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The summer before the first year of college is exciting…and stressful. Trinity offers these tips to help students make the most of the last weeks of summer and transition into college life.
Tip 1: Take a deep breath. Yes, starting college is a big change. Get in the habit of learning to relax your mind through prayer, journaling, or scheduled quiet time. Continue this habit as you enter a busy and exciting college life. The Ozinga Chapel, wooded Trinity Trail, and the comfy couch in front of the Bootsma Café fireplace are favorite spots for relaxation and renewal.
Tip 2: Get organized. Lots of positive experiences await you, so start using that phone calendar and learning to be a good steward of your time. Trinity freshmen spend a lot of their day in class and studying but also make time for nurturing new friendships, growing in their faith at chapel and Outcry, and volunteering to serve others.
Tip 3: Make plans in advance for visits with family and friends from home. One of the biggest challenges for college freshmen is being apart from loved ones. Even if you live close to campus, you may choose to move into residence halls rather than commute. Scheduling visits ahead of time gives you, and your loved ones, times to look forward to throughout the week and the semester.
Tip 4: Stay healthy. Exercise not only keeps your body healthy, it helps maintain mental and emotional health, too. That’s important with all the life changes—and studying—you’ll be doing. Activities that relieve stress while strengthening the body include Zumba, yoga, intramural sports, and regular workouts. Trinity’s new fitness center will be open to students this fall and provide spaces for cardiovascular conditioning, weight lifting, and even “rock” climbing on the climbing wall.
Tip 5: Don’t bring the kitchen sink. Talk to your roommates about what each of you is planning to bring and what you might possibly share. And be aware of what your college permits; for instance, most colleges don’t allow microwaves or other small appliances in dorm rooms. Being located in the suburbs and close to Chicago gives Trinity students tons of opportunities to shop for what they need throughout the semester.
Tip 6: Budget for the extras. Despite the activities and amenities on campus, you may decide to check out local shopping, restaurants, and movie theaters. Chicago is a favorite place for many Trinity students who enjoy the city’s lakefront, dining, museums, theaters, and sporting events.
Tip 7: Look for a job early. If you’re planning to get a part-time job, keep an eye on your Trinity’s student worker postings, so you can apply as soon as possible. Students have a variety of choices for employment in computer services, administration, and food service. Many students also find work at nearby businesses.
Tip 8: Engage in social media. Facebook and Twitter are great ways to stay connected with Trinity, future roommates, and fellow Class of 2017ers during the summer. Trinity’s official Facebook page is a great place to see what’s happening on campus, ask questions, and talk with fellow freshmen, current students, and others from the Trinity community.
We hope these tips help you get ready for the first day of class on August 28. If you have any questions before you arrive, call the Student Development office at 708.239.4704. We’re looking forward to seeing you on campus!
A common sight around campus is Professor Michael Vander Weele on this bike. Next week, he heads out on a ride that will take him much further than his usual route from Trinity to home after classes.
Dr. Vander Weele, professor of English, and his wife Mary McKinstry will begin their three-week leg of the bike ride Sea to Sea, Cycling to End Poverty.
The 3,900-mile ride serves to raise awareness and funds for those living in poverty around the world. Hosted by the Reformed Church in America, Partners Worldwide, and World Renew, the ride enables individuals, groups, and congregations to actively serve the poor in a new and interesting way.
The Vander Weeles will pick up where Financial Aid Coordinator Kyle Wigboldy, who rode the Coralville, Iowa, to Grand Rapids segment, left off. They depart from Grand Rapids on Monday, heading to Hamilton, Ontario (week one), then Montreal (week two), and then New York City (week three).
To follow the Vander Weele’s journey, check out their blog Mike and Mary on a Bike.
For more information on Sea to Sea, visit the website.
After gathering in Trinity’s Ozinga Chapel for prayer and worship each morning, nearly 300 students, leaders, and other participants in Youth Unlimited’s* Chicago Project head to various work sites around Chicagoland to volunteer.
Serving others is at the heart of The Chicago Project, Youth Unlimited’s initiative to dedicate three full days of volunteer work to more than 25 partner organizations near Trinity’s campus, the host site for the project, July 27 through August 1.
