Archives: News Stories

Many recent graduates possess the technical skills that qualify them for new jobs. But there is more to a good employee than just technical skills, according to Anthony Ciccarone, Instructor, Coach, and Consultant with Amplify Chicago. Ciccarone, whose organization works to address the racial wealth gap in the justice system by involving young people, recently spoke to the Trinity community about early career planning as part of the Fusion Friday speaker series.

“Most of the time, people have good backgrounds and good grades and can point to projects they have worked on,” said Ciccarone, speaking via Zoom. “When hiring new employees, my bigger challenge is finding out whether they can stick with the job. Can you learn something about yourself and others?  Can you work with change?”

Ciccarone shared some thoughts on career planning at different stages of one’s career, with a particular emphasis on the early phase of careers. “And I’m a big believer in putting personal goals in your career plan,” he said. “It’s a smart thing to do so you remember to take care of yourself.”

He described different stages of the planning cycle:

–Goals

–Implement

–Monitor

–Measure

–Evaluate

–Communicate

For those in the early phase of career planning, he suggested doing a self-assessment; think about your passions; develop and use your network; articulate success; and create SMART goals—Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timebound.

And be patient, he urged. “It can often take a long time to get there,” Ciccarone said.

Fusion Fridays are held monthly and allow the Trinity community to hear from a variety of experts. Throughout the Fall 2020 Semester, Fusion Fridays will take place virtually. The next event, which features Rachel Holden ’17, will take place on Nov. 6. Click here to learn more.

Trinity has developed a School of Record (SOR) partnership with Upkey, an educational organization dedicated to creating a more equitable future for students as they enter the workforce. Trinity partners with Upkey in their Virtual Internship Program (VIP), assisting in the course connected to the internship, Business 201:  Business Leadership and Entrepreneurship, for transferable credit.

Previously, Trinity  and Upkey announced their partnership to offer more than $1.5 million worth of academic credit to students participating in its virtual internship program.

Upkey provides high school seniors and college students with fun, interesting, and engaging learning tracks to help them cultivate a marketable professional image, show off their grit and tenacity, and emphasize their potential.

With roots in Palos Heights, Trinity has partnerships around the world.  These partnerships provide our students with unique opportunities in academics, service and experiential learning to enhance their vocation. Learn more about our relationships with Upkey and other partners here.

The show must go on! Trinity continues its tradition of hosting the annual 24-Hour Theatre Project, this year in an online format. The free event takes place this weekend, with the performances starting at 8 pm on Saturday, September 26.

During this event, five brand-new 10-minute plays are written, rehearsed, and performed within a day.

Each play will be a response to, or exploration of, the same photograph.

The 24-Hour Theatre Project features between 30 and 40 participants as actors, directors, playwrights, and technology managers.

The plays will be performed for an online audience on Saturday evening, September 26 at 8pm Central time.

This is a FREE performance.  Audience members will be asked to join the performance via a Zoom link.  The link can be obtained by e-mailing Box.Office@trnty.edu

Trinity Christian College is proud to be the home of the award-winning Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra. And as the IPO has reimagined its fall programming in order to protect the community, Trinity is excited to welcome  IPO musicians back on the stage of Ozinga Chapel Auditorium, for an Opening Night Concert on Oct. 24 that will be virtual and available for free.

The unique relationship between Trinity and IPO has allowed for this concert to take place, with limited participants, extensive COVID safety protocols, and thorough social distancing guidelines in place.

The concert will be broadcast on YouTube, Facebook, and Palos Channel 4.

This brand new 45-minute program of 30 IPO string players features “Walker’s Lyric for Strings” alongside Tchaikovsky’s “Serenade.”

Additional virtual offerings, socially distanced concerts, and interactive programming will be unveiled throughout the fall, and we hope you will join us. For more information, visit www.ipomusic.org

Trolls don’t just believe in sportsmanship and integrity during athletic competitions–they live those values in every aspect of their lives. And Trinity is pleased to receive the Champions of Character Five-Star award from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

The award was given to 181 NAIA colleges and universities across the country based on five core values: character training, conduct in competition, academic focus, character recognition and character promotion. Along with these categories, schools can also earn points through exceptional student-athlete GPA’s and through receiving limited ejections during competition.

For the 2019-20 academic year, Trinity achieved Gold status, which means the Athletics Department scored 90 or more points out of 100 on the criteria listed above. After the final scores were calculated, the College ended with the highest possible score of 100 points. Trinity earned the Champions of Character Five-Star Institution award every year since the 2003-04 academic year. This is the third time the College acquired Gold status.

The Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC), which Trinity is a member institution, was also named a Five-Star Conference. This award is given to conferences if at least 60 percent of its members receive the institutional award. Trinity is one of three colleges in the conference to receive a perfect score, and one of nine schools to earn Gold, Silver or Bronze status.

To learn more about this award and see a full list of recipients, visit the NAIA website.

Since Fusion 59 opened in 2018, many people across campus and from the Chicagoland area have benefited from Trinity’s innovation and co-working space. As Haley Heeg ’20 takes over as Fusion 59’s Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR), she is looking forward to continuing and expanding on that tradition.

“Students from all backgrounds, majors, and disciplines engage with Fusion 59 in some form while being on and off campus throughout the summer months and school year,” said Heeg. “Alumni will come back to Fusion 59 to speak, present, or do workshops about how they are innovating in their current field of business.”

Heeg said she is excited about serving as Trinity’s EIR. The role allows her to serve as on-campus director and mentor within Fusion 59, while managing her own career. She takes over from Fusion 59’s first-ever EIRs, Ryan Hesslau ’18 and Tom Iwema ’18.

