The two remained friends after graduation, and when Jen found herself traveling to San Diego, where Ben was attending school, the two made plans to reconnect.  After a fabulous week in the California sunshine, the goodbyes were difficult, and Jen started making plans for her next trip to the West Coast. Ben also started making plans to move back to the East Coast. The two planned weekend adventures and remained close. Jen eventually moved to DC to pursue her passion for cancer research and found herself working mere miles from Ben.

Over the last few years the two have experienced sickness, health, joy, and sadness with the other by their side. They have driven the length of the East Coast, rode their bikes for hundreds of miles, watched the sunrise over Hawaii, stamped their passports, and supported one another’s dreams unconditionally.

Jen’s bucket list item for years has been to return to her family’s roots in Ireland. When the two learned that Penn State was to play in Dublin, their guidebooks were ordered, and plans were made. Jen had originally surprised Ben with the game tickets, but he had a much bigger surprise in store for her. On the third day of their Ireland trip, after having her make a wish on an Irish Penny and having wished on an American penny himself, Ben knelt down on one knee in the walled gardens of Kylemoore Abbey and asked her to make his wish come true, and be his wife. She said YES!

The two will be wed at a vineyard in Maryland in two weeks, on the eve of the Penn State-Maryland game. They will be joined by friends and family on Saturday for a bridal tailgate with a “WE ARE…MARRIED” theme as they watch their first game as Mr. and Mrs. Jabara.

Jennifer currently works as the Clinical Nurse Manager for The Pediatric Ambulatory program of care at The National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. She is also a full time Doctorate candidate at Vanderbilt University with interest in pediatric end of life care and quality of life in adolescent cancer survivors.

Benjamin works as an IT manager at Geico in Chevy Chase, Maryland. He is attending the University of Maryland pursuing dual Master’s Degrees: Master of Science in Information Systems and Master of Business Administration.

The two live in the DC metro area with their two rescue dogs, Lola and Izzy, who enjoy spending their time chasing squirrels, watching Penn State & NCIS, and snuggling on the couch. In their free time the two have trained for multiple century rides to benefit The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, enjoy taking cooking classes, recently started taking dance lessons, and traveling the world. As Jen says, they hope to see the world together and hopefully leave it a better place than they found it.

Nine years later both are thankful for the celebration that introduced them, and are so grateful to again be a part of Penn State Homecoming.