Trinity People

In a perfect convergence of his Trinity College majors in neuroscience and German, Nic Zacharewski ’23 is spending his summer as a brain cancer research intern at a lab in Heidelberg, Germany, and writing about the experience in a blog.

President Joanne Berger-Sweeney has announced the appointment of four new trustees to the Trinity College Board of Trustees. They are: LaTanya Langley ’95, H’17; Jamie Tracey Szal ’06; William G. Thomas III ’86, P’20; and James Yu ’87. In addition, Lisa Bisaccia ’78 took over as chair of the board. They began their terms on July 1, 2021.

When Associate Professor of Psychology David A. Reuman retired, his daughter surprised him with a book called ‘Professor Reuman’s Lasting Lessons.’ The compilation included 40 written contributions from David’s former students, colleagues, and family members.

Esther Appiah ’21 will travel to Côte d’Ivoire in January 2022 through the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) program, which places grant recipients in classrooms in foreign countries to help teach English and serve as cultural ambassadors for the United States.

Ten tenure-track faculty members will begin new appointments at Trinity College on July 1, 2021, bringing diverse research interests and expertise to campus. “This is an exceptional group of faculty members we’re adding to our ranks,” said Acting Dean of the Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs Sonia Cardenas.

Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Bridget Mary McCormack ’88 H’13 recently joined Trinity College President Joanne Berger-Sweeney for a Virtual Long Walk conversation about her journey from Hartford to the bench of Michigan’s highest court.

As the chief of staff to Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, Paul Mounds Jr. ’07 is helping to manage the state government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, Mounds talks about his dedication to public service, his connections to Hartford, and why he’s proud to be a Bantam.

The former Trinity College women’s basketball player and three-year captain, Jess Sims ’10, talks with Liz Althoff ’22, current captain of the women’s basketball team, and shares important tips to finding the right path.

Kristine Belson ’86, president of Sony Pictures Animation, joins Trinity College President Joanne Berger-Sweeney for an animated conversation about her days in Hartford and her entertainment career in Hollywood.

Trinity College student Tiana Starks ’21 spoke recently with Hartford Promise about her experience making the transition from Hartford’s Global Communications Academy to the Trinity campus. “Every time I went on Trinity’s campus, I felt a sense of belonging,” she told Walter Harrison ’68, H’18, co-chair of the Hartford Promise Board of Directors and a Trinity trustee.

“My country is going through rough times,” said Daniel Santos Ramírez ’23, a Trinity College student from Caracas, Venezuela. “I came to Trinity and the U.S. to get skills and training to help make things better back home.” Santos Ramírez has co-founded a project called Yakera, an online platform empowering Venezuelans to create fundraising campaigns and access donations from around the world.

Julia Burdulis ’21 found a strong sense of community at Trinity, especially as a member of the Bantam cross country and track and field teams. ‘I do not think I could have done what I’ve been able to accomplish without my teammates,’ Burdulis said.

Maddy White ’22 is involved with the college’s TrinVotes! initiative to help students register and vote this November. She’s passionate about voter rights and wants to eliminate barriers faced by first-time and absentee voters.

With his summer plans upended by the pandemic, Trinity College senior Jeff Sagun ’21 created the Intercollegiate Neuroscience Research Journal Club, a 10-week online program that provides students around the world with access to current neuroscience-related research papers.

Maggie MacAlpine ’09, the co-founder of a company that offers election security services, is featured in the HBO documentary film ‘Kill Chain: The Cyber War on America’s Elections.’

Not every 22-year-old can say he’s educated some of the most important legal decision makers in his state. For John Lawson ’20, a first-year law student at Harvard Law School and a recent Trinity graduate, this statement rings true.

Trinity College baseball tri-captain Matt Koperniak ’20, who graduated last month and was set to use his final year of eligibility playing for Division I Kansas State University in 2021, has signed a free agent contract with Major League Baseball’s St. Louis Cardinals. He is the first Bantam to sign an MLB contract in 10 years.

Rose Rodriguez ’15, M’18, Trinity’s first sustainability coordinator, has been doing her job remotely by connecting with students and others through Zoom and social media. Here, Rodriguez recounts a recent day and reflects on her experiences supporting virtual events and maintaining a work/life balance while at home during the pandemic.

Kabelo Motsoeneng ’20 has spent 18 months working on his first full-length novel, which is scheduled to be published later this year. Motsoeneng integrated the revisions for his novel into a semester-long senior thesis project at Trinity.

Jyles Romer ’20, a psychology and sociology double-major from the Bahamas, has remained on campus even as classes continue remotely. Here, as Romer recounts a recent day, he reflects on his four years at Trinity, his goals, and what it’s like to live and learn during a global pandemic.

Tiana Starks ’21 has been named a Campus Compact 2020-21 Newman Civic Fellow for the leadership and civic engagement she has demonstrated in her work with the Liberal Arts Action Lab, the Trinity College Black Women’s Organization, the Obama Foundation Community Leadership Corps, Trinfo Café, and much more.

“I can’t wait for in-person classes to resume, but remote learning is obviously better than canceling classes, so I want to give my students everything I can to allow their education to continue,” says Assistant Professor of Engineering Clayton Byers. Here, Byers recounts a recent day and reflects on the experiences of conducting a review session, advising, and teaching remotely.

Basketball player and All-American shot put thrower Peace Kabari ’20 shares the unique experiences of her life, which began in a refugee camp. Kabari is a student leader who promotes diversity and inclusion at Trinity and represents the best of the Bantams, all with her ‘gracious and grateful’ attitude.

