As Trinity College prepares to enter its third century, it has achieved significant progress in recent years on a key financial aid priority set forth in Trinity\u2019s strategic plan, Summit, says Vice President for College Advancement Michael Casey. As included in Summit, the college will \u201cattract and retain the highest caliber of students\u201d by building financial aid resources to be used strategically \u201cto attract and support a high-quality and engaged student body that embraces a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since 2015, Trinity has increased its financial aid budget by 60 percent, enabling the college to enroll an increasingly broad array of talented students. To keep building on this momentum, and to continue supporting Trinity\u2019s commitment to open its doors to all deserving students regardless of their financial situation, Casey notes, \u201ca vital element of the college\u2019s $500 million comprehensive fundraising campaign\u2014now in its leadership phase\u2014is to raise a minimum of $100 million in gifts to expand the college\u2019s financial aid endowment.\u201d As of December 2022, more than $55 million toward that $100 million goal has been reached.<\/p>\n
The Trinity Reporter<\/em> checked in with some of the individuals who are committed to advocating for Trinity\u2019s ambitious financial aid goals and to welcoming exceptional students from around the country and across the globe. We also spoke with a few of the many students for whom financial aid and scholarships have been transformative.<\/p>\n
THE POWER OF FINANCIAL AID AND SCHOLARSHIPS<\/h3>\nKelli Harrington Tomlinson \u201994, second from right, with Tomlinson Family Foundation Scholars Phoe Shui Se \u201925, Maria Vicuna \u201924, and Nanci Lopez Flores \u201923 Photo by Stan Godlewski<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u201cI care deeply about educational equality, which is access to education,\u201d says Trinity Trustee Kelli Harrington Tomlinson \u201994 of Atherton, California. \u201cI think education is a great equalizer, but it can\u2019t be a great equalizer unless a student has access to that education.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a member of Trinity\u2019s Financial Aid Campaign Committee, Tomlinson, who majored in political science and minored in performing arts, says she and her fellow committee volunteers recognize that financial aid and scholarships are powerful in many ways and that different donors are motivated to support financial aid for different reasons.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know that many bright, motivated students do not have the ability to pay full tuition and can only consider Trinity if their financial needs are met,\u201d says Tomlinson. \u201cAlso, as Trinity has increased its financial aid resources, we have seen the academic quality of our student body grow stronger and stronger. We have the data showing the correlation between the investment in financial aid and the growth in the strength of our classes. And that\u2019s been echoed by members of the faculty, who describe the greater levels of intellectual engagement and discourse they\u2019ve seen in their classrooms.\u201d<\/p>\n
In her role as founder and co-president of the Tomlinson Family Foundation, Tomlinson focuses on the nonprofit sector. A member of Trinity\u2019s Board of Trustees since 2019, she also serves on the board of Challenge Success, a nonprofit affiliated with the Stanford University Graduate School of Education. Previously, she was a board member and board chair of The Girls\u2019 Middle School, a STEM-focused girls\u2019 school in Palo Alto.<\/p>\nPhoto by Stan Godlewski<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Along with husband Steffan C. Tomlinson \u201994, Tomlinson recently established a Trinity scholarship fund, with the first three scholars\u2014all Hartford residents\u2014named in fall 2022: Nanci Lopez Flores \u201923, majoring in political science and urban studies; Maria Vicuna \u201924, majoring in educational studies; and Phoe Shui Se \u201925, who intends to major in neuroscience.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy and Steffan\u2019s giving to support financial aid and scholarships both at Trinity and in California has focused on allowing access to some of the best schools to students who otherwise couldn\u2019t afford it, especially those who live within the community surrounding the school,\u201d says Tomlinson. \u201cWhat especially resonates for me is the gift of education and trying to do well by the school, in terms of its needs and goals with that gift.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018THE BEST THING THAT\u2019S EVER HAPPENED\u2019<\/h3>\n
Economics major Stan Cardona Toledo \u201923 believes strongly in the extent to which one person\u2019s encouragement and support can change another person\u2019s outlook and future prospects.<\/p>\n
Growing up in New York City, Cardona Toledo experienced a childhood of intermittent homelessness. At age 15, he moved to Connecticut and began attending Bristol Central High School. He sought new opportunities, which led to being accepted into a paid summer youth employment program that Tim Walsh \u201985, P\u201915, who grew up in Bristol, had established with the local United Way.<\/p>\n
