Matches Made at Eastern

Read about the origin stories of alumni couples Tom Balestracci ’13 and Melissa Groccia ’13; Amanda Quandt ’07 and Andrew Savage ’07; and Rachel Sawyer ’16 and Donald Walker ’17.

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 passion for 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 and Thailand. 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.

Rachel Sawyer ’16 and Donald Walker ’17

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.

Amanda “Mandy” Quandt ’07 and Andrew “Andy” Savage ’07

Mandy and Andy met in 2006 in the J. Eugene Smith Library during their senior seminar taught by Professor Chris Torockio, when Andy walked in wearing a cut-off “Chevelle” t-shirt. Mandy was nervous about the fact she had not taken a prerequisite course but was put at ease when Andy chimed in, “I didn’t take that either; you’ll be fine.” 

During the two-semester course, students were tasked with writing a complete novel. It was during these last days of college that this daunting task and deeply personal sharing created a bond between the couple that would last long after graduation day in 2007 when they graduated with English degrees. 

Mandy and Andy were inseparable during the days after college, driving long hours across Connecticut to meet each other for coffees after they started their first “real” jobs. On weekends they traveled up and down the East Coast. Most of the time Andy did not know they were going somewhere until 30 minutes prior to leaving. The spirit for adventure they shared would serve them well in the coming years. 

Mandy and Andy were married in September 2010 in Manchester CT, and shared their special day with many friends from Eastern. Soon after, they bought their first home in Suffield, CT, and three years later welcomed their first child, Jase. In 2017 they welcomed their second son, Elliott. 

In April 2019, Mandy and Andy started their biggest adventure yet. They sold their house in Suffield and built a home in the suburbs of Omaha, NE, in a small town called Bennington. Andy works in Omaha as the director of information technology programs for a chiropractic network management company called SecureCare, Inc. Mandy stays busy raising their two growing boys.  Mandy and Andy instantly fell in love with the Midwest but travel back to New England and the East Coast as much as they can. They recently returned to Connecticut for a family holiday and made a special trip with their two sons and family back to Eastern. They can’t believe how much has changed, but more importantly, how at home they felt back on campus.