The Balestraccis

Tom Balestracci ’13 and Melissa Groccia ‘13

Tom Balestracci ’13 and Melissa (Groccia) ’13 met in fall 2009 at their first-year class in Shafer Hall.They soon found out that they were neighbors on the third floor of Mead Hall and became the best of friends. They started dating in the summer of 2010 and have been together ever since. Tom and Melissa shared a passionfor being involved in various organizations, including the Campus Activity Board. They were the president and vice president of the 2013 Senior Class. Tom and Melissa also participated in intramurals and Tom was a student-athlete on the track and field team. He spent a summer as a student orientation counselor, which inspired him to further his education and receive his master’s degree in higher education.

Tom and Melissa loved every minute of their four years at Eastern— from planning the annual CAB carnival that started the fireworks tradition to late night karaoke at Blarney’s with the crew and ending the night with empanadas from Taste of the Island.

The two Eastern alumni married on June 30, 2018, with many of their friends from Eastern attending. Their love for travel has led them to visiting numerous U.S. states as well as Italy, South Africa andThailand. They now live in Stamford, CT, with their son Chase. Tom is in his fourth year at Fordham University overseeing new student orientation, and Melissa is in her ninth year at ISS Governance as the Digital Product Manager.