Flambeau Parade Attracts Hundreds of Thousands

A Star Wars themed float at the Flambeau Parade (photo by Isabella Weston)

By Isabella Weston

Close to 750,000 people lined the 2.6 mile parade route on the streets of downtown San Antonio Saturday, sitting in their lawn chairs and patiently waiting for the Flambeau Parade to start.

The parade marks the second Saturday of Fiesta every year, featuring hours of progression of themed floats, dancers, live music, and bands all clad in light-up costumes. It is one of the most popular Fiesta events.

This year’s parade did not disappoint the hundreds of thousands of spectators. The festivities kicked off with the Fiesta Fun Run, where several hundred runners of all ages dressed in costumes and ran through the streets where people cheered them on.

Matthew Adair: Finding a Community through Campus Ministry

By Will Hinman

Matthew Adair, 22, sits in the living room of his City Vista apartment and smiles. Nearly a month ahead of his graduation, Adair reflects upon the time he’s spent as a member of Trinity University’s InterVarsity chapter.

Over his four years at Trinity, he’s become easily recognizable around campus as the tall, curly-haired student who’s quick with an enthusiastic greeting and a kind word for whomever he might run into.

For students involved in InterVarsity, an inter-denominational Christian campus ministry, Adair is even more recognizable. Fellow InterVarsity leader Savannah Schatte, 21, describes Adair as “a staple member” and someone who models “what it looks like to be present with intention.”

Emily Daum: From Trinity Athlete to Trinity Coach

By Colton Hawkins

Emily Daum has had a successful career not only as a student athlete for Trinity University, but also as the head coach of men's and women's cross country teams.

Daum started her running career when she was in high school. At Trinity, she continued to shine as a cross country runner. She made it to the Nationals as a freshman in the steeplechase, and became an All-American during her undergraduate years at Trinity.

Forum Held on the Chick-fil-A Debate

Speaking of...Chick-fil-A forum on Wednesday (photo by Miranda Smith)

By Miranda Smith

Wednesday evening’s “Speaking Of...Chick-fil-A” forum drew a huge crowd of Trinity students, staff, and faculty. Nearly 100 people filled up the Waxahachie room.

The focus of discussion was whether or not to continue including the fast food chain as part of the Revolve at the Coates Center.

Dean of Students David Tuttle moderated the evening’s discussion. He explained that the event is “supposed to be a free marketplace where students can come and share ideas about issues; this is a chance to have their voices heard."

Ryan Hunter: The Cream Dream

By Isabella Weston

Ryan Hunter, a senior and native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, came to Trinity University seeking a business degree, and fell in love with art instead.

It all happened during a spring break trip to Croatia and Budapest during his junior year. He was so inspired by the street art that he couldn’t help creating some of his own. 

The piece of art he created, dubbed “The Cream Dream,” depicts a waffle cone filled with a bouquet of colorful flowers, some of which are “melting” like ice cream.

Aliza Holzman-Cantu: Building A Stronger Community with Trinity Parents

By Luke Dias

It took more than 20 years, but Aliza Holzman-Cantu eventually found her way back to Trinity.

Cantu, 48, is the director of parent giving and engagement at Trinity and has been at this position for three years. Originally from Brownsville, Texas, she received a bachelor’s degree in communications at Trinity in 1992, followed by a master’s degree in teaching from Trinity in 1994. Since then, Cantu’s career path has always connected to Trinity in one way or another.

Kievan Boudreaux-Bostic: Spreading the Message of Positivity

By Jillian Cready

Kievan Boudreaux-Bostic used to upload rap songs he made to online streaming services and then delete them, as he was embarrassed that his friends would notice. Not anymore.

Having been writing music since he was 10 years old, the Trinity University junior has come a long way. He has just released his latest album, “Priority,” on all major music platforms, including Apple Music and Spotify.

“Kiev has been amazing to work with. Our creativity flows effortlessly when we’re together in the studio,” say his producer, collaborator, and friend, Richard Herrera. “Priority” was the first album they collaborated. “We’re transparent with each other on every subject from edits, effects, to royalty rights. I enjoy seeing us both evolve as artists and creatives.”

Lauren Turek: Bring History Alive in the Classroom

By Meredith Peckham

Dr. Lauren Turek is a professor of American History at Trinity. She holds a reputation for being one of the “cool” professors, as she does her best to make learning an immersive and enjoyable experience.

