Blog Archive » 2008 » March

On Wednesday, March 26, many students, faculty, staff, alumnae and friends — and numerous faculty emeritae as well — gathered in O'Connor Auditorium to celebrate with and offer congratulations to Dr. Sharon Shafer on the occasion of her "Farewell Concert" — a phrase that none of us likes or can quite believe, and rest assured we'll try to convince Dr. Shafer to do many encores! But Dr. Shafer is retiring after 35 years of bringing the incomparable joy of music into the lives of generations of students and alumnae, as well as the large Trinity community. In her inimitable creative style, she offered this concert including her new song cycle IN PARADISUM as her way of saying farewell to her years on the faculty. Full Article

As we head into the final weeks of the academic year, we begin to tally all of the many achievements of Trinity students. I will feature student achievements on this blog throughout the months of April and May, so if you have some notable news — academic awards, fellowships, internship experiences of note, acceptance to graduate and professional schools, plans to enter the Peace Corps or Americorps, or similar academic and professional items — please send them to me with a brief essay about your achievement and goals. Photos are also welcome. Send to my email: president@trinitydc.edu

Our first student achiever: Brigid Otieno

Brigid has been accepted into the highly competitive 2008 Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Summer Enrichment Program at Howard University. She follows in the footsteps of Leah Martin '07 who won a prestigious Rangel Fellowship for postgraduate study in preparation for a career in the foreign service.

Brigid wrote this about her interests in International Affairs and her plans: Full Article

Trinity Alumna Jonetta Rose Barras had the lead article in the Washington Post Outlook section on Sunday. "He's Preaching to a Choir I've Left" is her take on Barack Obama's speech, Pastor Jeremiah Wright, and the incendiary issues of race and politics in America.

Jonetta will make history herself on Sunday, May 18 when she becomes the first alumna of Trinity's Weekend College to speak at Commencement. Weekend College was the precursor to our School of Professional Studies. A graduate of the Class of 1996 and an English major, Jonetta has had a remarkable career in journalism and public commentary in the Washington region. She currently can be heard on "The D.C. Politics Hour" with Kojo Namdi on WAMU, and she writes frequently for the Washington Examiner and City Paper. Full Article

Trinity's Annual Fund Director Paige Murphy wrote this remarkable commentary on Barack Obama's speech on race and the larger issues he addressed:

"The fact that Barack Obama had the courage to deliver this speech during such a pivotal time in his candidacy speaks volumes about what he is willing to personally sacrifice for the good of this country. He could have simply run away from Pastor Wright and moved on. He decided that it was more important, for the good of this nation’s future, to be real, and say what most people will not. It’s a risk, but I think it’s also the characteristic of a great leader. Full Article

Today is the actual 5th anniversary of the start of the Iraq War, a war that is now considerably longer than World War II.

Today we should pause to remember in a special way the nearly 4,000 American troops who have died in this war. Nearly 30,000 have suffered wounds, many serious. As we remember these military men and women, we should offer thanks and gratitude to them for doing some of the hardest, most dangerous work imaginable on behalf of our nation.

Full Article