Love launched long distance—the first story in the campaign #iLOVEUNCC

This February, UNC Charlotte is asking alums to share their love stories of how they met their significant others as well as what they love about the University.

Stories shared on social media, using #iLOVEUNCC qualify to win exclusive 49er swag, and alums are encouraged to make a gift to support programs, scholarships or departments at LOVE.UNCC.EDU.

Elizabeth Wagner ’10 said the quality she most treasures about her husband Rodney Graves ’97 is his sense of adventure.

“I think the thing that I love the most is that he is really friendly and outgoing and he likes to try new things,” Wagner said. “I think he’s been very adventurous.”

It’s that adventurous nature that brought Wagner and Graves together in Yokohama, Japan, in spring 2002. Graves, who completed a bachelor’s degree in economics from UNC Charlotte, had been unhappy with his job and was in search of a new challenge. In summer 2001, he reconnected with an old friend who told him she was heading to Japan to teach English. Graves decided to submit an application to teach English through the same program and left for Japan in April 2002.

“I figured, ‘Why not? Give it a shot, do something different.’ I always had an affinity for Japan as a kid watching Japanese animation and that kind of thing,” recalled Graves.

He had thoroughly enjoyed his time living on the international floor of Poplar Hall (now Witherspoon Hall) as a UNC Charlotte student, where he met friends he still holds dear.

“I was there for five years and loved every single second of it,” Graves said.

He met Wagner his first week in Japan. They taught at the same school and frequently hung out together after work with other teachers. He was drawn to her carefree attitude and love of travel.

But the moment he realized that friendship had turned to love was during a flight back to North Carolina in April 2004. He watched the movie “Love Actually” during the flight. Graves hated romantic comedies, but he found himself crying during that one.

“I’m like, ‘What the hell is wrong with me? Why am I tearing up?’”

He called Wagner when he reached his parents’ home in Pelham, North Carolina. He realized why he had been crying the moment he hung up the phone: He was in love.

Wagner also viewed that movie recently and thought about Graves. Upon returning to Japan, Graves and Wagner discussed their feelings for each other after work one day in Yamashita Park. They decided to give love a try.

Eight years later, the couple found themselves in that same park while on vacation. It’s where Graves proposed to Wagner.

“It’s basically where we decided we were going to be a couple,” Wagner said.

Graves and Wagner married in October 2012. Today, they are parents to 6-year-old twins, Alexander and Gabriella. Wagner, who earned a Master of Arts in Teaching from UNC Charlotte, teaches English as a Second Language at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School. During football season, the family can be found in the stands of Jerry Richardson Stadium, where they are season ticket holders.

And when he’s not working at MassMutual Financial Group, Graves is hosting clothing, food and school supply drives for the Jamil Niner Student Pantry and schools in the community as part of the “First 49,” the community service alumni group he co-founded. Last year the group collected more than 2,600 pencils, pens, notebooks and folders for seven elementary and middle schools in Charlotte.