Youth Unlimited is a non-denominational, non-profit ministry organization that assists the Church and its many local congregations with their ministry. Student teams are assigned to various work sites and tasks, including:
- Painting the entire interior of Ira F. Aldridge Elementary School in Altgeld Gardens
- Leading crafts and activities for older adults at Providence Health and Rehabilitation
- Helping Lake Katherine develop their Spider Maze
- Trimming trees and removing invasive species with the prairie restoration project at Kickapoo Woods
- Helping with lawn care and home repair for elderly neighbors in Worth with the Neighbors in Needs program
- Volunteering at By the Hand, Roseland Christian Ministries, Restoration Ministries, and the South Chicago YMCA summer youth camps
- Helping repaint the By the Hand Cabrini Green site
- Assisting Grace and Peace Community Church clear five acres of land for a new church building and charter school
- And much more!
Director of Admissions at Trinity, Jeremy Klyn ’02, served as the Trinity liaison. “I loved seeing students serve as the hands and feet of Christ,” said Klyn. “Every year I read college applications in which students talk about their faith being influenced by acts of service. I can’t wait to read some in the coming years that talk about The Chicago Project as a point of growth in their faith.”
I loved seeing students serve as the hands and feet of Christ.
– Jeremy Klyn ’02
All of the volunteer site coordination was arranged by Trinity’s AmeriCorps VISTA / Community Partnership Coordinator Carrie Timmermans ’11.
Welcome back Pastor Zan
For keynote speaker and Trinity alumnus Zantesah (Zan) Ingalls, it was the second visit to campus since his graduation from the College in 1988. The senior pastor of Galilee Missionary Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, has been involved with Youth Unlimited’s projects since 1993, speaking at various events throughout the country and in Canada. He also serves on the organization’s Board of Directors.
Ingalls, who earned a bachelor’s degree in theology at Trinity, delivered encouraging messages to help students understand the importance of the work they did and how God would make flourish the seeds they planted through service.
“This is awesome,” Ingalls said of being back on campus as part of The Chicago Project where he witnessed participants’ lives changed as well as those they served.
Thanks to the great worship team
Morning and evening worship was led by Trinity alumnus Vinnie Adams ’10 and his team. Adams is the director of the special needs ministry and the campus worship leader at Faith Church in Dyer, Indiana. As a student at Trinity, where he majored in special education, he led the student worship team Outcry.
Vinnie Adams ’10 (lead from acoustic and drums)
Richard Bodden (electric and acoustic)
Anthony Bolkema ’07 (keys)
Katie DeGraff (keys)
Pete Meyer ’07 (bass)
Linelle Muse ’08 (drums)
Eric Rosario (electric)
More about Pastor Zan Ingalls ’88
In addition to pastoring his church, Ingalls is the president of the Congress of Christian Education of the New Hope Association, New Jersey General Baptist Convention. He is the former vice principal of United Academy (a K-8 private grammar school) in Newark and is also a former member of the gospel recording ensemble, Special Edition. He has hosted the weekly radio broadcast, There is Hope Ministry out of Yanceyville, North Carolina. Ingalls received his Bachelor of Arts in Theology at Trinity and his Master of Divinity from Lighthouse Bible College. He and his wife Liane have three children, Zantesah II, Jaazaniah, and Leilani.
* Youth Unlimited is known ThereforeGO as of 2021.
High school juniors experienced college firsthand this month at Trinity.
Eleven students from Noble Network of Charter Schools participated in College Quest, a three-week college immersion program.
In partnership with Right Angle, a program of the Noble Network of Charter Schools, College Quest provides high performing high school students with the tools and strategies needed to be a successful student in high school, college, and beyond as well as the opportunity to earn college credit.
This year, College Quest students enrolled in History 103 or Psychology 123 courses from July 8 to 26. They spent Monday through Friday morning in class. In the afternoon, they attended an academic coaching session that taught them how to be successful college learners.
During their time at Trinity, students resided in Alumni Hall under the guidance of Resident Assistants Lette Huisman ’14 of Hudsonville, Michigan, and Sam Lankah ’13 of Warrenville, IL. The program simulates the daily college experience: the group ate in the Dining Hall, worked out in the fitness center, completed homework in the computer labs, and checked books out of the campus library.
The program also included social and service activities, including evening bonfires, a Chicago Fire soccer game, and volunteering at Feed My Starving Children.
Participating Noble Network of Charter Schools
Chicago Bulls College Prep
Johnson College Prep
Noble Street College Prep
Pritzker College Prep
Rauner College Prep
Rowe Clark Math and Science Academy
To learn more, visit http://rightangle.noblenetwork.org/.
