By Sue Moore
Vicksburg High 2012 graduates Drew Mallery and Erika Fojtik became engaged during a camping trip to Iceland this past summer.
Drew, currently living in Oklahoma City, presented a uniquely designed ring to Erika on top of a mountain the first night in the remote country overlooking the Geiser national park. “I know what Erika likes and that was the inspiration for the ring. Simple and elegant,” said Mallery who also pointed out that his soon-to-be fiancé would enjoy this moment even more while doing an outdoor activity.
“Everything was perfect,” Erika remembered, “and the ring is just beautiful. He designed it himself and did a great job. Very classy.”
The two have been together for seven years, since they first started dating at VHS in 2011. They continued a long distance relationship while Mallery went off to Hillsdale College, graduating with a degree in financial management and mathematics, and Fojtik attended Western Michigan University, getting her undergraduate degree and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering. “I’m definitely marrying up with Erika,” said Mallery. “She is way smarter than I am!” Currently both are employed by Stryker Corp., Mallery as a sales representative in Oklahoma City and Fojtik as a design engineer for the research and development team in Kalamazoo.
When not working, the couple enjoys spending time together traveling to different parts of the country and the world, biking, and finding new recipes to cook together. “Iceland will always hold a special place in our lives” said the couple. “It’s where the story about us officially got started.”
The couple plans on getting married on Saturday, Sept. 7 at Cityscape in Kalamazoo. “Growing up just outside of Kalamazoo, we knew that we had to get married in this city,” Fojtik said. She will be joined by her best friend from graduate school as her maid of honor, as well as her sister, a college roommate, and lifetime Vicksburg friend Audrey Jensen as bridesmaids. Mallery will be joined by his two younger brothers and three former college roommates and teammates as his groomsmen.
The couple plans on relocating to Oklahoma City after their wedding, where Drew will continue as a sales representative for Stryker and Erika will work remotely, continuing her design role with the company. Their shared desire is to do work that positively impacts people’s lives through their professional work and through personal interaction.