Trinity University alumni are the school's "song to the world," says alumna Carol Folbre '81, who graduated with majors in English and education and went on to reinvent herself as an entrepreneur. Now, she is serving on Trinity's Campus Master Plan Committee as an alumna who wants to make sure future students have a positive environment for learning.
How did you get involved in your area of expertise?
It happened the same way a hermit crab finds new homes. Or as organically as the way the Trinity campus originally formed out of growth and need along a craggy precipice.
Specifically, I'm an entrepreneur who just discovered this (I would have loved the program offered at Trinity now). I started out with an English and education degree. But, I saw the world as a detached writer and an artist with a tilt. So, to be in harmony with myself, I had to marry my passions rather than ignore their calling. I've taught English and am now a business/education consultant whose client was the Ford Motor Company Fund. This stretched my desire to give back my great education to underserved children in public/charter schools. Ultimately, I write and teach art and faith in after-school programs while supporting Trinity.
What has surprised you about working on Trinity's Campus Master Plan?
There were two surprises. The first was to find that the campus wasn't conceived initially as a "whole entity" with a comprehensive infrastructure, but grew rather organically according to each generation's learning needs. The great architect, O'Neil Ford, created historic art forms that blended and dwelled within the dramatic geographic upper and lower divide. He wisely provided the engaging outer structures with his innovative, concrete lift-slab technology while knowing there would be many changes inwardly as student needs, the economy, and the environment changed.
But here's the real surprise. For the first time the campus is planned as a living being, undivided, fully integrated with food, social/group learning, and dorm life, that naturally flows from north to south while creating and preserving the "historic district" buildings we adore. Trinity is now a complete idea that supports faculty, staff, and students' emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical well-being.
As an alumna, what would you say about Trinity?
Alumni are Trinity's song to the world. Their life work is critical as they've breathed in Trinity's learning and now breathe out what they've learned. In this way, the degree they conferred has infinite value and their education has shaped their future. They can, in turn, shape the current students by supporting Trinity in word and deed. As a result, the Trinity degree breathes out a strong message of integrity and success as alumni give back to what gave them this richness.
What was your favorite class at Trinity?
It was actually not the formal class structure, but the ad-hoc culture of professors empowering students to develop their chosen passions. I'd say this was the early formation of today's collaborative CSI and Experiential Learning and Entrepreneurship fields that we almost take for granted!
What was your biggest surprise as a student?
I'd always wanted to run a marathon, but knew I couldn't get there on my own. An informal group of runners made of any interested professors and students met at the Bell Center door steps three times a week at lunch to run through Brackenridge Park, Torcido Hill, and Olmos Basin. What a beautiful way to know the neighborhood! We trained each other, lengthened our distances, and set goals for upcoming marathons. I learned how to strategize a plan with the whole vision in mind just like our current work on the Campus Master Plan. I ended up running five.
Describe Trinity in 3-5 words.
Total strangers become close friends.
What advice would you give to a Trinity student?
Force yourself to see what you don't want to see! Get out of your comfort zone. This may be your one chance to do this in a safe environment of Trinity learning. You won't learn and grow unless you push yourself and struggle. Run a marathon. This is the paradox of life.
What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?
Rodeo clown! It would force me to see what I don't really want to see. Also, it would get me out of my comfort zone, make me struggle, and be grateful to jump back into the barrel.
Who have been some of your mentors?
They are everywhere and appear in particular times of need. I see them in my husband; my collaborative work; my front yard filled with hawks, deer, and turkeys; relaxed cats; or in total strangers who become close friends. Perhaps my favorite mentors are my children: My daughter, Morgan, lives in Austin and writes for the Texas Tribune, and my son, Wright, lives in San Diego where he is completing a degree in criminal justice.
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