A match made on Welch Avenue

Karlee Michalski, an apparel merchandising, design, and production major, was searching for a minor to round out her education. Her advisor suggested she try performing arts. So Karlee got involved with the ISU theatre program, working on sets and costumes.

At the same time, Eric Meisel, a management information systems major, thought he’d like to try acting and directing.

The two met during a theatre student ritual: Tuesday nights at Welch Ave. Station.

“I had just turned 21,” Eric says. “I had a core group of theatre friends, and they mentioned Tuesdays at Welch. The first time I went, I met Karlee.”

Karlee was older (“I thought he was jailbait,” she says, laughing).

The next time they saw each other, they “talked the whole night,” got food at Jimmy John’s in Campustown, and made a date to play Frisbee golf the next day.

It was a match made on Welch Avenue.

Karlee graduated first, in 2010, and got a job as an assistant technical designer with Lands’ End in Dodgeville, Wis.

“We did the long-distance thing for awhile,” she said.

Then Eric graduated and found a job as a data analyst with Medseek in Verona, Wis. They found an apartment in Mount Horeb, right in between.

Eric proposed to Karlee in October 2011. They were skydiving…there was champagne and flowers…it was very romantic.

A May 26 wedding date has been set.