Couples That Beat The Odds

To outsiders, they seemed mismatched: Stephanie had already applied to medical school, while Juan, who needed to work to pay the bills, was still in high school. But the differences didn't bother them. "Juan is really smart. We talk about everything—at first in Spanish, now more in English—and he always has an opinion," says Stephanie, who notes that Juan served as her cultural guide during their time in Honduras. Juan concurs: "I'm proud of who I am, and I liked her the way she was. If she wanted to be with me, it made no difference that she had more money or education."

Stephanie now works as a physician and Juan is studying at Bronx Community College and plans to become an environmental engineer.