Sometimes Cupid’s arrow takes a few twists and turns before finding its mark in joining two people destined to be together. The path to finding true love can be short or long, and in some cases requires a journey across the world before two souls find one another. However, for two Waterloo Science alumni, their paths ran parallel for most of their lives before finally crossing one fateful day during Orientation Week at Waterloo.
Michael McCracken (BSc '02, Biochemistry) and Meghan Boston-McCracken (BSc '02, Psychology) both grew up in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and despite each having large circles of friends and siblings, the pair attended separate high schools and never knew the other existed. Even more interesting, they vacationed in family cottages very close to one another 80 kilometres outside the city on Lake Superior, separated only by a point on the beach that neither one passed.
“Sault Ste. Marie is a tight knit community so it’s shocking we never met,” Meghan says “I discovered more people from the Soo when I first arrived. I found myself walking across campus with my roommate and waving to several people from back home.” Mike is quick to agree and points to his very first university class, “The professor asked us a tough question that I figured no one would be able to answer. Suddenly this voice piped up directly behind me. I turned around to see who the genius was, and I was stunned to see it was my distant cousin whose father has roots in the ‘Soo. I had no idea he was in Waterloo, let alone in the same program.”
Fate would finally intervene for the couple during Orientation Week of their first year with a chance meeting under the link of the Earth Sciences & Chemistry building. They were introduced by a fellow classmate and Saultite. To this day, Michael recalls every word of their initial meeting.
After graduation, the couple took time to consider career options and where they would like to live. Meghan had applied to graduate studies at many schools and they ended up coming full circle, deciding to return home to be close to family. Michael became a 4th generation steelworker at Algoma Steel Inc. as a Development Chemist. Fast forward a few years to 2022. Meghan currently works as an Social Work Field Education, Admissions, and Community Engagement Coordinator at Algoma University. Michael still works at Algoma Steel Inc. as a Process Specialist in operations.
As Valentine’s Day approaches, Michael still doesn’t know what surprise he’ll plan for Meghan. For their first Valentine’s Day together at University, he went all out with take-out from East Side Mario’s restaurant (Meghan’s favourite) and a candle light dinner at his place adorned with an assortment of Valentine decorations including red heart glitter strewn across the tablecloth. “It was a pretty high bar to set back then,” he says with a laugh, “maybe just us and the boys heading to our cottage and having a bonfire. Nothing says love like those moments with family.”
As a final nod to Valentine’s Day, the couple shared an update from that fateful Hallowe’en party at Federation Hall so many years ago. Meghan’s friend and fellow science alumni Melissa who was also dressed as a spider, met her future husband that same night. No doubt romance started on a different kind of “web” back in those days!