Archives: Initiatives

At Trinity, our psychology students develop theoretical insight and professional skills through study, research, and practice, all from a Christian perspective.

Several Trinity undergraduate and graduate students and faculty recently presented their research at conferences, including:

90^th Annual Midwestern Psychological Association Meeting, Chicago

–Jenna Van Der Pol ‘19, Stefany Moses ‘18, Richard Yelnick ‘18, & Alexandra Giampapa ‘18 (2018). The effects of introversion on time spent working out at a gym. Poster presentation.

–Dr. Jessica Clevering, Dr. Kara Wolff, Roberto Rosario ‘17, & Elijah Lemkuil ‘18 (2018). Emotional reactions to racism: Definitions and social dominance orientation matter. Paper presentation.

–Dr. Kara Wolff, Dr. Jessica Clevering, Ashley Fazekas ‘18, Olivia Otte ’20, & Jenna Van Der Pol ‘19 (2018). The relationships among rejection of racism, colorblindness, guilt, and empathy. Paper presentation.

Great Lakes Regional Counseling Psychology Conference in Kalamazoo, Mich., and the Associated College of the Chicagoland Area Conference in Lisle, Ill.

–Ashley Fazekas ‘18, & Jenna Van Der Pol ‘19 (2018). Why do people justify a racist system? Understanding the psychological motivator of powerlessness in relation to system justification. Poster presentation

At Trinity, we prepare our Education majors for the classroom. And our recent 100% pass rate on the Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) for traditional undergraduate students is further proof of that.

“This is a great testament to our students’ abilities and the education they receive at Trinity,” said Dr. Rick Snoeyink, professor of education. “The edTPA is a strong indication of what teachers face in the classroom.”

And Trinity graduates agree that they are prepared when they enter the classroom. “Trinity (and the edTPA) prepared me so well for my first evaluation in the real teaching world!” one graduate recently reported. “All of the reflections, full-out lesson planning, and observations are worth more than I could’ve ever known.”

edTPA is a performance-based, subject-specific assessment and support system used by teacher preparation programs to emphasize, measure and support the skills and knowledge that all teachers need from Day 1 in the classroom. The assessment features a common architecture focused on three tasks: Planning, Instruction, and Assessment.

Trinity offers majors in art education, biology education, business education, chemistry education, elementary education, English education, mathematics education, middle grades education, music education, physical education, Spanish education, and special education.

Speaking on the topic of Reformed Protestantism in the Dutch East Indies in the 1600s, Dr. Yudha Thianto, Ph.D., professor of theology and department chair, provided the keynote at Wheaton College’s recent Graduate Students Conference.

Thianto was accompanied to the April 21 conference by Trinity students Dustin Huckstep, Sabrina Rodriguez, Katherine Newendorp, Alaina Kats, Avery Johnson, Jonathan Sturrus, Jinho Yang, and Cassidy Buss.

“Inheritance” was the theme of this year’s annual conference, which celebrates students from the Biblical and Theological Studies department and their research and accomplishments. The conference is a time for faculty, students, and guests to come together to engage in discussions and fellowship. Topics ranged from the early Christian church to the modern period.

The title of Thianto’s keynote address was: “Reformed Protestantism in Seventeenth Century Dutch East Indies: Cultural Encounters, Struggles, and Progress.”

Thianto, who is the incoming president of the Calvin Society, has been teaching at Trinity since 2001. He earned his Ph.D. in historical theology from Calvin Theological Seminary. Originally from Indonesia, his current research focuses on the history of the earliest establishment of the Dutch Reformed Church in the East Indies (now Indonesia) in the seventeenth century.

Dr. Clay Carlson, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, has authored an article on “Faith and Climate Science,” which appears on the cover of this issue of The Banner.

In his piece, Carlson describes the devastating effects of the widespread rejection of climate science. “For the sake of our witness, our young people, and our world, we must rise above fear, skepticism, and unwarranted optimism,” he urges.

The entire article can be read here.

What do the Bard, the “Carlton” dance, and the “Rachel” haircut have in common? For Trinity’s Theatre Department, they equal sold-out performances of this year’s spring play “The Comedy of Errors,” set in Chicago in the 1990s.

Directed by Dr. John Sebestyen, associate professor of communication arts and director of theatre, the comic farce about two sets of identical twins accidentally separated at birth ran for six performances in the Marg Kallemeyn Theatre in April.

Trinity Christian College’s partnership with 1871 Chicago offers so many benefits for our students.   Here is a great article from our student Joshua York about the advantages and benefits of our partnership from his perspective.

Read more:  https://blog.1871.com/campus-1871-4-lessons-from-a-student-entrepreneur

Experiential learning at its finest! Our professors and 18 students from our Social Work program took part in the 2018 Advocacy Day in Springfield, IL on Wednesday, April 11. They joined with 1,000+ social workers and students from across Illinois to attend educational seminars and lobbying at the State Capitol!

We are proud of their advocacy efforts on behalf of important issues facing social workers today.

For finance major and Spanish minor Alexis (Lexi) Zambrano ’18, her classes have taken her across the world all the way to Seville, Spain.

Zambrano took part in Trinity’s Semester in Spain program over the summer, fulfilling her language requirements and getting an unforgettable experience at the same time. “The architecture, the food, the people in Seville—I will definitely go back,” she said.

And while Zambrano has visited Colombia, where her father grew up, and Mexico, where her mother is from, the experience in Spain was very different. “It was a huge change, in terms of culture, weather, and other things.” She explained that a glass of water was more expensive than a glass of soda, and that the weather seemed especially hotter with temperatures averaging 95 degrees while she was in Seville. “Luckily, the school is air conditioned,” she said.

For her coursework, she took a class in historical literature. “It involved legends. So we would read about legends that took place in Seville, then visit those sites. It didn’t seem like learning! I also took a course on culture.”

Before Zambrano departed for Seville, she received information about her host family and was able to talk with her host mother. She also received itineraries, maps, and other helpful information. “Everything was laid out in advance,” Zambrano said.

And while Zambrano didn’t really know any of her classmates before the trip, she became good friends with her roommate, who attends Geneva College in Pennsylvania. “We had a blast. On long weekends, we took minivacations to Barcelona, Ronda, and Malaga.”

A defender and forward for Trinity’s Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAC) championship women’s soccer team, Zambrano also became a fan of the local soccer team, Sevilla Football Club.

Zambrano encourages others to consider studying abroad. “I would urge other students to go outside of their comfort zone and not overthink the experience, because it will over exceed any expectations going into it.”