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“Thank you for those whose legacies give light to our journeys,” said President Steven Timmermans as he opened the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration in prayer.

The idea of the legacies of others shaping our journeys continued as faculty members provided insight into the beliefs, thoughts, and achievements of the people who influenced King. Figures such as Bishop Richard Allen and crusader Ida B. Wells helped form the leader’s mission, and eventual legacy, of faith-based social action.

Drs. David Brodnax, Sr. and Bob Rice, professors of history, provided the historical context for the African American tradition of religious protest and personal reflection on King’s speech “A Time to Break Silence,” delivered in 1969 when Dr. Rice was a sophomore in college. Bill Boerman-Cornell, assistant professor of education, and juniors Velvet Woods and Kristin Thomas, both of Chicago, read excerpts of King’s various letters and addresses.

Those gathered also viewed “A Portrait of Change,” a video and photo presentation created by Dave Jousma, A/V services coordinator.

In closing, Don Woo, assistant professor of education and director of ethnic diversity, reminded the Trinity community that shared moments such as celebrating someone like King help us gain strength and cause us to reflect on justice, love, and mercy as we have received it from the God we all serve.

Maria Lagunas is not afraid of a challenge.

Neither are the other Adult Studies students at Trinity. Most work full- or part-time jobs and many raise families while enrolled in the accelerated degree programs.

Lagunas, who graduated from the Adult Studies Business program in December of 2008, still works the same full-time job at Banner & Witcoff, LTD., the law firm where she was employed while completing her bachelor’s degree. But now she also runs her own business—Gardenia, a flower and gift shop in her hometown of Blue Island, Illinois.

“I got the idea when I was in the business program at Trinity, and when I graduated, I knew that I had the tools to move forward,” she said.

“Moving forward” was more like “full speed ahead.” In addition to her full-time job, Lagunas had been using her long-time hobby of party planning and flower arranging to do side work at Evita’s Bridal in Blue Island. In July of 2009, the tenant next to the bridal shop moved out, and Lagunus found herself faced with a challenging opportunity—opening her own store.

“It happened so fast,” she said. “I wasn’t sure I wanted to open a business, but I went for it.”

Her Trinity education kicked into high gear as she spent the next month writing a business plan for the shop, then acquiring the space and renovating and moving in with the help of her family. By September 12, Lagunas was celebrating the grand opening.

Lagunas“I knew exactly what I was doing throughout the process,” she said. “That confidence and knowledge stemmed from my education in accounting, management, and marketing. What I had learned in the Adult Studies program had become second nature.”

Students in the program work in groups called cohorts, and Lagunas keeps in touch with the friends she made at Trinity.

“Our cohort was like a family,” she said. Some of her Adult Studies “family” attended the opening of her business.

Gardenia Flowers, gifts and more is located at 12822 Western Avenue in Blue Island. Lagunas also used her creativity and business sense to design her logo, business cards, and her website. Visit: www.gardeniaflowersandgifts.com.

The Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) has recently awarded Trinity reaffirmation of accreditation of its business programs. The accreditation certifies that Trinity’s teaching and learning processes within the business program meet the rigorous educational standards established by the ACBSP.

Trinity has been accredited by the ACBSP since 1999, and was evaluated in October 2009 for reaccreditation of the traditional business program and accreditation for the adult studies program. To receive the accreditation the business program had to demonstrate that students are educated in all critical areas of business study, are able to solve multi-disciplinary problems, and can be effective decision makers.

“Earning ACBSP accreditation communicates to both students and employers that the Trinity business program has met rigorous quality standards that are modeled on the Baldrige National Quality Program,” said Dr. Lynn White, professor of accounting.  “Graduates of ACBSP accredited programs generally find it easier to gain acceptance into graduate school and to qualify for professional certification.”

Steve Parscale, ACBSP Director of Accreditation, will present the Certificate of Reaffirmation of Accreditation to Trinity at the ACBSP Annual Conference on June 27, in Los Angeles, California. “Trinity Christian College has shown their commitment to teaching excellence and to the process of quality improvement by participating in the accreditation process,” said Parscale. “This accreditation is evidence that Trinity Christian College is committed to providing the highest quality business education for their students.”

For more information, visit www.acbsp.org.

A “sense of helplessness” moved Haitian native and Trinity alumnus Jean-Raymond Desruisseaux, Jr., ’07, into action after the earthquake in Haiti struck. Desruisseaux organized a fundraising event for Haiti on Thursday, January 21, at Southport Lanes in Chicago.

Planning and working with friends, Desruisseaux secured donations from neighboring businesses for a silent auction. “People came out of the woodwork,” Desruisseaux said, recalling how businesses put aside profits and personal gain to help his cause.

More than 140 guests attended the fundraiser, which raised over $5,000 for Haiti, with $3,000 from the silent auction alone.

Desruisseaux and his family are originally from Haiti and lost three relatives in the earthquake. They were unable to contact family members in Haiti until days after the earthquake, and he said there was a feeling of helplessness, wanting to be there to help and knowing he couldn’t.

Desruisseaux said he is happy to see the efforts people are making to help Haiti and to see young Haitians mobilizing to bring aid to the country. Disasters like this “remind you of what’s important in this life,” he said.

As a student at Trinity, Desruisseaux was actively involved in the Sunday Snacks program, in which students delivered packed lunches to the homeless in Chicago. He also wrote for the Courier and was a member of the Law and Politics Society. He majored in political science and has plans to attend law school.

Trinity’s Assistant Professor of Art and Design Dayton Castleman will exhibit at Jennifer Norback Fine Art, Inc. in Chicago through February 10.

Beginning January 8, Jennifer Norback Fine Art, Inc., 217 W. Huron, Chicago, is presenting the show “Out of Chicago.” The exhibit focuses on two emerging multidisciplinary Chicago artists working within a variety of media and styles in support of their individual conceptual visions. Unlike artists who work consistently in one media, all media possibilities are considered. In this exhibit, Castleman and Jeremy Tubbs display work investigating notions of displacement, escape, and departure.

“Apparently, one of my artworks has gone viral,” said Castleman. “It’s called Bread Bird, and I’ve been getting hundreds of website hits from all over the globe, literally every continent but Antarctica. The latest write-up went up on a Chicago web magazine today in their food section.” See it here: http://gapersblock.com/drivethru/2010/01/14/would_you_eat_bread_bird/

Castleman’s work has been exhibited at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago; Alogon Gallery, Chicago; and the University of Illinois Chicago’s Gallery 400. To see more of his work, check out: Dayton Castleman, End of the Tunnel, site-specific installation at Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site featuring eight unique, conceptually interconnected installations.

To read more about Professor Castleman, visit Meet the Faculty and view his profile.

Trinity has announced that it has joined the Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE) as a Founding Member.

NetVUE is a nation-wide campus-supported network whose purpose is to expand and extend the intellectual and theological exploration of vocation on campuses. It is a new initiative of the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), a national association of more than 600 independent, liberal arts colleges and universities.

Through national and regional conferences, the development and exchange of resources, and participation in online networking, NetVUE will help Trinity and other institutions deepen vocational exploration by their students.

The goals of the network are to share knowledge, best practices, and reflection on experiences among campuses while facilitating the incorporation of additional independent colleges and universities into this enterprise.

In announcing the launch of NetVUE, CIC President Richard Ekman said, “CIC hopes that NetVUE will capitalize on what has been learned about the theological exploration of vocation and how it can be adapted and developed to strengthen colleges and universities, their leadership, and the education they provide for their students.”

For more information about NetVUE, visit www.cic.edu/NetVUE.