T
rinity Adult Studies Education graduates are among the most qualified teachers in the field, and the College’s excellent reputation with school districts helps graduates secure teaching positions.
Recently, some of our graduates contacted us to let us know about their new teaching placements.
Amy Brown ’12, who earned her elementary license, will be teaching at Seventh Avenue School, where she student taught last fall. Brown was one of 600 candidates for a 4th grade teaching position. “I felt very prepared when I went into student teaching. When I was interviewing, I felt confident with my understanding of common core, since that is a focus of Trinity’s program.”
Jeff Heimer ’11 is nearing the end of his second year as a social studies high school teacher, high school baseball and football coach. “I was added to the football coaching staff at the beginning of what would become an undefeated (14-0) 2012 IHSA Class 6A football championship season. All thanks in large part to the guidance, instruction, and support of the entire Trinity Adult Studies Education department, which greatly helped make my dream of being a high school educator and coach a reality.”
Erin Lara ’12 earned her K-12 license in Spanish and Arabic and also earned her ESL endorsement. “I am excited to lead my own classroom. I knew I had the credentials I needed for the open position and was thrilled to be offered the job.” This fall, she will be teaching Spanish and ESL at Richards High School.
Jose “Jesse” Gonzalez ’13 will be the new 6th grade Spanish teacher at Northbrook Jr. High. “Working with the people in Adult Studies has been a godsend. Once I started the program, it made me feel like I was on a roll, and with their support, I was going to be done before I knew it. Since I started this program, everyone – from Financial Aid, registration, and faculty – has played an important role in the huge change I made in my life.”
Michelle Melendez ’13 will be the art teacher for Oak Lawn District 123 starting in August. She did her student teaching at Covington, one of the three elementary schools in the district, and is replacing her cooperating teacher, who retired. Previously, Melendez worked in the office at Kolmar, another one of the schools in the district. “I’m excited to stay in the district, where I have forged such wonderful relationships,” Melendez said.
Adult Studies faculty and staff are proud of these graduates and wish them success as they teach with excellence!
Adult Studies graduate Dave Kush ’05 of Homewood-Flossmoor High School has won the award of “Star in the Classroom” from the Illinois Council for Economic Education.
Kush credits the students he works with in the Econ Challenge at Homewood-Flossmoor. This year a team of four won 4th place in nationals in New York City.
Homewood-Flossmoor had been a perennial winner of the Econ Challenge for years until 2007. When the teacher who worked with the program was promoted, the group disbanded. Kush came across the old state title trophies and rejuvenated the program. Kush is also a sponsor of the school’s National Honor Society and the Model UN club.
Kush had completed an MBA before earning his teaching license from Trinity and has been able to add multiple endorsements. He brought the right combination of credentials and five years in the classroom to the teaching position at Homewood-Flossmoor. After teaching for five years, he transitioned into an administrative role.
“Trinity’s program did a lot to prepare us for the profession,” says Kush. “The school takes the task of training us to be teachers seriously and the whole atmosphere is focused for success.”
In addition to his administrative role at Homewood-Flossmoor, Kush also teaches at Trinity and Saint Xavier University.
About the award
The Exemplary Teacher Recognition program from the Illinois State Board of Education honors those teachers who have been singled out as being the best in the field of expertise by their respective education organizations. Content area experts are chosen by their peers for their dedication to students and their specific area of expertise. Thirty six educators from throughout Illinois were recognized on June 11 during the Exemplary Teacher Recognition Award Luncheon.
In honor of the TAC Golf Classic’s 27th year, Trinity’s athletics department has set a goal of 27 new golfers participating. To help reach that goal, organizers are offering $50 off the individual registration fee for first-time attendees and for guests who bring a new golfer.
The outing is scheduled for Monday, August 19, at the Calumet Country Club in Homewood, Illinois. Register online by August 5. To take advantage of the special offer, choose the New Attendee Discount or Refer-a-Golfer Discount when registering. Discounts on scholarship sponsorships are also available.
The Trinity Athletic Club Golf Classic plays a vital role in supporting the athletics department. Proceeds from the event are used for student-athlete scholarships. More than 30 student-athletes benefited from TAC scholarships in this past academic year.
For more information, contact Dennis Harms at 708.846.4819 or dennis.harms@trnty.edu.
Thank You!
“If you have never attended, we say ‘welcome.’ And if you are a faithful supporter, we appreciate your ongoing support and encourage you to invite co-workers, business associates, and friends to this year’s outing,” said Bill Schepel ’85, athletics director.
