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As a student at the University of Maryland, College Park, Amanda Garzio-Hadzick, 22, had the perfect study partner.

"If one of us was sick of studying [during] finals week, the other person would keep asking them questions or encourage them to keep studying," she said. "It was incredibly helpful."

Garzio-Hadzick's study partner was her husband, Zane Hadzick, 24. The two, who married in August 2008, graduated with 4.0 grade point averages from the school's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources on May 22, receiving bachelor's degree in environmental science and policy.

"They're such a wonderful example of what students can do when they work hard," said Sheila Brown, the college's coordinator of academic programs. "They've accomplished so much together."

They began dating in 2001. Hadzick finished high school in 2003 and enrolled at Penn State University's Hazleton campus. Within two weeks, he quit.

Out of high school, neither expected such success. Both grew up in eastern Pennsylvania — he in Weatherly and she in Tresckow — raised by parents without college degrees.

"As a first-generation college student, I doubted myself and felt out of place," said Hadzick, who now lives in College Park. "I didn't think it was the right choice for me."

Hadzick went to work for his father's business installing granite countertops. Two years later, Garzio-Hadzick, approaching her own high school graduation, saw her boyfriend's unfulfilled potential. While he was no longer a student, he often asked about her studies.

"You could see he had an interest in learning more," she said. "He did well in high school and he was really bright.

That fall, she enrolled at Kutztown University in Kutztown, Pa., and convinced him to go with her. He studied business, she was undeclared.

"We both got 4.0s and shocked ourselves," Hadzick said. "We began to feel like college was for us and we could do well."

After a year at Kutztown, they were accepted to the National Student Exchange program as a linked couple, allowing them to attend the same school. They spent the fall at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and spring at California State University, Northridge.

While at Northridge, the two took an environmental health class that opened their eyes.

"All along, I think I had a love for the environment," Garzio-Hadzick said. "But I never really thought of it as something I would do [professionally]."

The two received Presidential Transfer Scholarships to attend the University of Maryland, College Park, majoring in environmental science in policy.

For two years, they earned 4.0 GPAs while juggling membership in the school's Recyclemania Committee and Soil Judging team, a year of research at the USDA facility in Beltsville and their wedding.

"I can't think of anything he does wrong," said his father, Michael Hadzick. "They're both great kids."

They graduated this spring and plan to attend graduate school in fall 2010. Both spoke at their college's May 22 commencement.

"It was a tremendous honor," Hadzick said. "We really felt like we had a lot to offer and owed it to ourselves and our families."