Trinity 125: Scholarship, Celebration!

President McGuire’s 125th Anniversary Newsletter, June 2022

Dear Alumnae and Alumni, Family and Friends,

On three glorious May days, we celebrated commencements for the Classes of 2022, 2021 and 2020 on the front lawn at Trinity. Joining this year’s 344 graduates were dozens of graduates from those earlier years when the pandemic prevented in-person celebrations. Since Spring 2020 Trinity has awarded nearly 1,000 undergraduate and graduate degrees. See videos and photos of the three commencements on Trinity’s website.

Our most recent graduates are so grateful for the support and inspiration they have received during their Trinity days. In the annual graduation survey, the Class of 2022 wrote:

• “Trinity has given me hope and inspiration as I continue my new journey as an early childhood educator.”
• “Trinity is one of the most welcoming, heart-warming, family-oriented institutions I have ever been a part of.”
• “I have had an amazing time at Trinity…I have met some of the nicest, kindest, humblest, patient, professional, compassionate, and overall wonderful people this planet possesses.”
• “Trinity gave me an opportunity to study and graduate at a four-year university with no loans! For that, I am forever grateful to the donors who graciously support our school.”

Class of 2022 Marching Forward

Michelle Vasquez

Among the many success stories in the Class of 2022, these are wonderful examples of the academic achievements and professional direction of our newest alumnae and alumni:

• Naomi Jones, BA in English and Economics magna cum laude, Mary Boyle McCrory Award for Excellence in Writing, heading to law school.
• Julia Yen, BA in Human Relations cum laude, Psi Chi, starting in the MSW Program at the University of Maryland.
• Sharron-Rose Kisalu, Bachelor of Science in Nursing cum laude, a Conway Scholar and Shannon Scholar, will start her Nursing career at Holy Cross Hospital-Germantown as a Mother-Baby/NICU registered nurse.
• Michelle Vasquez, BA in Political Science summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Pi Sigma Alpha, will spend next year with Accenture before heading to graduate school; Michelle also gave a dazzling commencement speech on behalf of her classmates.
• Katherine Dunkley, BS in Biology summa cum laude, Clare Boothe Luce Scholar, Shannon Scholar, Katherine Johnson Award winner.
• Sofia Ocampo-Morales, BA in International Affairs, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, heading to Switzerland to study at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva.
• Sholachauntel Shoda, BA in International Affairs, Phi Alpha Theta, Generation Hope Scholar, will pursue her Ph.D. at Morgan State.

Nursing Students Featured in the Catholic News Service

Persistence, resilience and commitment characterize Trinity’s Nursing graduates. Thanks to the Catholic News Service, a story featuring six members of the Nursing Class of 2022 appeared in Catholic newspapers around the country and online, including a terrific video.

Take a minute to read this great story: Nursing school graduates say pandemic confirmed their career choice.

Spring 2022 Symposia and Research Day

Major academic events showcased the excellence of Trinity students and faculty during the Spring 2022 semester, signature events to kick off Trinity’s 125th Anniversary:

Mellon Symposium on Global Perspectives on Race and Racism: Across two days in March, this symposium funded through the Mellon Foundation grant for the Trinity Global Leadership Initiative brought faculty and students together in-person and online for presentations and discussions focusing on issues of diversity in diplomacy and defense, immigration and globalization, environmental justice, public health and other issues. Trinity alumnae in professional careers in international affairs joined the discussion about the importance of widening career pipelines for women of color in diplomacy and international affairs, including Sydney Cross ’10 on assignment for the State Department in Ottawa, and Martha (Muni) Jensen ’92 with the Albright Stonebridge Group.

Luce Colloquium on Inclusive Excellence: Led by Trinity’s faculty and students in the sciences, the two-day Luce Colloquium in April highlighted the results of the $1 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to promote greater access and success for women of color in the STEM disciplines through adopting inclusive excellence pedagogy. The Henry Luce Foundation funded the Colloquium. Trinity is proud to be part of the Clare Boothe Luce Program for women in the sciences, and we have had many Luce Scholars and Professors over the years.

Dr. Mariko Silver, president of the Luce Foundation, gave wonderful opening remarks in which she said, “I have never seen anything so committed, so deeply embedded in the thinking of the institution as what I saw at Trinity …If everyone were to do what Trinity is doing, then not only would there be greater equity and greater excellence in STEM and a more inclusive culture…but truly the world would be a better place; we would have more ideas, we would have more inspired leaders and, yes, we would have more equity and we would have, frankly, more justice.”

Research Day 2022: Along with the Luce Colloquium, 52 students from the sciences and other disciplines presented the results of their research projects in poster displays and presentations on topics ranging from cancer research to the Flint water crisis to urban environmental hazards. Master’s degree students in the Counseling Program gave presentations on their research in an evening program entitled, “Interrupting Systemic, Structural and Institutional Racism on Human Health and Well-Being: Advocating for a Better Normal.”

