The spring commencement ceremony at Troy University’s Montgomery Campus marked the culmination of a busy week for master’s graduates Joshua Bunger and Autumn Lindsey.

The two received their master’s degrees in nursing during Thursday’s ceremony in the Davis Theatre for the Performing Arts, one day after getting married.

Joshua called the whirlwind celebration of major milestones as “very busy.” Autumn agreed, saying it took “a lot of planning.”

The couple first met in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael, Autumn said.

“We actually met doing Hurricane Michael relief. We were both nurses, flying for the same company, and we were there evacuating a hospital. He saw me, stalked me for a few years on Facebook,” she said with a laugh. “Then he asked me out.”

Joshua, who grew up in Enterprise and now lives in Calera, was the first to decide to apply to pursue his master’s degree.

“He got accepted, and then was like, ‘You ought to go with me,” Autumn said. “Once he got accepted, I figured that I better get my application in as well. It was really good because we had each other to lean on for help as we went through the program.”

What made the couple go from matrimony to master’s degrees in a little more than 24 hours’ time?

“It just kind of worked out that way with the timing of clinicals and a lot of family things going on in between,” he said. “It was very busy, but it all worked out great.”

The couple will now reside in Dadeville, where Autumn has called home.

“I’ve accepted a position in the ER at East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika,” Joshua said. Autumn, who currently works for LifeSaver, plans to either work at Lake Martin Hospital group or East Alabama Medical Center.

For now, though, the two are celebrating their hectic week of milestones with a graduation celebration/honeymoon trip to Antigua.