Ryan Crowell ’21 (De La Salle House)

by Hanna Salus ’21 (Loyola House)

Ryan Crowell (De La Salle ‘21) is one of this year’s co-captains for the House System, Trinity’s governing system that emphasizes student leadership.  Alongside Jaylin McHugh-Moore (Loyola ‘21), Ryan is the “first person of contact for all the students to bring their ideas or concerns.” He is “a bridge between the students and administration.” This “bridge” has proven to be extremely beneficial to the Trinity community.  Students feel they actually have a say in what events are planned. Adopting the House System in place of a student council has opened up countless leadership opportunities, ranging from coordinators in Mentor Group Leaders to School Captains.

Representing the entire student body to parents and the school administration is a tough job on its own, and COVID-19 regulations have deepened these difficulties.  Ryan strives to make a COVID-dominated school environment as normal as possible, coming up with new events and reworking old events to fit the safety regulations.  He says one of the main struggles this year is planning events perfectly so as to be approved by administrators. Although COVID has created unprecedented challenges, Ryan thoroughly enjoys most aspects of his job.  I call it a job because of his extreme dedication to this position, spending countless hours over the summer working with Sister Susan to give the class of 2020 a graduation, organizing book drop-offs, and planning the first few days of school.  He was a key part in making sure everything went smoothly.  Ryan enjoys the responsibility he’s been given and the role model position he has taken up.  He enjoys that the administration trusts and respects him to create fun events for Trinity High School this year. 

Colin Gabler ’99

Colin Gabler ‘99, an associate professor of marketing at Ohio University, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship for a one-semester teaching and research opportunity at the University of Pécs, in Hungary. As a Fulbright Scholar, Colin will teach students, conduct research, engage with the local Hungarian community, and strengthen the bonds between OU and the University of Pécs. This competitive award is selected based on academic and professional achievement, service, and demonstrated leadership. Colin holds a Ph.D. in Marketing from the University of Alabama and an M.A. in Creative Writing from Wilkes University.

Colin and his wife, Kathleen Kelliher Gabler ’03, will travel to Hungary in January of 2021. Colin will teach a course adapted from his OU class on professional sales and relationship management, as well as mentoring doctoral students to help launch their academic careers. He will also research the impact of pricing on consumer decision-making and the ethical implications for businesses. In the community, Colin will speak at engagements throughout Hungary and engage with the entire Fulbright Network.

Kathleen’s background is in environmental and plant biology, as well as community planning and geography, and the faculty in Pécs is helping to find a teaching and/or community outreach position for her. Though the pair don’t speak Hungarian, they are spending the next few months learning what they can and are excited to live in Europe and travel afterward.

As a professor, Colin’s experiences with his teachers have influenced his own teaching style and way of interacting with others, especially Mr. Carr, who Colin describes as having a “tremendous impact on [his] life.” He said, Mr. Carr “made me love mathematics and problem-solving because he took something abstract (like cosigns and tangents) and made it applicable through a story.” Colin shared a vivid memory of Calculus class, which is especially poignant during Teacher Appreciation Week:

“I have one very vivid memory from calculus. I had studied very hard for an exam and because there were a dozen or so formulas to remember, I put them in my TI-83 calculator. I remember going through the exam, doing well, and at one point, Mr. Carr was standing behind me. I looked up at him, we both smiled I think, and I went back to my calculator and the exam. When I handed it in, he asked me to stay after class. All of a sudden I am panicking, but I don’t know why. When everyone left, he said, “Mr. Gabler, do you know why I kept you after class?” to which I said, ‘Honestly no.’ He asked if I cheated on the exam to which I again replied ‘no.’ He asked for my calculator and went to the screen with the formulas. He said we were supposed to have the formulas memorized and I immediately broke into a cold sweat. ‘I truly didn’t know, I am sorry,’ I said. ‘I didn’t try to hide it, I had my calculator right on my desk, even when you walked by, honestly I didn’t know.’ He smiled and nodded and said he understood. ‘I believe you, it was an honest mistake. Here’s what we’re going to do. If I do nothing it will be unfair to the other students who memorized the formulas, but if I give you a zero–which is the policy–it is unfair to you. So which questions did you use the formulas for?’ We went through the exam and he marked with a red X the questions I pointed to and then he graded it on the spot. My grade went from somewhere in the 90s to somewhere in the low 60s (not every question needed a formula and he trusted that in some cases I knew them). He then asked if I thought that was fair, and I said it was. Looking back, I don’t even remember what grade I got that semester, but it really taught me to trust people. As a professor, I give every student the opportunity to evaluate their performance and my assessment of their performance, then I give them a window of time to come to me with questions or concerns. We are all human, and we all make mistakes (me or them). Also, everyone is going through their own thing, and so a little transparency and trust goes a long way.”

Tori Fanucci ’16

Tori Fanucci ’16, a senior at West Virginia University, devoted a significant portion of her college career to running her school’s MountaineerTHON and rebranding the 21-year old organization. She participated in Trinity’s mini-THON each year of high school, at first just attracted to what THON stood for, and growing passionate about its mission over time. Mrs. Lindholm and Mrs. Stager, Trinity’s mini-THON moderators at the time, helped her grow through their support and advice. By her senior year, finding a college that had a THON was a key factor in her college choice. “I knew that I wanted to continue participating in Dance Marathons and working to raise money for children’s charities,” Tori said.

West Virginia University’s MountaineerTHON is an 8-hour event with up to 400 participants. Tori served on the Executive Board every year at WVU, including serving as the Director, Executive President, and President (after the restructuring that Tori helped to lead). Practically, that meant Tori oversaw and assisted all committees, organized team building, and acted as a liaison between MountaineerTHON, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, WVU Medicine Children’s, and the University, and did general community outreach.

Besides the time commitment required to run THON each year and balancing demanding biology and Italian courses, Tori worked to rebrand the MountaineerTHON. Despite existing for more than two decades, the program was not a prominent feature of the school. Tori led a rebranding effort beginning at the end of her sophomore year, meant to create a sustainable organization structure. Tori was just recognized by Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals for the Miracle Network Dance Marathon Distinguished Leader Award for these efforts.

In the end, Tori was motivated by the relationships she built with her peers and the Miracle Kids and their families. She said, the Miracle Kids were an “inspiration” to her. “It was amazing being able to celebrate our organization’s accomplishments alongside them. I’ve been able to interact with some of the families outside of just MountaineerTHON events and this has played a huge role in helping me to determine what I want to do after graduation and throughout my life,” she said. After graduating with a Bachelors of Science in Biology and a minor in Italian, Tori plans to take a gap year and start medical school in the Fall of 2021, with the plan of specializing in pediatric surgery.