We’re excited to welcome Karolina Barrientos ’22 to the CHER team as the program manager at Trinfo Café and the Office of Community Relations. She began her role in late May after completing her undergraduate degree at Trinity this spring. Karolina brings skills in student leadership and community engagement to this role. As an undergraduate, she was a student leader in the Office of Multicultural Affairs, and was involved in CHER programs through the Community Action Gateway, Public Humanities Collaborative, volunteering with the Office of Community Service, and participating in the Liberal Arts Action Lab and seven other Community Learning courses. She was also Trinity’s 2021-2022 Newman Civic Fellow.

Karolina Barrientos. Photo by Monica Jorge
What is your current position at Trinity, and what are you most looking forward to in this role?

My current role is Program Manager at Trinfo Café and the Office of Community Relations. I am looking forward to strengthening my relationship with the city of Hartford.

What past connection do you have with Trinity?

I actually just graduated from Trinity in May! While I was student I was heavily involved in the Office of Multicultural Affairs and the P.R.I.D.E. Pre-Orientation program.

What made you want to take this role?

I really wanted to take this role because it allows me to build connections between Hartford and Trinity in ways that I have always wanted to do but couldn’t as a student.

Karolina Barrientos with Carl Asikainen, Youth Systems Coordinator of the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness and Stefanie Wong, Assistant Professor of Educational Studies. Photo by Monica Jorge.
What are your interests and passions?

Some of my interests and hobbies include crafting, binge-watching TV shows, and becoming more socially conscious of different issues and systems that oppress othered communities.

What is your favorite place in Hartford?

My favorite place in Hartford would have to be Park Street. There are so many restaurants, bakeries, and markets that really helped me make Hartford feel like home.