“I have always loved history,” says Turek as she launches into a childhood story about visiting historical sites in New England.

Her love of history is manifest in all the degrees she has received: from the bachelor’s degree to the doctorate degree, they are all in history.

Eva Pohler: Best-selling Young-Adult Novelist and Trinity Professor

By Jackson Beach

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Eva Pohler starts her day early.

She pops out of bed and rushes to Trinity to teach an 8:30 a.m. special topics course on innovation & entrepreneurship. After that, she has an hour-long window to sort through student essays and other graded materials before rushing off to teach a persuasive writing class. Following that class, she heads home and uses the rest of her day to either market her past novels or make progress on her next one.

Heather Haynes Smith: Advocating for Inclusion in Education

By Sophie Dwyer

Out of sight, out of mind. That’s the philosophy some educational administration applies to students who have disabilities. Assistant professor of education Dr. Heather Haynes Smith is working to rectify that situation, through teaching inclusion and universal design of learning, which allows students of all levels of ability to learn.

Smith teaches an array of classes regarding education for people with disabilities, including Understanding Learners with Exceptionalities, Learning Disabilities & Behavior Disorders, and Reading Difficulties with Diverse Populations. “Engaged citizenry is what I try to do," says Smith. "I want everybody just kind of weighing in, and being a part of this, and we’re all going to get to a place together."

Annie Wise: Varsity Basketball and Tennis Player

By Abby Holland

Sophomore Annie Wise always dreamed of playing her two favorite sports in college. Her dream came true at Trinity.

Wise is one of the few dual sport athletes at Trinity, playing for both Trinity’s women’s basketball and tennis team. “It’s really important to have a blessed unrest about who you are as an athlete and to understand that it’s really humbling to get to be apart of two teams,” she says.

SGA Weighs in on Chik-fil-A Controversy

By Will Hinman

Should or should not Trinity take Chik-fil-A out of the Revolve? The SGA had a debate about it on Wednesday.l

The discussion didn’t come up until toward the end of the meeting. After other businesses were dealt with, SGA President Ty Tinker told the senate that he had set aside the last few minutes of the meeting for a discussion on Chik-fil-A. Quickly the counsel came to life.

Dave Smith: Once a Tiger, Always a Tiger

By Mark Tindall

Dave Smith went straight from graduating from college to working for the same college, and from playing for a team to coaching the same team within one year.

Graduating from Trinity in 2003 and becoming the full-time pitching coach in 2004, Smith, 39, has been the pitching coach for Trinity baseball for 16 years, the same team he once played for as a pitcher. During his coaching tenure at Trinity, the baseball team won a national title in 2016, after having made the program’s first NCAA College World Series the year before.

Daniel Martinez: Trinity University Head Strength Coach

By Matthew Thomas

The multiple championships that Trinity took home every year are not just won during the competitions, but start with training, and that is where Daniel Martinez comes in.

Martinez became the coordinator for Trinity’s Sports Performance Center (SPC) and the head strength/conditioning coach in 2017. He customizes workout plans for all Trinity athletes based on their specific sports, and supervises the workout sessions of each team.

Camryn Thompson: Unrelenting Passion for Dancing

By Makenna Bentley

Picture this. Lights in the Laurie Auditorium begin to dim. A group of dancers run on stage in black baseball jerseys, and hip hop begins to play. A sudden rush of excitement erupted as the crowd begins to cheer, and the dance begins: sharp clean hits followed by rolling moves. That's right, you are watching Trinity University's only hip hop dance crew, Loon-E.

Camryn Thompson, a junior Political Science major, would be among the dancers. She has been dancing with Loon-E for two years now and participated in many performances including Black History Showcase and Tigerthon.

Adam McGuire: Newest Addition to Trinity Football Coaching Staff

By KaDarius Lee

Adam McGuire, a Baytown, Texas native and 2015 Texas Lutheran University graduate, has embraced his role as one of the newest Trinity Football coaches.

Officially joining the coaching staff last semester, McGuire's job involves setting up daily morning workouts for the players and recruitment. “I do a lot of recruiting, getting ready for camps that we have coming up, and talking to guys we plan on staying in contact with throughout next season to make sure we have grades for them on the front end, so that in the fall it is a lot easier,” McGuire describes his role.

Cameron Hill: Embracing Failure to Win

By Sam McWhorter

Cameron Hill is a husband, a father to two sons, 11 and 10, and a sneakily good pool player. Oh, and he’s also among the best active coaches in NCAA Division III women’s basketball.

