{"id":7025,"date":"2026-05-13T11:25:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T15:25:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/?page_id=7025"},"modified":"2026-05-13T11:25:01","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T15:25:01","slug":"volunter-spotlight","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/winter-2022\/along-the-walk\/volunter-spotlight\/","title":{"rendered":"Volunter Spotlight"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Kathy Andrews<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"
Elissa Raether Kovas \u201993, P\u201925 was named one of Trinity\u2019s 50 for the Next 50, a 2020 initiative celebrating the 50th anniversary of coeducation at the college and honoring 50 women who will have a lasting impact on the next 50 years of the institution. Photo by Nick Caito<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When it comes to volunteering for her alma mater, Elissa Raether Kovas \u201993, P\u201925 says all the opportunities to personally connect with Trinity alumni, parents, and students are what really resonate with her.<\/p>\n

At Trinity, Kovas double majored in interdisciplinary studies and history\u2014medieval studies and art history were favorites\u2014and competed with the alpine ski team. When her son, Reed Kovas \u201925, began considering colleges, she was interested to see, through his eyes, how Trinity differentiated itself. \u201cHe liked Trinity\u2019s urban-global approach. And he was impressed that when he met my friends from Trinity, he heard about different internships and jobs they had during college,\u201d says Kovas.<\/p>\n

Kovas has spent her career in the fashion industry and owns a clothing company, Shellkare, so it\u2019s not surprising that she worked at Ann Taylor during college. She points out that two close friends interned at the Wadsworth Atheneum. \u201cEventually they parlayed that experience and their Trinity degrees into working at Sotheby\u2019s.\u201d Says Kovas, \u201cA lot of people don\u2019t realize that the Atheneum is one of the finest small museums in America.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kovas is passionate about squash, which she took up about four years ago, after her husband and Reed convinced her to try it. She started playing doubles, became hooked, and soon began volunteering with MetroSquash, a Chicago-based urban youth squash and academic program, for which she serves as a board member. Reed volunteered with MetroSquash, too, helping coach younger kids on the court and with their studies. She is delighted that he will play squash at Trinity and that there are opportunities with Capitol Squash, based on campus, for student-athletes to be involved in providing life-changing opportunities for Hartford youth through squash and academic mentoring.<\/p>\n

As co-chair (along with Peter Duncan \u201983, P\u201913, \u201914) of Trinity\u2019s athletics fundraising campaign, Kovas talks with many Trinity community members about the importance of the student-athlete experience. The campaign aims to raise $65 million by the college\u2019s bicentennial in 2023\u2014for facilities modernization, to endow the athletics program, and in annual support for teams. Says Kovas, \u201cWe need as much help as possible\u2014not just monetary help, but testimonials and networking assistance can make a big difference, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kovas was pleased to attend the September ribbon cutting for the Tansill Muldoon Stadium at Jessee\/Miller and Robin L. Sheppard fields and is enthused about renovations that successful fundraising will make possible at Ferris Athletic Center, including state-of-the-art squash facilities. \u201cTrinity\u2019s coaches and kids work so hard. They do an amazing job with the facilities we have, but it\u2019s time to upgrade.\u201d Adds Kovas, \u201cSports are a key component of the Trinity experience. And during COVID, it\u2019s been one of the few outlets the kids have had to keep their mental health strong.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kovas also is a class agent and past member of Trinity\u2019s Board of Fellows and the Long Walk Societies Committee. For several years she has been an admissions volunteer in Chicago, where she often represents Trinity in person. \u201cWe\u2019re in the land of the Big Ten,\u201d she says. \u201cOur high schools are huge, and sometimes outside of the Northeast, parents don\u2019t understand the value of the NESCAC [New England Small College Athletic Conference] or a small liberal arts college.\u201d<\/p>\n

