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When Maya Taulbee enrolled at Southwestern Michigan College, she never imagined that the most important lesson learned wouldn’t be in a textbook.

This pandemic romance started in February 2020 on the Dowagiac campus when a mutual friend introduced Maya to Mallory Gray, then a student resident finishing her second degree in graphic design. (She graduated in December 2019 with her visual arts degree.)

“That simple introduction was the start of everything,” Maya recalled. “From there, our relationship blossomed in the places that defined our lives as students. I would visit Mallory at the residence hall during visitor hours, and we spent countless hours together across campus.

“The Ceramics Lab became a place of shared creativity. SMC wasn’t just a place to get an education. It was the backdrop for our love story, with every corner of campus holding a special memory for us both.

“Our time at SMC was just the beginning. After graduating, our relationship continued to grow, leading us to our wedding on April 26, 2025, in Marquette, Mich. On that day, we officially became Maya and Mallory Graybee.

“We are forever grateful to SMC for bringing us together and for providing the foundation for our future. The campus, from the dorms to the labs, will always be the place where our forever began.”

Maya was a dual-enrolled high school/college student starting in Fall 2017 at Edwardsburg High School.

“During that time, I took prerequisite courses with the intention of completing the paralegal degree program. After I graduated high school in 2019, I continued my enrollment at SMC in the fall. I lived off campus at my parents' home in Niles during my fulltime enrollment.

“I chose SMC so I could continue my credits at the school I was dually enrolled at. My hometown is Dowagiac, but my family moved to Niles in 2015 so my parents would be closer to their jobs.

“I took a break from SMC in Fall 2020 but returned virtually in Fall 2021 to complete my general education degree so I could transfer and complete my bachelor's at Northern Michigan University. I started at NMU in the fall of 2023 as a Global Campus student and graduated this past December.”

Mallory came from Lawton and attended Lawton schools. Mallory chose SMC because her sibling was an alumnus and had fond memories of seeing him and how campus life was a first step in learning how to be independent.

Dorm life helped Mallory gain a sense of self as she navigated the path of young adulthood. She was also able to attend with her Emotional Support Animal Copper. He was a huge part of Mallory establishing herself at SMC. Together they forged friendships, attended campus events, took long walks on the grounds and enjoyed the campus trails.

Dating During COVID

Mallory and Maya started dating on March 23, 2020.

“So yes, we were together during the start of the pandemic and had many virtual dates while she lived on campus and I at my family's home in Niles,” Maya said. “The pandemic was forcing us to navigate a new world of isolation by leaning exclusively on one another. While the outside world came to a standstill, our connection was fast-tracked; the typical milestones of dating were replaced by social-distancing walks while on SMC's trails, and on campus were also a large part of our bonding as we walked her dog, Copper.

“As much as outdoor activities kept us in each other's social circles, the virtual world kept us together through our deep conversations, binge-watching shows that were prevalent at the time — Mallory recalls the late night of the Tiger King documentary —and the unique challenge of building a life together under one roof much sooner than planned in June of 2020 when Mallory got her first apartment while she finished her graphic design degree off-campus.

“We faced many trials and errors while in such a transitional period of becoming a working relationship under the same roof; the very circumstances that kept the world apart are what bound us together, transforming a new romance into the unwavering partnership we share today as wives. I asked Mallory to marry me in January 2021, and though uncertain of the future, she happily said yes. A few months later, we took a trip that inspired the next chapter of our lives.”

‘Based’ in the UP

“After Mallory graduated from SMC, we moved to the Upper Peninsula in June 2021, specifically KI Sawyer, about 20 minutes outside of Marquette. We had visited the area in April of 2021, as that's where my family is originally from, and where I had planned to attend college had I not come to SMC.  We lived ‘on base’ (KI Sawyer is an old decommissioned Air Force base) until July of 2023, when we moved back to Dowagiac into our first home.

“Something of note about our time in the UP was our active and still active involvement in a local non-profit, Let's Grow KI. It is a non-profit that offers nutrition/gardening workshops to local residents and hosts a community garden space. I have served on the board, and Mallory is the graphic design lead and communications committee leader.

“After being away from our home away from home, we decided to get married on April 26, 2025, at Presque Isle in Marquette. To us, being outdoors with our loved ones at one of the most beautiful places in Marquette made the day extremely special. The UP, specifically Marquette, KI Sawyer and Gwinn, will always hold a special place in our hearts.”

Currently, Maya works as a project manager. Mallory works at a veterinary office, Paw Paw Vet Clinic.

“When we are not working,” Maya said, “you can catch us volunteering, spending time with our fur kids, trying out new local eateries or at the beach.”