Andrew Miller
Director of Quest

Andy Miller likes to challenge himself to exceed his own expectations. That’s why the 1999 graduate of Kalamazoo College accepted President Jones’ offer to move east in October to help establish the Quest program at Trinity. “Coming to Trinity offered a great opportunity for me to learn and grow as a person,” he says. “That’s something I think we all need, and that’s really what Quest is all about.”

The College’s Quest program, which will be open to 50 incoming students in the fall of 2005, is an optional, extended pre-orientation program that will provide students with a 17-day wilderness experience designed to build physical, mental, and leadership skills in a pristine natural environment. The students will be bused from Hartford to Killarney Provincial Park in southern Ontario, Canada, where they will be divided into groups. The pre-planned itinerary includes hiking, canoeing, and working on the crew of an 80-foot boat as well as climbing and rappelling. The program also calls for a two-day solo outing for each participant, during which s/he will have an opportunity to reflect on the experience.

“I can tell you without exaggeration that, when I participated in a similar program before my first year at Kalamazoo, it changed my life,” explains Miller. “I discovered that I was able to do things I had never even imagined trying. I learned how to get along with people who were different from me, how to cope with adversity, how to take care of myself, and how to be part of a team. What I learned in the woods came in handy at exam time—it gave me confidence. I knew I was up to the challenge. That’s what Quest can provide to Trinity students, an opportunity to discover themselves and exceed their own expectations.”

An English major who minored in music, Miller worked as a fifth and sixth grade teacher in an experiential learning program in California before returning to his alma mater to work in its extended pre-orientation program. He writes songs and plays the guitar in a mini-studio that he has set up in his apartment near campus. Among his other duties at Trinity are serving as an on-call administrator and coordinating the Academically Incorrect series.

Miller is in the process of recruiting students (rising sophomores through recent graduates), faculty, and staff members to serve as program facilitators and team leaders for the Quest program. Anyone who is interested should contact him at extension 4204 or at Andrew.Miller@trincoll.edu.