and experience all sorts of dining adventures. They also love cars, lounging by the pool, going to concerts, pickle ball, surfing, and diet coke.
Six Years of Gingerbread Houses….
Every year during the holidays, Ryan and Sophia construct a do-it-yourself gingerbread house made of treats from the grocery store. This is one of our most cherished traditions.