He’s certainly in the conversation as far as regular season feats are concerned, with the best win rate (.812) per season in D3WBB history during his seven seasons with Trinity. Bring it up to him, and he finds a characteristically logical way to deflect: “Wins can be scheduled, if I’m being honest with you.”

Maximillian Armitage: An Aspiring Artist

By Erin Crooks

Looking for a new artist to add to your playlist on Spotify? Well, a fellow Trinity student might just be your guy. Maximillian Armitage, a freshman and going by the stage name of “maxgotthetracks,” is an up and coming artist. In just 3 years, he has managed to self produce numerous tracks and create a presence on SoundCloud and Spotify.

When he was 16, Armitage, a Houston native, began watching Battle Rap videos on YouTube. Inspired by freestyle videos, he began to rap over available tracks.

Nathan Tuttle: Writing His Own Trinity Story

By Alex Gereda-Gordon

Nathan Tuttle is the Residential Life coordinator most of Trinity students know, but might not know much about.

Yes, he is son of Dean of Student David Tuttle, but that is only a small part of his own Trinity story.

Local Professionals Discuss Diversity in Business with Trinity Students

Diversity in Business roundtable on April 4 (photo by Mark Tindall)

By Mark Tindall

Delta Sigma Pi and Trinity Diversity Connection (TDC) hosted a Diversity in Business roundtable on Thursday.

In fact, roundtable discussion was not the original plan. The organizers had planned a panel discussion with eight speakers, but about 20 local business representatives came. The organizers then decided to put the local professionals and about 30 students into small groups for roundtable discussions.

SGA Deliberates on Several Campus Improvements

SGA meeting on April 3 (photo by Luke Dias)

By Colton Hawkins, Erin Crooks, Matt Thomas, Luke Dias and Isabella Weston

At the SGA meeting on Wednesday, senators contemplated several areas of improving campus life at Trinity.

Changes to the upper campus was part of the discussion. The senators agreed that more furniture and sitting areas are needed there. Currently, there are only some benches and white chairs. “We have received a $1,000 donation that we hadn’t even known about,” said SGA President Ty Tinker. He hoped to use this money to add more chairs and tables around campus to create a more “community vibe.”

The senators also talked about adding more lighting to the upper campus since it gets rather dark in the late night. Students could feel unsafe with the dimness and not enough emergency poles.

Immigrant Lawyer Discusses Issues with U.S. Immigration System

Erica Schommer gives a lecture on representing immigrants
in Texas (photo by Nick Smetzer)

By Nick Smetzer

The immigration systems in the United States is laden with various problems, from historical bias to contemporary challenges, immigrant lawyer Erica Schommer told an audience at Trinity University on Wednesday.

Schommer said the U.S. has a “history of exclusionary motives,” which has contributed to the shaping of the nation’s immigration policy and its flaws. She outlined how politics and policy were once used against immigrating Catholics, Asians and Jews, before recent political discourse turned towards demonizing immigrants from Mexico and Central America.

Sara Heridia: Advocating for Philanthropy

By Miranda Smith

Despite only being in her junior year, Sara Heridia is already planning her financial contributions to Trinity. In fact, she can often be found encouraging other students to do the same.

A Political Science major, Heridia, 21, is the associate director of philanthropy and service of the Student Ambassadors at Trinity. Her job is to promote university donation among current students. She believes that increasing charitable gifts to Trinity will help make attendance more affordable and accessible to a larger number of students.

“It’s important that we encourage students to give by reminding them that someone invested in them, which will eventually give them the salaries they earn in their future careers,” Heridia says. Herself a recipient of institutionally-based aid, Heridia acknowledges that her ability to attend Trinity is almost entirely due to the generous gifts of donors.

Tigers for Life Hosts Lecture About Biology Research

Gabriela Rennebeck talks at the Tigers for Life meeting. 
(photo courtesy of Tigers for Life)

By Jackson Beach

Tigers for Life, Trinity's student pro-life group, met on Thursday to hear biologist Gabriela Rennebeck talk about embryonic development.

Rennebeck has a doctorate in biological sciences from the University of Texas at Austin and works as the laboratory coordinator in several biology courses at Trinity.

She discussed the latest findings of her research, which involves examining the quaking gene in zebrafish embryonic development. Rennebeck noted that the quaking gene found in zebrafish is also found in humans and her research is part of a larger movement towards personalized medicine.