Fusion 59 consists of four core components: community, events, student clubs, and Trinity’s Consulting Team, Heeg said. “My job will be to manage the space and all initiatives that flow from the space.” She said she is particularly looking forward to working with guest speakers for “Fusion Friday” events and advising the Consulting Team, which works with clients from within and outside the Trinity community to help with event management, web design, social media marketing, photography, team management, and other functions.

Since Trinity has moved to online classes for the fall in order to keep the community safe, all Fusion 59 activities will be offered virtually. “Innovation Club will be virtual,” said Heeg. “We will be having a ‘Fusion Friday’ at least once a month for the entire school year, where guest speakers will present on Zoom [See more information below]. This will be very interactional, and students will be able to ask questions.”

Trinity’s Consulting Team will also be primarily virtual. “We will be helping local businesses in the Palos Heights community grow their social media and marketing strategies.”

Like several other campus facilities, Fusion 59 will be open as a place where students who are on campus can work in socially distant groups. The space, located in the Jennie Huizenga Memorial Library, will have a capacity of 15 people.

Heeg has always been an entrepreneur, and her time at Trinity helped her to focus on that calling. “From a young age I was always coming up with creative ideas and ‘businesses,’” she said. “At age 7, I started making doll clothes and selling them to my classmates. At age 15, my sisters and I started our own jewelry company called Trendy Trio.”

A native of Oklahoma, Heeg knew she wanted to study business at Trinity but wasn’t sure what she wanted to do with her degree. “My business department advisor and I discussed many things about my interests and skills,” said Heeg. Along with her interest in business, Heeg has successfully participated in pageant competitions, including being named a semifinalist in the Miss Illinois pageant in 2019. “I mentioned to him that I was selling my old pageant wardrobe and was ‘flipping’ dresses I bought from consignment stores. He told me that I was meant to be an entrepreneur and I have a business that I need to be serious about!”

With that encouragement, Heeg expanded Rosebud Bloom Online Boutique. “Because of the encouragement I received from my professor and advisor, I was able to pay my way through college and save money that would help me after graduation.”

Along with her studies and running Rosebud Boutique, Heeg was actively involved in Fusion 59 as a Trinity student and served as team manager for the Consulting Team and as president of the Innovation Club. “My professors and classes at Trinity equipped me to launch and succeed in owning my own business while being a full-time student, the Innovation Club President, and an active student in the classroom,” said Heeg, who graduated in May with a marketing major. “Now that I have graduated, I am fully prepared to enter corporate America and make a positive impact in my community.”

Along with serving as EIR, Heeg has a job with Ozinga as a Dispatch and Customer Service Representative. As part of her EIR duties, Heeg is on campus several evenings a week.

Fusion Friday Speakers

Throughout the academic year, Fusion 59 will be presenting a series of speakers who bring a variety of expertise and information. All Fusion Friday events will be accessible via Zoom. Scheduled speakers include:

Sept. 11 at 4 pm

Lawrence Weller, president of ECF Wealth, will be speaking and presenting on what being a business owner and working in finance has been like during a pandemic and offering advice for students who want to be entrepreneurs.

Visit here to learn more, including information about joining the Zoom meeting.

Oct. 9 at 4 pm

Anthony Ciccarone, coach and consultant with Amplify Chicago, will speak on career planning. Amplify Chicago addresses the racial wealth gap in the justice system by involving young people.

Nov. 6 at 4 pm

Rachel Holden, who is involved with recruiting and development at Northwestern Mutual, will be speaking about training, hiring, and recruiting, what companies are looking for during a pandemic and how students can be innovative in their approach.

Trinity Christian College and the North American Christians in Social Work (NACSW) are pleased to announce a new memorandum of understanding to mark the co-location of NACSW’s corporate headquarters on Trinity’s campus, effective June 1, 2020.

NACSW and Trinity’s Social Work Department have a long history of collaboration and support for one another, with Trinity’s social work faculty serving as frequent presenters at the annual NACSW convention.  Beginning in January, Dr. Allison Tan, Assistant Professor of Social Work at Trinity, accepted a position as Director of Programs for NACSW.  In this role, Tan has the opportunity to serve as a key point of contact for the oversight of NACSW’s day-to-day activities from Trinity’s campus.  This co-location offers Trinity students opportunities for employment, internships, and experiential learning and provides NACSW with institutional support, space, and other invaluable resources.

The leaders of both NACSW and Trinity see the value of this co-location.  Trinity’s President Kurt D. Dykstra said, “We are thrilled to welcome NACSW to its new home on Trinity’s campus.  Our students and faculty will benefit immeasurably from the close physical proximity to this wonderful organization.  I trust, too, that NACSW and its employees will find Trinity a very hospitable and collegial home and enjoy, as we do already, the great benefits of living and working within one of the world’s great metropolitan areas.”

Rick Chamiec-Case, NACSW’s Executive Director said, “Besides providing much-needed additional space for NACSW’s growing office and storage needs, NACSW’s move to Trinity’s campus will create a valuable partnership that will richly contribute to both NACSW’s and Trinity’s missions at several levels. Whether it’s creating opportunities for NACSW to work with and give experience to student workers and interns from Trinity’s Social Work Department and other majors, or sharing resources and providing consultation to support each other’s programs, this partnership will serve both NACSW and Trinity well in the years ahead.”

NACSW began in 1950 in Wheaton, IL and was incorporated in 1954.  NACSW’s mission and vision is to “be a vital presence in social work” by “equipping its members to integrate Christian faith and social work practice.”   With a membership of nearly 1,200 social work students, practitioners, and educators, NACSW’s work includes publication of the journal Social Work & Christianity as well as a number of textbooks aimed at equipping Christian social work and social work programs with resources to integrate faith and practice.  NACSW also hosts an annual convention, supports the mentorship of emerging leaders in social work, and provides a range of continuing education opportunities.