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Rachel (Sawyer)'16 of Norwalk and Donald Walker '17 of New Haven met in 2012 in Rachel's first year at Eastern. They took several classes together as Communication majors over the next few years. In addition, one of Rachel's hobbies was photography, and the couple spent time exploring the surrounding area and taking pictures. Their first official date was the Mansfield Drive-in Theater in the summer of 2014, but it wasn't until Rachel's junior year and Donald's senior year where they "made it official."
After graduating in 2016, Rachel began working as a residence hall director at St. Bonaventure University in upstate New York, and a year later, she began her graduate degree in Student Affairs at Rutgers University. In 2018, Donald began his school counseling master's degree program. Rachel received her master's degree in 2019 and now works at Ramapo College of New Jersey as the associate director of equity, diversity, inclusion, and compliance. Donald is in his second full year at Abraham Clark High School as a college and career counselor.
Donald and Rachel spend a lot of time hiking with their dog Maddie, and in February 2020, as they were going on a hike with the dog, Donald proposed. Rachel said, “at first I thought he was joking because he always tries to prank me, but then I realized he was being serious, and I couldn’t believe it!”
On June 19, 2021 (Juneteenth), they tied the knot with a backyard wedding with friends and family — many Eastern alumni and staff — Rachel’s childhood home in Norwalk, CT. “Donald and I chose June 19th to celebrate Black love but also, to celebrate our ancestors too, as Juneteenth is such a beautiful and important day to many Black people.” The wedding was ordained by Rachel’s brother, Broderick Sawyer, who went to Eastern and played on the men’s basketball team, and some of Donald’s groomsmen were alumni as well.
Rachel and Donald additionally have started the Sawyer-Walker Foundation which serves to give back to the communities they are a part of. This year, Rachel (a former alumnus of the program) and Donald donated $1,300 to the Girls Basketball Association in Norwalk, CT, for low-income and/or need-based basketball players. Next year, they plan to donate to New Haven, CT, programs for low-income and/or need-based students.
Seven years since their first date, Donald and Rachel have grown together and can’t wait to continue to travel, build their lives together and have children someday.