Commencement is a milestone for all graduates, but for one member of the Class of 2023, the day carried special meaning. Grace Sabella ’23 is the daughter of alums John ’01 and Melissa (Snowden ’02) Sabella. Grace was born a few hours after her mom graduated, but she was well on her way 21 years ago when Melissa made her way across the commencement stage to accept a degree in Elementary Education.
Melissa had begun experiencing what she thought were false labor pains a few hours before her commencement and decided to power through it. “I had worked so hard (for my degree) in the past four years and I just wanted to be there,” she said in an alumni magazine story from the time.
Melissa put her degree to good use, her daughter said, homeschooling Grace and her nine siblings. When it came to selecting a college, Grace said Grove City was “obviously” her first choice. “I think my first Grove City merch was a ‘Future Grover’ onesie that I wore as a baby. My parents came back to campus for homecoming and took us to the parade often, so I have some really fun memories of being on campus as a kid. The community here is honestly what made me ultimately choose Grove City – with a little encouragement from my parents, of course,” she said.