The Real Kellogg Mergers & Acquisitions: Kellogg Couples

By:  Vidhur Potluri, Staff Writer

With Valentine’s Day earlier this month, it felt like the perfect moment to reflect on the relationships that take shape here at Kellogg. At Kellogg, connection is part of the experience—between classes, clubs, and long days that somehow turn into longer nights, Kellogg creates plenty of opportunities to meet new people. In a community where students spend so much time together, some of those connections naturally grow into something more.

Through a series of conversations with couples who met here, this feature explores how relationships take shape alongside the rhythms of campus life.

Riley Muir (2Y '26) & Megan Wetzel (2Y '26)

Riley and Megan

For Riley and Megan, "Kellogg Kupid" struck early, specifically on day two of CIM, when they found themselves sitting next to each other during a presentation. What started as a quick conversation turned into the beginning of a friendship that would unfold slowly over the months that followed.

Riley, a Boston native, took to Slack soon after CIM to invite Megan on a bike ride. Having grown up just 20 minutes away in the Chicago suburbs, Megan counter-offered with a "tour of the North Shore." That first ride, joined by their friend Reed (who Riley invited to mitigate any "is this a date?" nerves), turned into a literal trip down memory lane. Megan showed them her high school and even the famous Home Alone house before ending up at her parents’ backyard. "He met my parents one week into our Kellogg career," Megan laughed, noting that the "early approval" was key. Despite the fast start, they remained just friends for the next six months, only "gravitating" toward each other later that winter.

As their friendship deepened, their academic lives became just as intertwined as their social ones. They began intentionally picking classes together, including a marketing course where they famously "stole" a classmate's assigned seat just to ensure they could sit side-by-side. By the time they officially transitioned from friends to partners in February, they were already navigating the "high-stakes betting" that often defines MBA dating. Only six weeks into their relationship, they had to decide whether to room together for Yacht Week months in advance. As Megan puts it, "You just have to bet," a philosophy that saw them through everything from shared study sessions to a grueling 5:00 AM flight back from a Night in Nashville.

That willingness to go "all in" eventually shifted the trajectory of their professional lives. Riley, who is from Boston and originally recruited for that office, decided to transfer his full-time offer to the Chicago office to be with Megan, who is returning to her role at Crate & Barrel’s headquarters. It was a significant pivot for Riley, who had admitted during their first bike ride that he wasn't sure he could see himself living long-term in Illinois. Their journey has been marked by fateful coincidences, like the discovery that Megan’s young niece is also named Riley James, sharing Riley’s exact first and middle name.

Now preparing to move in together in Chicago, they reflect on their time in the "Kellogg fishbowl" with a sense of ease and nostalgia. Their first official dinner date at The Barn in Evanston, which was also when Megan hard-launched their relationship through an Instagram story (on the first date?!), was just the beginning of a partnership rooted in a shared, laid-back approach to life. They credit their initial connection to a mutual "Type B" personality, bonding over a shared love for outdoor activities rather than the high-pressure typical of the MBA environment.

For Megan, the secret to a successful Kellogg romance lies in ignoring the "social calculus" and the fear of the "fishbowl." She advises students not to hesitate because of the fear of a ruined friendship, noting that a genuine bond can survive a romantic risk and that true friends ultimately just want you to be happy. If nothing else, the numbers back her up—she started keeping a running list of couples who met at Kellogg last year, and it now includes 23 pairs among second years alone.

When asked to capture their relationship as a soundtrack, each chose a different song that reflects their shared journey. Megan picked Easy Does It by Goth Babe, a song that mirrors their instinct to let things unfold naturally rather than force them. Riley, meanwhile, chose Wonder and Why by the Red Clay Strays, a reflective love song Megan laughed felt like a “wedding song." Whether it’s a high-energy anthem or a wedding-ready ballad, both songs point to the same truth: they’ve managed to find a rhythm that feels entirely their own, even in the middle of the "Kellogg fishbowl."

Ashwini Deshpande (2Y '26) & Samarth Makhija (2Y '26)

Ashwini and Samarth

Ashwini remembers meeting Samarth during CIM in a moment that felt almost comically mundane: she was sitting down for lunch, had saved four seats for her KWESTies, and a stranger walked up and asked if he could sit there. Her first instinct was to say no, but the social calculus of a new program hit her fast. “I shouldn’t be mean on day one and say you can’t sit with us,” she recalled. She let him sit, her friends arrived a few minutes later, but she slipped inside to escape the heat, leaving Samarth chatting with the group. It was the kind of interaction that could easily have been a one-off. At Kellogg, though, those moments rarely are.

They ran into each other again at Carnivale, then at friends’ parties, and eventually started talking more regularly. What began as quick hellos turned into longer conversations, and before long they were making plans to work out together. One of those early interactions has since become a running joke. At one point, Samarth walked up to her and asked, “If you were a fish, what kind of fish would you be?” Ashwini answered clownfish—the only fish she could think of at the time—which Samarth admits was a "great answer" because it showed a more playful side of her. 

