How We Met

“You look short – are you interested in driving a buggy?”

We were both in Kiltie Band at Carnegie Mellon University, Rachel’s freshman year and Brandon’s junior year. Rachel was continuing on from her high school band experience playing mellophone (the marching band substitute for French horn), and Brandon had picked up percussion since joining band in college and played cymbals.

Brandon had been eyeing Rachel from the back of the rehearsal room, initially for a specific feature: her height. Brandon was also a member of CIA Buggy, a team participating in an event unique to CMU, the buggy races. Motorless carbon fiber vehicles built by CMU students, raced in a mix between a relay race and a soapbox derby, and driven by CMU students whose stature enabled them to fit inside the buggy, lying prone and steering around the race course located behind CMU campus in Schenley park. CIA Buggy was recruiting drivers, and Rachel seemed like a good candidate as a 5’3” freshman girl. Once it was confirmed that she could fit into a couple of CIA’s buggies, Rachel and Brandon were both buggy teammates and Kiltie band mates, and it wasn’t long before we started dating.

Many dates exploring the neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, several Kiltie band games, Tartan Wind Ensemble concerts, buggy rolls practices, a Philly Missions trip, two Racedays, and exactly one psychology class together later, Rachel and Brandon were still going strong, grateful for all the CMU experiences that brought us together.