Past Teen Project RACE President Engaged!

Former Teen Project RACE President, Kayci Baldwin was shocked when following The Harvard-Yale football game Saturday, Harvard’s MVP Josué Ortiz got down on one knee. In front of over 53,000 fans and a national television audience and surrounded by celebrating teammates, classmates, and alumni after Harvard University’s 2011 45-7 victory over Yale University, the senior defensive tackle asked Kayci to be his wife.

“I was hoping it would happen soon, but I didn’t expect him to do it [after the game] because he’s so focused and dedicated to his team, I thought he wouldn’t even be thinking about it until later, after the season,” Baldwin said. “I was absolutely shocked.”

“My entire team knew,” Ortiz of Avon Park, FL said, “but she didn’t know at all.”

The couple met in Virginia prior to Baldwin’s freshman year at a conference for college students in the International Church of Christ. They became friends that summer, and their romance grew when she entered Harvard.

“It’s interesting because when we met, she wasn’t even going to Harvard. She emailed me saying she was applying, and I wished her luck,” Ortiz said. “We started going to church here together, and we became great friends … then we fell in love.”

Both the families came up for the big game and post-game surprise, which has garnered a flood of media attention. As for setting a date, Ortiz and Baldwin, a sophomore Sociology concentrator, are waiting to see what Ortiz will do next year.

“Right now, I’m thinking about the NFL. We’ll know more about that and what our plans are then,” Ortiz said. “So, we are taking it slow.”