Honors, Awards and Internships

Katherine Johnson Award for Excellence in Science and Mathematics: Trinity alumna Jurate Kazickas ’64 created the Johnson Award to encourage Trinity women of color to emulate the excellence and creativity of the great NASA mathematician who was one of the “Hidden Figures” in the early space program. This year’s inaugural awardees include Katherine Dunkley ’22 (Biology), Azucena Molina ’23 (Biochemistry), Micheyla Stoney ’24 (Forensic Science), and Stephanie Matamoros ’25 (Forensic Science).

The Middlebury Nuclear Nonproliferation Fellowship is a competitive summer study program in Monterey, CA, at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. International Affairs major Deborah Delcid ’23 will spend this summer in Monterey with fellows from other universities conducting research on nuclear issues and international security.

The Sister Seton Cunneen SNDdeN Fellowship, supported by the Maurice Robinson Foundation, provides opportunities for summer experiences in social justice settings. This year’s Cunneen Fellows are: Karla L. Nunez-Perez ’24 who will experience service-learning with the Latino Student Fund in DC; and Oluwatobiloba Elizabeth Ayodeji ’24 who will serve at the Latin American Youth Center in D.C. This is the 26th year of the Sr. Seton Cunneen Fellowship.

Potomac River Keepers Network Internship is a remarkable experiential learning opportunity for students in Environmental Justice. Yesica Tumax ’24, a Biochemistry major with a minor in Bioinformatics, is the inaugural PRKN intern this summer. We are grateful to Dan Murrin for funding this internship.

Science majors will participate in a range of science summer research experiences. Five students are NASA scholars, a joint program of Trinity and American University funded by a NASA grant. Other students will conduct research with scholars in laboratories at Michigan State, the University of Arizona, the Keck Graduate Institute, Georgetown, and here at Trinity.

Equitable Pathways Program: Trinity has also received a $250,000 grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to develop a partnership with Johns Hopkins University to strengthen pathways for women of color in the sciences to enter and succeed in graduate school. Trinity Biochemistry Professor Dr. Patrice Moss leads this program.

125th Anniversary Celebration and All-Alumnae Reunion: October 26-29, 2022

We are planning an exciting and intellectually rich program to celebrate Trinity’s 125th Anniversary in October. ALL alumnae and alumni are invited to participate and celebrate their own class reunions. We will have more information about the programs, registration, class parties and hotels on Trinity’s Trinity 125 website later in June. Featured events include:

Wednesday and Thursday, October 26-27: Alumnae College

More than 40 courses will welcome alumnae and alumni to participate with students and faculty in class sessions on a wide range of topics ranging from Environmental Ethics to Data Analytics to literature on Victorian Women to Nursing simulation sessions and much more. The entire Alumnae College course schedule is available on the 125th Anniversary website.

Friday, October 28: Symposium on Environmental Justice

This symposium features an address by Yale Professor Mary Evelyn Tucker ’71, co-founder and director (with her husband Dr. John Grim) of the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology; Dr. Tucker has been an invaluable advisor for Trinity as we build our Environmental Justice program. The symposium will include Trinity student and faculty presentations, as well as presentations by Trinity partners in environmental organizations.

The Symposium will be followed by an evening reception for all alumnae, alumni and guests.

Saturday, October 29: 125th Anniversary Convocation and Reunion Celebration

• Convocation Celebrating the 125th Anniversary: Honoring Sisters of Notre Dame, Alumnae and Alumni and distinguished friends of Trinity!
• All-Alumnae and Alumni Reunion Luncheon in the Trinity Center: ALL classes welcome!
• 125th Anniversary Liturgy in Notre Dame Chapel

125th Anniversary Campaign: Renaissance of Alumnae Hall

We have continued making progress toward our funding goals for Trinity’s signature project for the 125th Anniversary – the Renaissance of Alumnae Hall. Several donors and 50th Reunion classes have already stepped up with early lead and advance contributions. The estimated $45 million project will modernize Alumnae Hall including air conditioning at long last, new plumbing and heating systems, new elevators and restrooms, a completely refurbished kitchen and servery for campus dining, new student residential rooms and lounges.

See the Alumnae Hall prospectus for further information including named and commemorative giving opportunities as well as planned gifts.

We Appreciate Your Annual Fund Support!

Thanks to so many generous alumnae and alumni, friends and parents, staff, faculty and student contributors, Trinity’s Annual Fund has reached new heights in fiscal 2021-2022. Overall levels of participation have increased 27% over last year, resulting in 209 new Trinity family members who have given this year, so far!

But we are not done yet. So, as we celebrate the success of welcoming and thanking so many new donors into the Trinity giving community, we must also double down to reach our total fiscal year funding goal of $950,000. To date, we are at 75% of our targeted yearly goal in unrestricted giving and have until JUNE 30, 2022 to bridge the gap! Please join so many other Trinity supporters in making a real difference in the lives of our students and faculty.

Make Your Gift to the Annual Fund Today! Give online or contact Ashley Bianchi at bianchia@trinitydc.edu or 202-884-9724.

Thank you for your generous support of Trinity and your commitment to the success of our students!

Gratefully, Patricia McGuire, President