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For many students, graduation is one of the most important days of their lives. For Abel Garcia, who recently graduated from Galen College of Nursing’s Salt Lake City campus, that statement holds true, but for a very different reason.

For the past two years, Garcia’s girlfriend, Rosalinda, has supported him throughout his nursing journey. Because of that, the decision to ask her to marry him after the graduation ceremony came naturally.

“I thought about what I would say throughout the entire day,” Garcia said. “When it came down to it, there was nothing really else that I could say except for what I said in the video: ‘I just want to spend forever with you.’”

The couple first met while Garcia was working part-time as a phlebotomist before enrolling in nursing school. Although he had seen Rosalinda several times, the two had never spoken, until one moment changed everything.

“I’m talking with my supervisor, and I’m like, ‘I don’t know, should I go to nursing school, should I not? I mean, Galen’s just about to open up. I’ve already applied for everything,’” Garcia said.

At that exact moment, Rosalinda walked into the room and overheard the conversation.

“She goes, ‘I think you’d be a great nurse. I think you should be a nurse.’ So, yeah, she was my number one fan through all of nursing school,” Garcia said.

Although Garcia ultimately proposed on graduation day, that wasn’t always the plan. As the ceremony approached, he was asked to give the commencement speech. During a conversation with Salt Lake City campus dean Tonya Condas, the idea of proposing during the event was mentioned.

“It was a thought, but it wasn’t something that I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m going to do that,’” Garcia said. “Then, as we got closer, about two days before graduation, I called the dean and said, ‘Hey, is that okay? Can we do that?’ And she agreed.”

Condas played an important role in helping organize the proposal, coordinating the moment and ensuring a photographer was ready to capture Garcia getting down on one knee.

“When it finally happened, the proposal, and after she said yes, I was like, wow, that’s a relief,” Garcia said. “I just had a lot going on, and those are two life-changing events in one day.”

Now engaged, the couple is not rushing into wedding planning just yet. Rosalinda is currently in nursing school herself, and Garcia is focused on supporting her the same way she supported him.

“She helped support me through nursing school, emotionally in every aspect, financially,” Garcia said. “So, yeah, I’m trying to give that back to her.”

In the meantime, Garcia will begin working as a Pediatric ICU (PICU) nurse and plans to return to Galen to pursue his bachelor’s degree.

Surrounded by the support that helped him succeed, Garcia took a meaningful step forward, not only in his career but in his relationship. As both he and Rosalinda continue their journeys in healthcare, their experiences and encouragement for one another will remain at the heart of what comes next.