Campus Life

In an effort to highlight some of my favorite memories, events and involvement at Trinity College, this page will touch on what I am calling campus life. One important discovery I made during college was that learning took place inside and outside the classroom.

This Chapel Life

 As I reflect on my time at Trinity, I realize that my involvement in the Chapel Community has played a huge role in my success. I have been a part of a student led worship group, attended services on Sundays, served as co-chair of the Charleston House of Interfaith Cooperation, worked the summer music series and was President of the Chapel Council. I went on interfaith trips to NYC and Hartford. I have gone on retreats with other Christian students on campus.

Here are some highlights from my four years:

• At some point, I wrote about Maundy Thursday and how strange it was to have my feet washed by the President of the College.
• This year, we had Global Christianity Sunday on Palm Sunday and students read parts of the service in different languages. We also did a procession with the African drum into the chapel. 
• I have helped with Lessons and Carols every year. I have been an acolyte and thurifer. This year, I was given the honors of reading at the 4:00 pm service. It was nerve-racking to be reading in front of all those people, but it reminded me of leading service at King of Glory.
• I traveled to Nashiville for an alternative spring break trip to learn about Thistle Farms. I learned about this organization and the work they do at the National Youth Gathering in 2009.
• I worked the Summer Music Series for two years. I had a great time hearing free music and meeting people who had been coming to the series for decades.
• Being exposed to different denominations that I attended an Episcopal church in Paris and a non-denominational church in Dakar.
• Being a part of one of the most diverse groups on campus.
• Having discussions about certain topics in a safe space.
• Seeing the same group of dedicated students every Sunday and other Chapel related events throughout the week.
• Realizing that Quest Scholars are very involved in the Chapel Community.
• Guest speakers in the Chapel.
• Getting access to 155 Allen Place and basically writing all of my theses there.
• Knowing that I am not ready to say good bye to these wonderful people that I met through Chapel and that it’s going to be weird not seeing them 2-3 times per week

 My Favorite Events on Campus 

College isn’t simply about the academics. Unlike high school, I had plenty of time to devote to extracurricular activities and social events. Whether it was a lecture hosted by a department or a social event hosted by an organization on campus, I had a reason to take a break from the homework. In this post, I list some of my favorite events on campus.

·         Hip Hop Festival

o   Every April, there are artists from around the world who do workshops and performances. It’s an event that definitely brings people from the community on Trinity’s campus.

·         International Show

o   Being an immigrant, I have always been interested in all things international. The International House puts together this event to showcase the diversity and talent among the international students.

·         Caribbean Fashion Show

o   I ended up randomly going to this event freshman year and I made sure to come back. I have learned a lot from programming by the Caribbean Student Association.

·         Spring Dance       

o   There are dances choreographed by students and faculty.

·         Plays or Musicals at the Austin Arts Center

o   In high school, I loved attending plays. I continued this tradition in college.

·         The French Film Festival

o   Every April, there’s a French Film festival. The final showing this year was Elza by the film director, Mariette Monpierre. We had a great discussion after the film with the director!

February 2015- Civil Disobedience Training 

One of the most memorable events on campus took place this past weekend. The Chapel Community had the pleasure of welcoming Pastor Sekou who has been involved in civil disobedience and the work in Ferguson. He led a common hour talk, preached on Sunday and conducted a civil disobedience event. I attended the civil disobedience talk because I was curious as to what was going on.

In talking about civil disobedience, we were also training for the Moral Monday event that was happening in Hartford. We were trained in the tactics that Pastor Sekou, his team and others use in the streets of Ferguson. We learned how to handle pepper spray. We learned how to be non-compliant when the police were arresting you. We learn so many other things and I could go on for hours. A part of the training that stuck with me was when we were learning about the police and how they go about arresting people at these events. As a short, Black woman, I was taken by those playing police and I was basically terrified. They were yelling at me and so many things were going on and all I could think of was what had I gotten myself into? Who was I do think that I could do this?

It was at that moment that it hit me. It hit me that what we were training for was to prepare us for the real thing. These were tactics that were being used on the grounds for those demanding the end of police brutality. I also learned an important lesson about the different roles that people can play in supporting the movement. Not everyone is willing to be arrested but these people can serve as the jail support team or help with live tweeting.

On Sunday, Pastor Sekou preached at our service. There were so many things inspirational about the speech and it touched on different points. I found it interesting when he made a reference to success and how it doesn’t necessarily look like a diploma or what we are here on campus to do. I definitely agreed with him that success is defined differently. For some, it takes the form of getting a degree from an institution like Trinity and then getting involved in making change in these communities.