Dylan Baddour was working on a story pitch in the Reporting Texas student newsroom, a digital media news outlet featuring the work of Moody College journalism students, when a young woman with several face piercings walked over to ask him a question.

Pu Ying Huang was a dedicated student photojournalist looking for stories that would lend themselves to great photo opportunities. Dylans’s pitch about a shrimp captain struggling to get by during a drought piqued her interest.

Soon, the almost total strangers were driving three hours from Austin to Matagorda Bay to spend a day on a shrimp boat. Little did Dylan and Pu know this first assignment would lead to getting married in 2020.

“It’d be the first of many projects we’d collaborate on together,” Pu said. “I could feel that we both had a deep curiosity about the world that made us want to go to unfamiliar places and meet new people.”

During their time at UT, Dylan studied journalism and Latin American studies, and Pu studied anthropology. Though Pu was not a Moody College student, she took several classes at the college and served as managing editor of The Daily Texan.

While Dylan got better grades in the classroom, Pu focused on the practical experience she could gain from working at the student newspaper and on other projects. Dylan said Pu’s ambition and encouragement pushed him further in his career.

“She inspired me to get my first internships and actually try to become a journalist,” he said.

Now, Dylan and Pu both excel in their fields. She serves as the director of photography at The Texas Tribune, and he covers energy and the environment in Texas for Inside Climate News. Balancing the demanding work of a journalist with their relationship can be difficult, but Pu said they both largely work from home, which allows them to make time for cooking and watching movies together when they can.

“It’s hard. Dylan often travels for his reporting trips, and management carries a different set of challenges requiring my attention beyond traditional work hours,” Pu said. “The great thing about both being in journalism is we understand the nuances of each other’s job. Sometimes, I even go on his reporting trips — staying in town while he is out reporting — and we program an extra day to explore the area on our own.”

They have made it a goal despite their busy schedules to still eat dinner together every night. The conversation never runs dry at the dinner table.

“There’s nothing we don’t talk about,” Dylan said. “Since the day we met and started talking the conversation felt fresh at every moment up to now. Working in journalism leaves us both with lots of thoughts to discuss at the end of the day.”

Over the years, Pu and Dylan have gained deeper admiration for each other. He admires the way Pu can be a great influence in every kind of situation. She cherishes Dylan’s sense of curiosity and adventure as well as his desire to live life to the fullest.

“He lives life as if he was responsible for writing a book that is worth reading,” Pu said.

Putting the time in and working hard, Dylan said, are essential to building a career and creating a strong foundation for any relationship. Pu said learning to live with change and reflecting on who you are and what motivates you creates a balance in both your work life and partnerships.

“Through setbacks and failures, there is always the opportunity to gain wisdom,” Pu said. “What matters is that you can pick up the pieces and push forward with new knowledge.”

Moody alumni Cami and Christopher Yates have Starbucks to thank for their love story. The old location of the popular coffee chain in Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium brought them together, and they have been inseparable ever since.

“We worked together there for the first year or so of our relationship,” Christopher said. “We enjoyed being around each other so much that we applied and worked together at multiple jobs while at UT.”

Although Cami and Christopher’s relationship took shape at that Starbucks, it wasn’t how it started. They initially met in an Introduction to Religion class and shared multiple classes while at UT.

“The perks to dating and being in the same classes is that we can study together,” Cami said.

Cami changed her major from neuroscience to journalism at Christopher’s encouragement. She now works as the communications coordinator for the College of Fine Arts. Christopher majored in radio-television-film and does a range of things including writing, producing and directing.

The pair graduated in December 2019 and married four months later.

Cami said they talk to each other throughout the day so, at the dinner table, they are usually filling each other in on the little details they missed, deciding what movie they want to watch and scrolling through niche comedy reels on Instagram. They bond the most over music and movie news, Christopher said, and the destinations they would eventually like to travel to.

When it comes to who apologizes first, Cami and Christopher pretty easily come to a consensus.

“I think it's me, to be honest,” Cami said, laughing.

“Cami is definitely better at saying sorry first,” Christopher said.

Cami said she admires Christopher’s work ethic. He doesn’t sit around waiting for things to fall into his lap but takes the initiative to do it himself. Christopher said he loves Cami’s innate sense of humor and the levity she brings to every situation.

“It makes life challenges so much easier and mundanity an impossible thing,” Christopher said.

Christopher and Cami encourage current students to forge connections and build long-lasting and supportive relationships, both professionally and romantically. Christopher said he learned so much about film from his peers, and his relationship with Cami made his time at UT more enjoyable. Cami said she never would have changed her major to journalism if not for Christopher’s support.

“In a relationship it’s important to really push each other to be the best version you both can be,” Cami said. “There are tough times, and sometimes it's hard to motivate yourself, but when you have someone who really believes in you, it changes everything.”

When Matthew Mandes accidentally walked into a radio-television-film directing workshop class, he and Madelyn Haden recognized each other right away.

Madelyn had seen Matthew working in the front office of her apartment building, but they never actually talked.

“I would always see her walk into the hallway and wondered if I would ever get the chance to meet her,” he said. “It wasn't long until I accidentally walked into the wrong classroom, saw her, and then nervously ran away.”

The couple now has been together two years.

Matthew graduated in 2022 with a radio-television-film degree and now works as an assistant director at a YouTube production company in Austin. He said it's a good steppingstone to moving up in YouTube and the film industry down the line. Madelyn is pursuing her master’s degree in advertising at Moody College, with hopes of someday working in the film industry marketing new releases by designing movie posters and trailers.

Madelyn said Woffie’s in the Communication Building A lobby has always been a sentimental spot for her and Matthew. She would have coffee and watch lectures for her accounting class while he sat beside her working on his own assignments.

They excelled in different areas.

“I was definitely a bookworm whereas Matt was way better at networking and getting experience outside of school,” Madelyn said. “My grades were consistently a top priority for me.”

Because of their mutual love for film, it often is a topic of conversation at the dinner table. They talk about what’s new at the theaters, reminisce about their favorite Christopher Nolan or Steven Spielberg films, or analyze the newest show they’re watching — right now, it’s “True Detective.”

“Being that both of our majors involve film, it's nice to know that I can talk to her about any movies, and we can explore the deeper themes and have in-depth conversations about them,” Matthew said.

What Madelyn and Matthew love most about each other is the kindness and love they have for others. He admires Madelyn’s ambition and drive to always try to be a good person. She said Matthew has the biggest heart she’s ever known.

“I admire how much of a good human he is,” she said. “He can put himself in someone else’s shoes and truly understand both sides of a story.”

If Madelyn and Matthew could offer advice to current Moody students, it would be to not be afraid to take on new opportunities. Madelyn said you never know when something could change the trajectory of your life or career.

In a relationship, Madelyn said, not only is communication important, but also taking the time to understand your partner.

“It’s important to find out how much quality time you want to spend with someone as well as what makes each other happy,” Matthew said. “Communication is a big part of both and can help you understand what the other person is thinking.”