In high school it is not expected that the person you are with is going to be the person you’ll be with forever. The likelihood of being married to that person is low since according to Huffington Post only 2% of new marriages in North America are considered high school sweethearts. Though it is rare, in some instances  people know that the person they are with is not just another “high school crush.” This was the situation for , Keilah Angueria who got engaged during her senior year at the age of 18. As of July 2017, she tied the knot.

Andrew was Angueria’s high school crush for a total of three years and during those years he did not know who she was. Little did he know she would be his future wife. Thanks to a mutual friend of theirs, Andrew asked her to prom when they were 17, leading to the start of them dating.

“It was like a dream come true. Honestly sometimes I can’t even believe we’re actually married and I get to spend my life with the boy I had a crush on in high school,” Angueria said.  

Before the two got married, Andrew had been training for his career in the Air Force. This caused them to be forced to spend a year apart, making communication more difficult. The two worked through it, eventually strengthening their relationship. Andrew being away for so long also allowed for Angueria to get closer to his family.

“[Andrew being away at his training] was really hard but we sent each other letters and FaceTimed as much as we could. We planned visits so that I could go up and see him and although it was difficult it was such a great thing for our relationship,” Angueria said. “We learned to strengthen our friendship and communication, two key parts of a relationship, and I got to get closer to his family. They were missing him just as much as I was and it was great for us to grow together like that.”

An engagement at such a young age is bound to face negative responses. There are many negative stigmas and myths attached to it, such as the couple marrying out of wedlock.

“We got a lot of negativity for getting married/engaged so early. But we knew early on in our relationship that we were brought together for a reason, a lot stronger than just ‘puppy love’,” Anguira said. “People told me I was making the biggest mistake of my life, or asked me if I was pregnant because that’s the only reason a woman so young would get married. Our parents were happy for us, and that’s all that mattered in our opinion. We’ll be married for one year this July and it was honestly the best decision I’ve ever made in my life.”