As they spent more time together, they found that their social lives became completely intertwined. Unlike couples who strictly separate "couple time" from "friend time," Ashwini and Samarth are almost always surrounded by their mutual friends. Whether they are grabbing lunch or watching a movie, they often invite their broader circle, making the transition from friends to partners feel seamless within their community.

When asked how they balanced the intensity of Kellogg with a relationship, both said that being together made the experience easier to navigate. Sharing many of the same core classes meant they could support each other through busy quarters, including one memorable season of "accounting trauma" where Ashwini, despite having no background in the subject, taught Samarth well enough for him to earn an A. The irony isn’t lost on them; while Samarth walked away with the higher grade, he jokingly notes that he still gets "bullied" for being the designated "accountant" of the couple.

When asked to describe their relationship as a movie title, they aptly chose the Bollywood hit Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. The choice captures the vibrant, sometimes chaotic, and ultimately rewarding blend of their two worlds coming together, specifically the contrast between their regional roots—Ashwini is from Bangalore, while Samarth grew up in Saharanpur. They joked about these "state-wise" differences and the contrasting energies their families bring to the table. In a community as tight-knit as Kellogg, Ashwini and Samarth’s story serves as a reminder that the best connections often start with the smallest risks, like asking a stranger if a seat is taken or answering a bizarre question about fish. Whether it’s navigating the "accounting trauma" of core classes or bridging the differences between their backgrounds, they’ve shown that the MBA experience is always better handled as a partnership.

Amanda Moriarty (2Y '26) & John Schultz (2Y '26)

John and Amanda

For Amanda and John, it wasn’t a chance encounter at CIM or a crowded social that sparked their connection. Instead, it was the raw, vulnerable environment of Personal Leadership Insights (PLI). Placed in the same class and a smaller four-person pod, they spent weekly sessions sharing deep personal stories and reflecting on their life journeys before they ever considered a romantic path. Amanda’s first impression was that John was a "very nice, a little quiet" listener who was "good at being empathetic" during their sessions. John was immediately struck by Amanda’s resilience, noting that he was "very impressed with how she was able to handle everything" during a difficult personal season. "The ability to look at the bright side... was just an incredible characteristic," John recalls.

Their transition to dating was a "slow build" that involved moving from deep classroom reflections to more "playful" social settings. Amanda vividly remembers a night after TG when she ran into John and a few friends heading to Bat 17. Even though she had another date planned that night, the conversation at the restaurant was the first time she saw John’s personality outside of a classroom setting. "I left and was getting ready for my date and thought, 'Gosh, John seems like a really cool guy,'" she laughs. However, the "first move" itself came with a bit of a comedic learning curve. Amanda admits she didn't actually realize John was asking her on a date initially; she assumed he was just asking to hang out as a friend. It wasn't until she "learned through the grapevine" later that it had, in fact, been a date.

As their relationship evolved, John came to appreciate Amanda’s thoughtful approach to celebrating the people around her. He recalls how she helped coordinate a shout-out for him in the Special K playbill while they were still friends and later organized a surprise birthday dinner at Hokkaido with their closest circle. For John, it’s these small but intentional gestures that define their story.

Because of the "Kellogg gossip" mill and the "intensity of Kellogg," they were incredibly intentional about keeping their early relationship private. "We wanted to make sure that whatever we were doing was both siloed within the two of us... and wouldn't negatively impact our like external world," Amanda explains. They even joked that if I had asked for an interview when they first started dating, they would have said, "What are you talking about? We’re not dating!"

Now on the other side of that "slow build," they have great advice for classmates looking for their own "Kellogg Kupid" moment. Amanda emphasizes prioritizing a strong foundation by building a deep friendship first, believing this created a level of trust that allowed them to navigate the pressures of an MBA and the early stages of a relationship much more easily. John encourages students to go deeper than the "Hub" talk and "pass beyond the surface-level interaction" common at large parties. He suggests being open about your own background and concerns, which invites others to reciprocate and leads to more meaningful connections.

Take the Leap

Across these stories, a clear pattern emerges: relationships at Kellogg rarely begin with grand gestures. More often, they start with small moments—sitting next to someone at lunch, running into a familiar face at an event, or striking up a conversation that keeps going. As these couples shared, dating here tends to grow naturally alongside the pace of classes, friendships, and everyday life in business school.

If there’s one takeaway, it’s that connection often begins with a simple decision to take the leap—to start a conversation, accept an invitation, or see where things might go. As these couples show, those small choices can become some of the most meaningful parts of the journey. Read About Dating at Kellogg: Sex and the Chi-ty: Love in the Time of Time Zones Sex and the Chi-ty: The IPO Sex and the Chi-ty: Product Management vs. Dating