The Bienieks

Alex ’14 and Rachel (Junga) Bieniek ‘14

Rachel (Junga) Bieniek ’14 met her husband Alex ’14 on move-in day in August 2010 in Constitution Hall. Her roommates Jordan Somes ’14 and Lesia Kerr ’14 knew Alex, who was attending the University of Connecticut at the time. Alex was visiting his Eastern friends that day, and Rachel and Alex had their unofficial “first date” over Labor Day weekend.

“My roommates went back to their hometowns, and I ended up being alone in Constitution Hall. I didn’t know many people yet and refused to spend my first weekend of college alone, so I asked Alex to hang out on campus and we hit it off!” Rachel even got him to transfer to Eastern.

“We got married on Labor Day weekend, so it all came full circle!” said Rachel. The couple married in Darien, CT, on Sept. 2, 2018, surrounded by their Eastern friends. “We also inadvertently chose Eastern colors (maroon and navy) as our wedding colors.”

Alex works as an air traffic controller in Knoxville, TN, where the couple now resides with their dog, Ace. Rachel is the assistant director for alumni engagement and development at the Webb School of Knoxville, a private pre-K-12 school.