With her son now at Trinity, Kovas anticipates traveling to campus more frequently from the family\u2019s home in Lake Bluff, Illinois. \u201cI love the volunteering that we\u2019re doing, and I know that a lot of my fellow alumni and parents feel strongly about it, too.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Kathy Andrews When it comes to volunteering for her alma mater, Elissa Raether Kovas \u201993, P\u201925 says all the opportunities to personally connect with Trinity alumni, parents, and students are what really resonate with her. At Trinity, Kovas double majored in interdisciplinary studies and history\u2014medieval studies and art history were favorites\u2014and competed with the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":0,"parent":6967,"menu_order":7,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7025","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nVolunter Spotlight - The Trinity Reporter<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/winter-2022\/along-the-walk\/volunter-spotlight\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Volunter Spotlight\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Kathy Andrews When it comes to volunteering for her alma mater, Elissa Raether Kovas \u201993, P\u201925 says all the opportunities to personally connect with Trinity alumni, parents, and students are what really resonate with her. At Trinity, Kovas double majored in interdisciplinary studies and history\u2014medieval studies and art history were favorites\u2014and competed with the […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/winter-2022\/along-the-walk\/volunter-spotlight\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Trinity Reporter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/143\/2026\/05\/NEW-W22-Kovas-286x300-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"286\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/winter-2022\/along-the-walk\/volunter-spotlight\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/winter-2022\/along-the-walk\/volunter-spotlight\/\",\"name\":\"Volunter Spotlight - The Trinity Reporter\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/winter-2022\/along-the-walk\/volunter-spotlight\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/winter-2022\/along-the-walk\/volunter-spotlight\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/143\/2026\/05\/NEW-W22-Kovas-286x300-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-13T15:25:01+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/winter-2022\/along-the-walk\/volunter-spotlight\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/winter-2022\/along-the-walk\/volunter-spotlight\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/winter-2022\/along-the-walk\/volunter-spotlight\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/143\/2026\/05\/NEW-W22-Kovas-286x300-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/143\/2026\/05\/NEW-W22-Kovas-286x300-1.jpg\",\"width\":286,\"height\":300,\"caption\":\"Elissa Raether Kovas \u201993, P\u201925 was named one of Trinity\u2019s 50 for the Next 50, a 2020 initiative celebrating the 50th anniversary of coeducation at the college and honoring 50 women who will have a lasting impact on the next 50 years of the institution. Photo by Nick Caito\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/winter-2022\/along-the-walk\/volunter-spotlight\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Trinity Reporter Winter 2022\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/winter-2022\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Along the Walk\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/winter-2022\/along-the-walk\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Volunter Spotlight\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/\",\"name\":\"The Trinity Reporter\",\"description\":\"The Trinity College alumni magazine\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Volunter Spotlight - The Trinity Reporter","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/winter-2022\/along-the-walk\/volunter-spotlight\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Volunter Spotlight","og_description":"By Kathy Andrews When it comes to volunteering for her alma mater, Elissa Raether Kovas \u201993, P\u201925 says all the opportunities to personally connect with Trinity alumni, parents, and students are what really resonate with her. At Trinity, Kovas double majored in interdisciplinary studies and history\u2014medieval studies and art history were favorites\u2014and competed with the […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/winter-2022\/along-the-walk\/volunter-spotlight\/","og_site_name":"The Trinity Reporter","og_image":[{"width":286,"height":300,"url":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/143\/2026\/05\/NEW-W22-Kovas-286x300-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/winter-2022\/along-the-walk\/volunter-spotlight\/","url":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/winter-2022\/along-the-walk\/volunter-spotlight\/","name":"Volunter Spotlight - The Trinity Reporter","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/winter-2022\/along-the-walk\/volunter-spotlight\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/winter-2022\/along-the-walk\/volunter-spotlight\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/143\/2026\/05\/NEW-W22-Kovas-286x300-1.jpg","datePublished":"2026-05-13T15:25:01+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/winter-2022\/along-the-walk\/volunter-spotlight\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/winter-2022\/along-the-walk\/volunter-spotlight\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/winter-2022\/along-the-walk\/volunter-spotlight\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/143\/2026\/05\/NEW-W22-Kovas-286x300-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/143\/2026\/05\/NEW-W22-Kovas-286x300-1.jpg","width":286,"height":300,"caption":"Elissa Raether Kovas \u201993, P\u201925 was named one of Trinity\u2019s 50 for the Next 50, a 2020 initiative celebrating the 50th anniversary of coeducation at the college and honoring 50 women who will have a lasting impact on the next 50 years of the institution. Photo by Nick Caito"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/winter-2022\/along-the-walk\/volunter-spotlight\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Trinity Reporter Winter 2022","item":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/winter-2022\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Along the Walk","item":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/winter-2022\/along-the-walk\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Volunter Spotlight"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/","name":"The Trinity Reporter","description":"The Trinity College alumni magazine","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7025","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7025"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7025\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7033,"href":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7025\/revisions\/7033"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}