Providence Bank and Ozinga Bros., Inc. are once again sponsoring the Golf Classic. Their generous support has underwritten the cost of the event and allows TAC to apply more funds directly to the athletics scholarships fund.
When Dorothy Rosier ’08 of Lemont, Illinois, was choosing her capstone project for the Adult Studies Business Program, she was going to focus on her current job in corporate marketing. But as she prayed about what to do, she felt the Lord was guiding her in a different direction.
Rosier always had a passion for farming, so she decided to focus her capstone research there.
“Farming has been an interest my whole life,” Rosier said. “The thing with farming is that you don’t just go out and till the fields and hope it grows. It takes planning.”
Following that interest—and her graduation from Trinity—Rosier pursued an associate in applied science degree in horticulture from Joliet Junior College (JJC). In 2010, she participated in the installation of a five-acre teaching arboretum for specialty crop production as part of that education.
When JJC decided to launch a farmer’s market, Rosier was encouraged to apply for the manager’s position because of the combination of her business degree from Trinity and her horticulture education from JJC. She was offered the position, and in May, she welcomed more than 600 customers to the JJC Farmer’s Market grand opening.
The farmer’s market was made possible through the Farmer Market Promotional Program grant, and Rosier works to encourage local farmers, producers, and artisans to sell their goods. The market is also part of the governor’s program “Where Fresh Is.” The goal of the program is to stimulate the economy with $2.4 billion by 4.8 million families in Illinois spending $10 a week on local produce and meats.
“I’ve worked hard to fulfill my Trinity capstone project, and I am so blessed to work with farmers and livestock producers,” Rosier said.
Trinity Christian College hosted representatives from the University of Mkar in Nigeria on Tuesday, June 25, with a goal to establish a partnership with the university as an international sister-school.
The hope is to eventually participate in a student exchange program or a study abroad opportunity that would enrich the lives of students culturally, spiritually, and academically, according to Trinity’s Office of Ethnic Diversity.
Guests from the university included Dr. Emmanuel H. Agba, vice chancellor, Professor Joseph Antyo, and Abe Vreeke. Welcoming them to campus were Dr. Liz Rudenga, provost; Professor Don Woo, dean for ethnic diversity and multicultural programs; Ginny Carpenter, dean of student engagement and international services; Dr. Thomas Roose, associate professor of physics and science education; and Trinity student Alyssa Slinkman ’15 of Orland Park, Illinois.
In addition to the work of exploring a partnership, those involved also enjoyed a time of Christian fellowship and sharing of cultures.
More than 50 alumni and friends of the College raised $9,000 for the Alumni Excellence Scholarship at this year’s Alumni Golf Outing on June 8. The renewable scholarship provides $1,500 awards for children of alumni attending Trinity.
The outing, held at George Dunne National Golf Course in Oak Forest, began with lunch, followed by a shotgun start. The event ended with refreshments and the presentation of the trophy, which is engraved each year with the names of the winning foursome.
This year’s winning foursome included 2009 alumni Jamie Prins, Rich Tameling, Eric VandenBerg, and Ryan Wories.
The College is thankful for the faithful support received from the golf outing sponsors who make it possible for the funds raised by the event to go directly to the Alumni Excellence Scholarship.
Corporate Event Sponsors
Evenhouse & Co.
Homewood Disposal
Kramer & Leonard, Inc.
Media Resources, Inc.
Ozinga Brothers, Inc.
ReNew Paint
Providence Bank
ProviNET Solutions
Individual Event Sponsors
Trinity Alumni Board
Corporate Hole Sponsors
Bert Kamp, CPA
Bettinardi Golf
Clarence Davids & Company
Colonial Chapel
Firebone Brand Consultancy
Interiors for Business, Inc.
LEGACY Insurance Group
Mama Vesuvio’s East Restaurant, Inc.
McGuireWOODS LLP
PolyJohn Enterprises Corporation
Porter’s Apparels
Premium Disposal
Schaaf Window Company, Inc.
Schepel Buick GMC Truck
Service Sanitation
Silva International, Inc.
Stepping Stone Financial
Strack & VanTil Supermarkets
Van Bruggen Signs
Wentworth Tire Service
Individual Hole Sponsors
All God’s Children Orphanage, Pam DeBoer
Ken and Margie Boss
Rick and Sue VanDyken
Kevin and Tammy Walker