Cardona Toledo also worked in Hartford at Journey Home, an organization striving to end homelessness, and he became involved in the Boys & Girls Club of Bristol. In 2019, he was recognized as the club\u2019s Youth of the Year, which led to him doing public speaking on behalf of the club during his senior year of high school.<\/p>\nStan Cardona Toledo \u201923 Photo by Stan Godlewski<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Cardona Toledo remembers when Walsh came to speak with the teens participating in the summer employment program. Walsh shared how financial aid helped him enroll at Trinity, where he had an amazing experience, majored in economics, and went on to a successful career in private equity. \u201cHe\u2019s been inspirational for me,\u201d Cardona Toledo says of Walsh, a member of Trinity\u2019s Financial Aid Campaign Committee and a former Trinity trustee, who established, along with wife Mary Casner Walsh, a scholarship fund that supports Cardona Toledo\u2019s education.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know where I\u2019d be without Trinity\u2014it\u2019s the best thing that\u2019s ever happened to me,\u201d says Cardona Toledo. \u201cBefore my senior year of high school, I didn\u2019t plan on college.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adds Cardona Toledo, who works in Trinity\u2019s Advancement Office, \u201cI fully appreciate what it means when donors like Mr. Walsh support the next generation of students\u2014it takes away a huge burden and allows students to experience the kind of positive impact a Trinity education has on people.\u201d<\/p>\n
FOSTERING A SENSE OF BELONGING<\/h3>\n
\u201cFrom my vantage point, the more access we have to financial aid resources, the better and more relevant and powerful Trinity becomes,\u201d says Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Matthew Hyde, who joined Trinity in July 2022 from Lafayette College.<\/p>\n
\u201cCreating access and opportunity for students from all different backgrounds\u2014culturally, ethnically, and socioeconomically\u2014is key, and so is being able to foster a sense of belonging,\u201d says Hyde. \u201cIt\u2019s challenging for students on significant levels of financial aid to truly feel like they belong, when others don\u2019t need to think twice about accessing funds if someone says, \u2018Hey let\u2019s go out to dinner,\u2019 or \u2018Let\u2019s go on this trip.\u2019 For a number of students, additional resources make the difference between surviving and thriving at college.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrinity is fortunate to have a broad spectrum of scholarship opportunities bringing exceptional students to our campus,\u201d continues Hyde. \u201cDonors such as the Borges family, which contributed $10 million to provide financial aid resources for outstanding students, allow us to maximize our ability to craft communities with as much dimension, diversity, and talent as possible.\u201d [The Borges family\u2019s gift was featured in the spring 2022 Trinity Reporter.<\/em>]<\/p>\n
Hyde notes that Trinity has benefited from the generosity of numerous Trinity alumni, families, and friends who have created or donated toward scholarships, such as those that bring Illinois Scholars and Class of 1963 Scholars to campus year after year. \u201cWe\u2019re also proud to be part of the world-famous Davis United World College (UWC) Scholars Program, through which high-achieving international students come to Trinity,\u201d he says. Recognizing the value Davis UWC Scholars bring, Trinity has made concerted efforts in recent years to grow its participation. Between 2010 and 2022, 40 Davis UWC Scholars have graduated from Trinity, and the number of these scholars at Trinity has increased markedly in recent years. For the 2022\u201323 academic year, 78 Davis UWC Scholars are studying at Trinity.<\/p>\n
FOLLOWING ONE\u2019S ASPIRATIONS<\/h3>\nAnahit Avagyan \u201924<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
For Anahit Avagyan \u201924, it was a challenge to explain to others in her home country her keen interest in studying computer science. \u201cIn Armenia, computer science is seen as a man\u2019s job,\u201d she says. \u201cSo, when I was 16 and mentioned computer science to my friend, she asked, \u2018Do your parents know about this?\u2019 And when I told my grandma, she responded, \u2018But you\u2019re a girl, how can you imagine doing computer science?\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
Fortunately, Avagyan\u2019s parents encouraged her to follow her aspirations. She was accepted into the Davis UWC Scholars Program and attended the UWC Dilijan College in Armenia, along with hundreds of international students from around the globe. \u201cIf I didn\u2019t receive financial aid, if I didn\u2019t get the Davis UWC Scholarship, my family was not going to be able to support me financially to study at Trinity, my dream college. If I had to stay in Armenia, maybe computer science would not have been my path,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Due to the pandemic, her first Trinity semester was conducted online, and she says she always will remember participating in classes from Armenia, including \u201cIntroduction to Computer Science\u201d with Professor of Computer Science Peter Yoon. \u201cI fell in love with the course, and Professor Yoon was wonderful,\u201d says Avagyan. \u201cI would stay up until 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. just trying to solve a problem. Every time, I would say, \u2018Mom, do you know what happened? I just solved this problem!\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
