Trinity College President Joanne Berger-Sweeney spoke recently with the Hartford Courant about Trinity’s involvement with the American Talent Initiative, a Bloomberg Philanthropies-supported alliance of colleges and universities that aims to enroll 50,000 more low- to middle-income students by 2025.

Trinity College President Joanne Berger-Sweeney (right) with Darius Borges ’20 (left) and Ailani Cruceta ’22, who are also quoted in the Hartford Courant article.
Trinity College President Joanne Berger-Sweeney (right) with Darius Borges ’20 (left) and Ailani Cruceta ’22, who are also quoted in the Hartford Courant article.

Berger-Sweeney said that the initiative’s goal aligns with the college’s own commitment to diversifying its student body, expanding financial aid, and supporting low- and middle-income students once they arrive on campus.

“Talent exists across the socioeconomic spectrum, across zip codes, but access to opportunities isn’t as equally distributed,” Berger-Sweeney told reporter Eliza Fawcett. “It’s our role as educators to make sure we are gaining talent from all of the spectrum.”

The Courant wrote that Trinity has made strides to expand access and financial assistance in recent years: “The college increased its percentage of first-generation students from 12% five years ago to 17% in the class of 2023. Sixty percent of its students are now on financial aid, compared to 48% five years ago. Between 2015 and 2019, Trinity added more than $25 million to its financial aid budget, more than half of which was raised through alumni donations, Berger-Sweeney said.”

The article also includes quotes from Angel Pérez, Trinity’s vice president for enrollment and student success, and students Ailani Cruceta ’22 and Darius Borges ’20.

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