Seniors Frankie Coffaro, Tori Coffaro, and Nick Coffaro in front of Reeves Library where their now-viral video was recently filmed. Photo by Nick Chismar ’20
Triplets and Moravian University seniors Francesco, Nicholas, and Toriana Coffaro share the excitement of their viral social media post.
What started with a random TikTok video has turned into a viral moment for Moravian University triplets Francesco, Nicholas, and Toriana Coffaro—bringing an interview with People magazine, millions of views, shares, and likes, and thousands of new followers.
Tori, a media studies major, says she created her TikTok account in August simply for fun, sharing fashion ideas, makeup tips, commentary on social media influencers, and “a day in the life” videos. At the time, she hadn’t posted anything about being a triplet.
That changed one September afternoon when she and Frankie were working behind the circulation desk in Moravian’s Reeves Library and spotted their brother, Nick.
“I told Frankie, I’m going to record his reaction and post it as a complete joke,” she says.
In the now-viral video, Nick is walking toward the doors in Reeves when he sees his two siblings and gets a shocked but happy look on his face. “POV: ur triplets attending the same university & act surprised every time you run into each other on campus,” says the text over the video.
Nick says the reaction was genuine. “I know they both work at the library, but in all our years here, I’ve never seen them working at the same time.”
Tori planned to take down the video after a couple of minutes because it had nothing to do with the other content she created, but it immediately took off. Within 30 minutes it had racked up a million views.
“It was crazy blowing up. I had 212 followers, and I woke up the next morning with more than 2,000,” Tori says. The same day she posted the video, Paloma Chavez, a Los Angeles–based writer for People magazine, reached out to say her editor had seen the video and wanted a story.
It was surreal for Tori, who has long been interested in journalism, media, and marketing. She immediately sent a text in the Coffaro family group chat asking when her siblings would be available for an interview. At first, the triplets and their parents didn’t know if the interview request was real.
“Our mom was like, ‘Wait, what? Tori, call me now,’” Frankie says.
Once the family realized the interview was legit, Gina Coffaro, the triplets’ mother, says it was “one of those moments when you simply feel like time stands still and you take it all in.”
She and her husband, Nick Coffaro, were filled with joy and gratitude that the heartwarming video resonated with so many people.
“Family relationships are something so many of us can relate to, and this ‘heartstrings’ moment captured the love, humor, and friendship that can make those relationships so special,” Gina wrote in an email. “For us, it was simply Frankie, Nick, and Tori being themselves and sharing the bond they have had their entire lives. Knowing that their moment brought a smile to others and perhaps reminded people of their own siblings and families made it even more special.”
The Journey to Moravian
The triplets from Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, didn’t plan to attend the same university. Nick, who now plays lacrosse, was originally recruited to play football at Moravian.
Frankie and Tori planned to attend Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island. Both were drawn in by the picturesque coastal city and its Gilded Age mansions. But after committing and later touring the campus, Tori says it didn’t feel like a college. In addition to the students, there were lots of tours going on at nearby mansions, she says.
For Frankie, his decision to ultimately attend Moravian came down to the fact that Salve is four hours from home. He also liked that part of Moravian’s campus is in historic downtown Bethlehem, where he has childhood memories of Christmas visits with family.
On a random weekend in 2022, Tori decided to come to Moravian’s campus with her father and brother Nick. After watching a football game together, they walked around campus, and Tori remembers seeing “dorm circle,” the traffic circle on Moravian’s North Campus where first-year housing is located.
“I remember saying, ‘This school feels like a college. Everything is so close together,’” Tori says. She put in an application and spent the next couple of months encouraging Frankie to do the same.
The three are on track to graduate in May 2027, with Tori majoring in media studies, Frankie in public health, and Nick in marketing.
Frankie is applying for graduate school and wants to earn a master’s in public health or health administration. Nick would like to stay at Moravian and earn a teaching certificate while working as an assistant coach with Dave Carty, Moravian’s head men’s lacrosse coach, who Nick says has become a mentor to him.
Tori is still finalizing her plans, but says she has dreams of going to New York City and working in the fashion industry, journalism, or public relations.
The Moravian Experience
The triplets say Moravian has given them so many opportunities. Frankie says the small classes and one-on-one attention from professors have boosted his confidence and helped develop networking skills that have led to multiple internships.
“I always talk very highly about Moravian because if it weren’t for Moravian, I don’t think I’d be the person I am today,” he says.
For Nick, the career readiness programs provided by the Laurie Riley ’82 Center for Career Success have been helpful in developing interview skills, putting together résumés, and making important connections during internship and career fairs.
So, what’s it like being triplets at the same university? Tori doesn’t hesitate to answer: “Oh my God, it’s been awesome!”
Nick adds, “It’s like we have our own lives, but at the same time, being at school, we all connect. We all hang out with the same friends, we see each other on campus, and we’ve had multiple classes together.”
The Triplet Experience
Gina says there’s something special about being a parent of triplets.
“From their very first days, they have experienced life’s milestones together, and yet we have always wanted each of them to know that they are their own person with their own gifts, dreams, friendships, and path,” she wrote in an email.
Witnessing the triplets’ shared experience at Moravian University has been one of “the greatest moments” Gina said she and Nick have had as parents. Moravian has allowed Frankie, Nick, and Tori to remain connected as triplets while also giving each of them the space and opportunity to grow as individuals, she said.
“As parents, you naturally worry when your children leave home, so knowing they would have one another nearby gave us a tremendous sense of reassurance. What we could not have anticipated was just how meaningful their experience at Moravian would become for our entire family.” —Christina Tatu
Multiples at Moravian
In May 2027, Frankie, Nick, and Tori Coffaro will become the third set of triplets to graduate from Moravian University in the past 10 years.
This past spring, triplets Denali, Kevin, and Michael Romero graduated and were the first triplets to participate in Moravian’s Intercultural Graduation.
In 2017, Gautam, Loukya, and Swathi Kanakamedala graduated with honors, and all three went on to continue their studies and start careers in the medical field.