Min Jie Teh ’21 had no plans to play squash in college, nor did she expect her artistic interests to take her very far. Now, Teh boasts a 43-8 career record for Trinity squash and is pursuing her artistic hobbies through the school’s studio art program––all while pursuing a degree in computer science.

Soon after they graduated from Trinity last spring, Jessica Duong ’19 and Joshua Corbo ’19 set out to rural Cambodia to build a playground and facilitate a soccer workshop for children in the village of Bech Khlok. The project was supported by a grant from Davis Projects for Peace, a program through which college students can make an impact on the world.

New to campus last fall, the members of the Class of 2023—Trinity’s Bicentennial Class—come to the college with diverse backgrounds and interests. Whether from down the street or the other side of the globe, the students bring with them a desire to explore the world and expand their horizons.

Bryant McBride ’88, P’20 has learned a lot from National Hockey League (NHL) player Willie O’Ree—the first black player in the NHL—and he’s passing on some of those lessons in Willie, the new feature-length documentary that he produced.

An internship at Collins Aerospace in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, gave Maria Boucher ’20 and Katherine Bullock ’20 the opportunity to help redesign Collins’ portable life support system (PLSS) for its next generation space suit.

Associate Professor of Psychology Laura Holt ’00 and her Trinity students study the psychology of vaping.

Electrical engineering major Skyler Szot ’21 has a semester-long internship in California at the Armstrong Flight Research Center, NASA’s premier atmospheric test flight center. In this Q&A, Szot shares some of his thoughts and experiences from the internship.

As the creators and hosts of the ‘American Girls’ podcast, Trinity College alumnae Allison Horrocks ’09 and Mary Mahoney ’09 have found a way to tie together their childhood passion and their professions as historians.

Trinity College Vernon D. Roosa Professor of Applied Science Susan A. Masino is blazing a trail in neuroscience and conservation. She insists that applied science be pursued with an approach of “fearless kindness.” To do so, she asks, “How can science make ourselves better, make our lives better, and make our planet better?”

Wendy Salto ’22, a rising sophomore from Chicago, had the opportunity this summer to work as one of two social media interns with Infosys InStep in Bangalore, India.

Associate Professor of Classical Studies Meredith E. Safran digs deeper into how classical myths are recreated in modern media

Trinity students are making the most of the summer with a wide variety of internships that add new depth to their academic pursuits. Here, some Bantams talk about what they are doing this summer and what the experiences mean for their future paths at Trinity and beyond.

It would be difficult to find a member of the Trinity College community who has never heard the bells of the historic Trinity Chapel. Ellen Dickinson—musician, composer, and college carillonneur at Trinity—is the woman behind that music and has served the college for a decade.

Jacqueline Rabe Thomas M’17, who earned her master of arts in public policy at Trinity College, was recently named one of seven journalists in the U.S. to receive a yearlong grant from ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom that aims to produce investigative journalism in the public interest.

As a member of the Trinity Boxing Club, Imane Bounana ’20 is the first female boxer to represent Trinity.

Jason Rojas M’12 balances his time working at Trinity College and representing the 9th Assembly District at the Connecticut State Capitol in downtown Hartford.

Kathryn Wojcik enjoys working with students from social houses and Greek-letter and cultural organizations.

Craig Schneider, Charles A. Dana Professor of Biology, talks about his work outside of the classroom and how he helps students see that there’s more to science than what’s written in a journal.

RJ Chadha ’20 knew he wanted to pursue scientific research at Trinity, but he didn’t know how quickly he could make his mark on the scientific community.

Assistant Professor of Religious Studies Gabriel Hornung ’07 is enjoying his new role on campus as an alumnus and a professor.

Bantam Elias Kagabo ’20, a biomedical engineering major from Rwanda, has a “deep love” for education, and he’s working to turn his ideas for educational access in rural parts of Rwanda into action with plans for a youth mentoring program.

Patience is a virtue and that famous saying would certainly apply in the case of Trinity College women’s golf senior co-captain Sarah Vimini ’19.

Eddie Hayes ’20 is a student who cannot be defined as just one thing. He’s a leader both on campus and in his work as the CEO of Underscore, a digital outlet that showcases and connects up-and-coming artists who want to promote their talents

Ukuch Gabriel Ligol ’19 uses ‘Projects for Peace’ grant to encourage partnership and cooperation in region torn by tribal wars

Karraine V. Moody ’01 first volunteered with Hartford Area Habitat for Humanity while a student at Trinity. Many current Trinity students are following in her footsteps.

Supporting the LGBTQ+ community on campus, Director of LGBTQ+ Life Carrie Robinson leads Trinity’s Queer Resource Center

Coffee has the opportunity to do a lot of good. Hartford has a lot of positive momentum.

Ali Odermann ’21 helps Team IMPACT match up Trinity sports teams with children living with serious illnesses

Channeling his personal history into his pursuits as a storyteller and filmmaker, visiting assistant professor of film studies, Ian Harnarine works to demystify the film process for his students.

Whether on the squash court, in the classroom, or at her summer internship, Salma T. Alam El Din ’20 is all business.

By combining engineering, urban studies, and a vision for helping the public good, Joseph Orosco, Jr. ’19 is working to uncover new ways to make life in cities affordable and sustainable.

With Sandy Hook Promise, Nicole Hockley ’92 seeks to save young lives.

With Eight Million Stories, Marvin Pierre ’06 guides previously incarcerated youth.

Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist and editor Bill Marimow ’69 H’16 discovered the power of words early in his career.

Whether researching two-foot-long hellbender salamanders in Pennsylvania or studying long-term changes in a Missouri river turtle community, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Biology Amber Pitt invites her Trinity students to join in her fieldwork adventures.

Professor Sam Kassow ’66 wants students to understand why history matters.