Melissa Carolyn Simmelink
Originally from Avon Lake, Ohio, Melissa is at the beginning of her second year in Austin, Texas, and has found a fast fit in her new home and a solid place in the vibrant city scene. Melissa teaches English IV and AP English IV at Vandegrift High School, and serves as advisor to the VHS Student Council. Melissa recently completed a Masters in Leadership and Administration for Education, and graduated from The College of Wooster, in Wooster, Ohio, in 2007 with a Bachelor of the Arts in English.
Melissa loves practicing Bikram and Vinyasa yoga at several studios around Austin, can often be found shopping anywhere between South Congress and Neiman Marcus, and of course, lives for authentic Tex-Mex dinner dates at Matt's El Rancho and nights out with friends and her amazing fiance.
Aaron Michael Chockla
Aaron is currently in completion of his phD in Chemical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin with a concentration in renewable energy. The esteemed program at UT was a natural choice for his masters and doctoral work after graduating from the University of Delaware in 2007 with a major in Chemical Engineering and minors in Biochemical Engineering and Mathematics.
When not in lab, Aaron is typically at the rink refereeing everything from men's league to semi-pro hockey or playing a pick up game himself. Putting on skates for the first time at four years old and playing competitively ever since, hockey shines as a pure passion for Aaron. Off the ice, Aaron pursues an interest in business, and enjoys working out and finding outdoor adventure in Austin. He always makes time for creative dates in and out with Melissa, with standard favorites being out for sushi, downtown to 6th Street, or weeknight dinners at Whole Foods.
How we met
On a brisk fall evening ten years ago in Culver, Indiana, Aaron confidently asked if he could walk Melissa back to her dorm from The Huffington Library after study hours. With simple smiles, something amazing began, though not without holes along the way.
"Oh my gosh, are you ok?" Aaron exclaimed as Melissa fell into an irrigation hole on the front lawn as the two headed towards the dorms. With bursts of laughter, the oldest memory the couple has together was created.
Though friends throughout Culver, and closer friends in college, holes and gaps in time, visits and contact were common to the two. It wasn't until Melissa finally visited Austin in the summer of 2009 that the timing was right, and Aaron refused to waste anymore of it, booking a visit to Cleveland the day he dropped Melissa off at the airport. In a whirlwind romance, the two enjoyed holidays, vacations, family events, and lots of laughter and advenutre together, realizing that the stars were truly aligned and that they were absolutely meant to be together.