Blog

Happy New Year and Announcing the Carnegie Classification As we begin a new semester and year, the Center for Hartford Engagement and Research (CHER) is thrilled to share that Trinity College has earned the Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement. This national designation affirms the impact of community-engaged work across our campus and recognizes the strength of the mutually-beneficial partnerships with Hartford and beyond.

Three community-engaged Liberal Arts Action Lab projects presented on on housing equity, transportation justice, and inclusive arts programming in Hartford this fall. Students worked alongside faculty and community partners to address research questions that community partners were looking to answer.

Fourteen students completed the first semester of the Community Action Gateway (CACT), taught by Professor Elise Castillo of the Educational Studies Program, and supported by mentors Makayla Cervantes ‘26 and Raven Reynoso ‘28. CACT is a selective, year-long first-year program for students interested in social change and community engagement. The students developed new profiles for the Hartford Changemakers collection.

The Trinity Medical Humanitarian Association (TMHA) is one of the newest student organizations bringing together members of Doctors Without Borders at Trinity and the Trinity Collegiate Health Service Corps. United by a shared commitment to healthcare, public health, and humanitarian work, TMHA connects pre-health students with meaningful service, hands-on learning, and community partnerships across Hartford.

Meet Thaddeus Hempel, a junior in Applied Mathematics and Philosophy whose work with CHER, Action Lab, and HMTCA has connected him to Hartford through tutoring, storytelling, and community partnerships.

In this newsletter, HMTCA Trinity College Partnership Evolution Over Time, Trinity’s Public Humanities Collaborative Project Earns Prestigious Olmsted Network Award, Community Action Gateway Students Present on Hartford Change-Makers, COBA: Where Hartford Trains Its Heart and more!

Charter Oak Boxing Academy (COBA) has served as a long-standing community institution for more than three decades. Founded by Johnny Callas, COBA operates as both a training facility and a youth development hub, where young people, college athletes, and experienced boxers engage in a shared environment focused on discipline, mentorship, and personal growth.

Over the past several years, Trinity College and the Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy (HMTCA) have expanded their partnership in scope and impact that bridges campus and community.

Welcome to the new school year! CHER is excited to continue strengthening mutually beneficial partnerships between Trinity College and Hartford. In the 2024-2025 academic year, 1,214 Trinity students engaged with a CHER program at least once, learning from our Hartford community partners. In this newsletter, you will find the Trinfo reopening celebration, Liberal Arts Action Lab Recognized in National Case Study, Jessica Cruz ’26 Receives Campus Compact’s Newman Civic Fellowship and more!

Each year, Trinity Athletics goes beyond the playing field to foster stronger connections between Trinity College and the community. What begins with “Do It Day” in the fall extends into a year-round commitment to service and sustainability.