In the fall of my senior year, I returned to Trinity after an exchange year at Dartmouth College. One crisp autumn day, I bumped into President James F. Jones, and we struck up a wonderful conversation. 

PresidentJones was new to his role, and I was just completing my undergraduate requirements, so we were both at pivot points of sorts. He asked me about my experiences at Trinity and my professional plans.As we approached the end of the Long Walk, I thanked him for the chat.

“The pleasure was mine,” he replied cordially. It was such a moment of quiet civility and also of profound optimism for the future. I was profoundly grateful for the opportunity to exchange ideas with an accessible and empathetic president in the heart of a gorgeous Gothic campus. The moment made me reflect on Trinity’s many strengths and on the values we shared as a campus community.