From Antwerp to 'I Do'

Some relationships start with bold declarations and big moments, while others form quietly with the gentle nudge of connection. For one alumni couple, it took leaving Harrisonburg behind and jumping the pond for them to find their way to one another. 

In the summer of 2017, Jordan DeCesare (‘19) and Tyler Shupack (‘19) both signed up for the COB 300 Semester in Antwerp. Two College of Business students who had never crossed paths on campus quickly became friends after landing abroad. “We immediately clicked,” DeCesare said. “We were very similar in a lot of ways, and it kind of just happened naturally.”

DeCesare noticed her group of friends was always doing something with Shupack’s. What began as a comfortable friendship, built in foreign classrooms and weekend excursions, slowly turned into something more. 

Even so, DeCesare said there wasn’t one defining moment, no fireworks or sweeping realization. Instead, she remembers a group trip to Paris near the end of the program. Nothing dramatic happened, but between wandering through the City of Love and charming side conversations, something shifted.

When they returned to JMU that fall, the transition from friendship to dating felt less like a decision and more like the natural next step. They lived just a block apart and shared the same social circles, making it easy for them to find a rhythm that worked. “He technically asked me out during that fall semester,” DeCesare said, laughing. “But by the end of the trip, we were basically already together.”

Both graduated in 2019: DeCesare with a degree in Computer Information Systems and Shupack with a Finance degree. While their post-grad jobs pushed them apart physically, they were both committed to making long distance work. DeCesare moved home to New Jersey to pursue a demanding role at KPMG in Manhattan, while Shupack started a consulting role at Deloitte in the D.C. area. For nearly a year, they relied on trains, phone calls and weekend visits, navigating two completely different routines. It was challenging, she said, but it also reinforced their commitment to each other.

For many, the pandemic squashed opportunities, but in 2020 circumstances shifted in DeCesare’s favor. She was 

working remotely when a JMU friend offered up a D.C. apartment sublease. She jumped on the opportunity and for the first time since graduating, Shupack and DeCesare lived in the same city. A year or two later, when her sublease ended, DeCesare faced a decision: move back to New Jersey or stay in D.C. It was a pivotal moment, she said. They both knew they did not want to do long distance again. 

Eventually, in 2023, Shupack and DeCesare moved into their first apartment together in Arlington. A year later, on a beach in Charleston, South Carolina, he asked DeCesare to be his wife after acting just suspicious enough to give himself away. She laughs telling the story now. “By the time we got to the water, I kind of knew.”

They married in October 2025 at Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, a place tied to her childhood summers and a spot she had shared with Shupack over the years. She recalls feeling calm as she walked down the aisle, surrounded by family and the many friends they met at JMU. “JMU is such a special place,” she said. “Everyone who goes there gets it. It opened the door to so many opportunities, and it’s where we built our closest friendships.”

Today, they still call Arlington home as they settle into life as newlyweds. What began as a summer study abroad experience grew into something lasting, shaped by years of shared milestones and steady commitment. The connection that formed quietly in Antwerp continues to guide the life they are building together today.