Who said romance is dead? 

Definitely not Hersh Shah when he got down on one knee to propose to Avani Patel in the Court of North Carolina. Unknown to the couple, a fellow student had snapped a picture of the engagement and shared it online in the Wolfpack Students Facebook group where it was met with very enthusiastic support.

Shah and Patel, who had been dating for five years, met at NC State and said the university had always held a special place in their hearts.

“It’s basically home,” Shah said, “and has always been a constant throughout our relationship.”

According to Shah, when it came time to take the next step into engagement, the location that came to Shah’s mind was NC State. Patel was sent on a scavenger hunt throughout meaningful locations on campus from their past. After visiting numerous spots, including where they first met and first began dating, Patel was led to Shah in the Court of North Carolina.

“I had no idea he was planning this” said Patel.

Shah, who had been coordinating the day for more than a month had kept his plans under wraps. While nervous about the logistics of the plan, Hersh wanted the event to be a special one for his fiancee.

“I wanted the engagement to be memorable for us,” Hersh said.

The engagement was not only memorable for the couple, but also fellow student, Taylor Paige Ledbetter, a freshman in biochemistry, who quickly pulled out her iPhone to capture the moment. Ledbetter did not know Patel or Hersh, but was walking by when she saw the moment unfolding before her.

“I know I would want someone to take a photo of my engagement,” Ledbetter said.

Soon after, Ledbetter uploaded her photo to the Facebook group Wolfpack Students to see if she could get it to the couple. Hersh and Patel did find the photo, along with another several hundred students. 

“I had just wanted to get the pictures to the couple so they could have some more shots,” Ledbetter said.

No one could have predicted the traction that the post received online. The photo has now received over 1,200 likes from the NC State community, as well as numerous commenters wishing the couple luck. Among the hundreds of students to see the photo was Patel’s sister, Anjali Patel, also a student at NC State, who saw the post moments before her sister called her to share the news. The couple was then told of the post by Patel’s sister.

“We’re so thankful for the outpouring of love we got from the Wolfpack community,” Patel said.

The couple said they are very happy about the post because it allowed members of the community to share their thoughts and wishes, making their connection to NC State even greater and more memorable.

Hersh and Patel hope to take the next step of marriage sometime next fall. They are considering NC State as a possible wedding location.