It was Dahye’s first day on Hinge, the wildly popular online dating app that many of her friends had used—with varying degrees of success. May and Sarenka, Dahye’s two best friends, had a mission: With or without Dahye, they were going to develop her Hinge profile based on their half-decade friendship. Sarenka had already created an entire album of photos to choose from, while May brainstormed how to most accurately portray Dahye and which prompts to answer.

Having stumbled across Matthew’s profile on her very first day on Hinge, Dahye perused his photos and prompts, immediately noticing a particular goal that had her hooked: “To grow closer to God. To work on an intellectually engaging and important project.”

Matthew had spent over two years searching for that special someone without success. When Matthew received Dahye’s ‘like,’ he recognized that, for the first time, he matched with a remarkably like-minded person. Dahye and Matthew knew their respective non-negotiables for a long-term, serious commitment and connection. Lo and behold, they matched perfectly: both were intent on finding progressive, liberal individuals who were also very serious about their Christian faiths.

Both Matthew and Dahye are deeply connected to their cultural heritage and families. While Matthew was born and raised in Philadelphia, his parents are both from Portugal. Currently pursuing his PhD in Philosophy at Johns Hopkins University, Matthew is a lifelong academic and avid learner. At the University of Chicago, he studied Philosophy, Math, and Economics.

Dahye spent most of her formative years in South Korea. Like Matthew, she is deeply empathetic. As Director of Product Design at Scene Health, a digital health tech startup, Dahye works to serve the most vulnerable, at-risk populations. Beyond her professional accomplishments, Dahye’s friends consider her to be a ‘semi-professional’ artist, often working to perfect her pottery pieces.

During the first month of their acquaintance, Matthew and Dahye connected solely online as Matthew was visiting family in Portugal for the summer. Yet they quickly shared and connected over issues that would normally take most couples years to cover, discussing topics ranging from faith and philosophy to art and music.It was quickly apparent that their ethics, values, and goals were in complete alignment. In short, they were made for each other! Dahye knew that she had met someone warm, intelligent, and nerdy in the perfect amount—someone who reminded her of her father in his intellect, passion for social justice, and broad foundation of knowledge.

The couple loves to unwind, watch their favorite television shows, and passionately debate philosophical concepts. Matthew once crafted a diagram with logical connectives titled “Proof that Dahye Must Be Lovely” (see image below); this demonstration perfectly modeled Matthew’s quiet, wise soul—yet one that never shies away from showing deep, enduring love. Even Matthew’s veganism, which initially gave Dahye some pause, has grown on her. Most endearing, perhaps, are the endlessly silly and constant tickle fights (most frequently involving Dahye surprise ‘attacking’ Matthew). Their love, joy, and laughter are infectious, and their goofiness can be heard from a mile away.

Together, Dahye and Matthew have chosen the surname “Yoo-Morgado” as a nod to their respective families’ histories, and as evidence of their commitment to equality and mutual respect.

Written by one of the couple’s closest friends, Sarenka Smith