Senti Sojwal and Ben Patrick Fuller-Googins, whose relationship began in October 2022, credit a shared connection to New York City Council member Shahana Hanif for bringing them together. Both had matched on Tinder and, discovering that Hanif was a mutual acquaintance, reached out to her before their first date. Hanif, who represents Brooklyn’s 39th Council District, encouraged them to meet, describing Sojwal as “a diamond” and expressing confidence in their compatibility.
Their initial meeting took place at Ode to Babel, a now-closed bar in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. Fuller-Googins was immediately struck by Sojwal’s appearance, while she found him sincere and thoughtful. They spent about five hours talking over cocktails, bonding over their shared dedication to social justice and community service. Fuller-Googins, 39, who was then deputy director of the Carroll Gardens Association, an organization focused on affordable housing and immigrant and domestic worker rights, is now the group’s executive director. Originally from Sherborn, Massachusetts, he holds a bachelor's degree in history from Boston College and a master’s in urban planning from New York University.
Sojwal, 35, serves as communications director for Planned Parenthood of Greater New York. Raised on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, she earned a bachelor’s degree in gender studies and politics from Hampshire College, as well as a master’s in public health from New York University. Both cited their backgrounds in the labor and reproductive justice movements as foundational to their connection.
Their relationship developed quickly, with regular dates including dinners at an Italian restaurant in Crown Heights and time spent together in Prospect Park. On a December 2022 ice skating outing at the LeFrak Center, an incident where Fuller-Googins helped Sojwal tie her skate laces deepened her sense of trust in him.
By January 2023, the couple took steps to define their relationship during a weekend getaway to Rockaway Beach, Queens. Fuller-Googins acknowledged initial hesitancy to express vulnerability, but Sojwal’s openness helped him feel secure.
In September 2024, the couple moved into a new apartment in Fuller-Googins’ building in Kensington, Brooklyn. They became engaged in July 2025 at Socrates Sculpture Park in Astoria, Queens. Fuller-Googins arranged a sunset picnic with friends as a cover before proposing with a champagne diamond ring, sharing an emotional moment marked by tears.
The pair were married on July 25 at Black Walnut Farm, an event venue in Saugerties, New York. Nicholas McKenna, a close friend ordained by the Universal Life Church, officiated the ceremony. The wedding blended cultural traditions, with Sojwal walking down the aisle to her favorite Bollywood song, “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai,” and the couple exchanging rose garlands symbolizing mutual respect. In recognition of Fuller-Googins’ Irish heritage, his father read an Irish wedding blessing during the service.
Hanif expressed her pleasure at the couple’s union, remarking on their initial connection and the enduring relationship that followed.