In spring 2021, Avagyan arrived on campus and took a course on data structures and algorithms with Associate Professor of Computer Science Ewa Syta. \u201cShe\u2019s been a great support. As she is interested in cybersecurity, we talked about it, and I became interested, too,\u201d says Avagyan, who served as Syta\u2019s teaching assistant and was recommended by her for two internships. \u201cThe first was at Trinity, working on enrolling multifactor authentication for the whole student body,\u201d says Avagyan. Then, Hybrid Pathways, the IT company working with Trinity on the project, offered Avagyan a summer internship at its downtown Hartford office. \u201cIf you look at the numbers,\u201d she says, \u201cthere are very few women in cybersecurity, so I was excited to work with this company.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adds Avagyan, \u201cI think seeing female professors in STEM fields like Professor Syta and President Berger-Sweeney . . . you understand that if they can do it as women, and they have this courage, they have this strength\u2014then you can do it as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
A GAME-CHANGING INITIATIVE<\/h3>\n
In September 2022, Trinity and the Schuler Education Foundation announced that Trinity is among five colleges selected for the second year of the Schuler Access Initiative. This matching grant partnership promises to raise $60 million to support high-achieving, low-income students enrolling at Trinity\u2014a significant opportunity to enroll a greater number of exceptionally talented, largely first-generation, students, regardless of their financial circumstances.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have the capacity to make a fundamental difference in the lives of these amazing students and in the lives of everyone who interacts with them,\u201d says Trinity President Joanne Berger-Sweeney. \u201cBy capitalizing on this rare opportunity, we will make Trinity stronger and ultimately serve the public good.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Schuler Foundation will contribute $20 million for current financial aid, to be spent over 10 years, that Trinity will match by raising $40 million in permanent endowment both for financial aid and for academic and co-curricular programs to support the participating students. The program will focus on students with the highest financial need, those eligible for Pell grants, and undocumented students.<\/p>\nHenry Chavez \u201918<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
As Henry Chavez \u201918 noted upon the announcement of Trinity\u2019s receipt of the Schuler grant, \u201cFinancial aid is important because it gives you the opportunity to say, \u2018I can knock on that door and see what\u2019s behind there.\u2019 \u201d Chavez, who came to the United States from El Salvador when he was 2, double majored in political science and urban studies at Trinity and now works as a senior performance agency manager at Google. \u201cI would tell the Schuler Foundation . . . \u00a0thank you,\u201d says Chavez. \u201cThank you for believing in students who come from very different walks of life, that there are people out there who see and recognize the unique set of challenges that they have and who are committed to developing them to be the leaders of tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
Says Casey, \u201cThis is a game-changer. Leveraging the generosity of Trinity donors, the Schuler grant will substantially expand opportunities for talented low-income students, and this will benefit our entire campus community for generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
THE NET RESULT<\/h3>\n
\u201cTrinity\u2019s financial aid goals and all of the strategies we\u2019re employing to meet these goals are about opening our doors as widely as possible,\u201d says Casey. \u201cThe Schuler Access Initiative focuses on talented students who have the greatest need. The Davis UWC Scholarship Program is bringing fabulous international students to Trinity. The Borges family\u2019s gift will provide support for a wide range of exceptional students and ensure that others can benefit from the same kind of life-changing educations they received. The Walshes are making sure that terrific students from Bristol, where Tim grew up, can join our community, while the Tomlinsons are giving opportunities to students from our own backyard here in Hartford. There are more examples, of course, but the net result of all of these efforts is that we are able to enroll incredibly talented and diverse\u2014in every way\u2014students who can best take advantage of the remarkable education that Trinity offers.\u201d<\/p>\n
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