Spotlights

MEET THE GESSNER FAMILY (TED ‘15, ANNA ‘19, EMILY ‘22)
Three Words to Describe Trinity: Grace-filled, Community-driven, Culture-engaged
Ted’s College: University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill ‘19
Ted’s Majors: Geography and Chinese
Ted’s Trinity Involvements: Soccer, Basketball, Tennis, House Head of Urquhart
Ted’s Fun Fact: Lived in Kenya for two years

The Gessner Family has been cared for and supported by the Trinity community for more than 12 years. Both Rick and Sarah distinctly recall the outreach from faculty, staff, friends, and families during their two years living in Kenya. The support in this season even included a summer trip by Trinity students and faculty to serve alongside the Gessners. The whole family has benefited from the overwhelming love that is associated with this community of faith and learning.

Dr. Sarah Gessner describes the goals of Trinity’s spiritual formation through Christian education as two-fold: first, educate students from a Christian worldview and second, teach students how to think critically, so they can, in turn, go into their spheres of influence and be winsome and effective in sharing the Gospel with others. Students are encouraged, even required, to think about and discuss difficult, confusing issues in our world – they are presented with issues and supported as they work through them, but never told what to think or say. Dr. Rick Gessner credits this model for effectively preparing their oldest, Ted, for the challenges and opportunities he is facing in the university setting as a student at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.

Ted has continued to seek to grow in his Christian walk while in college, which is a time filled with unbelievable pressures and influences, many of which come from professors and the administration. Because of Trinity, he knows what it means to think critically about issues that are presented to him, both in the classroom and without,” Sarah Gessner reflects.

Ted is not satisfied with pat answers or simplistic explanations. He is comfortable discussing big issues with all sorts of people on campus. He grew his early involvement with CRU, a campus ministry, into a leadership role this year pouring back into others as a Bible study leader.

MEET HAILEY PRICE ‘15
College: Meredith College ‘19
Major: Chemistry and Biology
Favorite Trinity Class: AP Chemistry
Three Words to Describe Trinity: Community, Tight-knit, Family
Fun Fact: Performed as a cheerleader in the Macy’s Day Parade

Growing up in a family of believers at Trinity Academy profoundly shaped Hailey’s life and future. From a young age, she was being invested in and molded by her peers, her teachers, her coaches, and the families at Trinity. This Christ-like community fostered in her a hunger for Christian community and a deep desire to provide this community for others. At Meredith, she became deeply involved with CRU, a campus ministry, through which she has served as a bible study leader for local high school girls. This past summer, she had a life-changing experience serving on the CRU Summer Missions Team in East Asia for six weeks, sharing the gospel with college students, many of which had never before heard of Jesus Christ. Hailey credits the fortitude of the skills and knowledge she learned at Trinity – rhetoric, ethics, philosophy, religion, and apologetics – for effectively and efficiently being able to communicate the gospel to foreign students. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, she personally witnessed eight students accept Christ and truly desire relationship with Him this past summer! Hailey hopes to use her double major in Chemistry and Biology on
the mission field after graduation.

Trinity Academy allowed me to blossom as an individual. Being able to take classes such as rhetoric, ethics, logic, apologetics, and philosophy prepared me not only academically, but spiritually, allowing me to find my voice and truly argue for what I believed.

Looking back now, with more maturity, I understand that there is truly something special and different about the way that Trinity Academy raises up their students. They have prepared us to be leaders and advocates for living differently in light of the gospel.