I would wager that Liz is the female author's younger sister. In the calendar period, the author turns 32 and has an 8th wedding anniversary, meanwhile Liz graduates with a 4.0 GPA.
Second guess: Liz is female author's father's second wife. Ailing, but finishing college as an older student.
Absolutely nothing about the content, lettering, or drawing suggests a male author to me. FWIW!