What's after graduation for you?

I've decided to defer my admission to Wheaton College (near Chicago) to take a gap year to do service. I'm looking into the AmeriCorp NCCC where you travel the US with a team of young people to serve in a variety of ways, like building houses or mentoring students. I really like to do active, hands-on work, and this desire to serve others has been growing this past year. I got to participate in a program called Night Strike where we spent a night under the Portland Burnside bridge to feed the homeless, distribute clothes and blankets, and have conversation with the folks living under the bridge. I went in thinking I was being so kind to reach out to these people, but by God's grace, I was convicted of my prideful manner.

In our World Issues class, we examined the many different "worlds" people live in and have considered the ways in which Christians interact with these different "worlds." I realize that I'm not very familiar with these worlds, and I want to grow in my awareness and understanding. I know that as I leave the comfort of my Christian home and community, I will experience things that are very different than what I'm used to. Yet, I believe there is something universal about human beings. When you figure out that there is common ground it helps you to recognize that Christ did die for everyone, and therefore our differences don't set us apart in God's eyes.

As for college, I'm primarily interested in the field of education, but I'm thinking it may be better to get a degree in something that I would like to teach, perhaps math. I've met a lot of people who don't like math, and I think that is really quite sad. I'm not necessarily the best mathematician, but I understand how it works, and I think the way a teacher feels about a subject is reflected in the success of their students. I would love to have those rewarding moments when a student finally "gets it."

What did you enjoy reading at Trinity?

First of all, I loved reading The Tale of Two Cities in tenth grade. Dr. Slagle was so engaged with the book and helped us come up with many new ideas as we discussed it. It was the first time I felt "enlightened" by a book.

I really loved talking about the theology of faith and works through the reading of the book of Romans, Augustine's The Spirit and the Letter, and Luther's Preface to Romans and Galatians. I've really appreciated having both Catholics and Protestants in my class and the variety of viewpoints that my classmates brought to the conversation. I think it was really important to get to know my classmates without necessarily knowing their church background. It allowed me to build relationships and see our similarities and find common ground. In the Bible it speaks about not letting divisions come up in the midst of Christians. I really found that possible at Trinity.

You led girls' morning prayer recently. What did you share about?

I shared about faith and faithfulness.

Stepping out in faith is so hard, and sometimes it looks messy. But you have to say, "OK, I trust you, God!" And once you do step out in faith it is really freeing! You trusted God, you acted in faithfulness, and God is faithful back to you. But what happens when we are not faithful to God? What happens when we don't follow through? The crazy thing is, God is still faithful to us. He sends his Holy Spirit to speak to us and encourage us. As I've been pondering this during the quarantine, I've noticed many signs of faithfulness around me, especially in the way my family is faithful to me, no matter what.

Do you plan to head to college this next year?

Well, actually I’ve already started taking some classes at Wabash College (Indiana) where I’ll be enrolled in the fall! Wabash is one of only three men’s colleges in the United States. They’ve recruited me to be on their cross-country and track team as a mid- and long-distance runner. The coach has already sent out training schedules and held Zoom team meetings which I’ve been doing during this quarantine. I’ve been corresponding with a philosophy professor I met during my visit in January, and he invited me to sit in (virtually) on one of his classes for the rest of the semester. Also, Wabash wants to form connections among the incoming class early on, so this year they created an online class called “COVID-19 and the Liberal Arts” where various professors from different departments teach something from their discipline and how it connects to COVID-19.

It was very hard to decide what to major in because everything is just so interesting, but my current plan is a double major in math and physics and a minor in philosophy. I’ve gotten to know guys in the Wabash Christian Men’s club so I’m excited to join in with that too.

What was a favorite book you read at Trinity?

It’s so hard to choose between any of the books we read in the second semester of 11th grade. All of those books I absolutely fell in love with. I loved Aristotle, Athanasius, and Augustine. But if I had to choose I’d say, Augustine’s Confessions. Then again, I also really liked Plato’s methodology of asking questions and critiquing the answers as a way of gaining a better understanding. Reading these authors helped to clarify questions I was asking such as, “How does the world work? And, how do we know how the world works?” I love to see how these timeless questions are answered through the ages and across different cultures; for example, comparing the value the ancient Greeks place on the city-states and their identity found within the city-state, to the modern American who considers questions from the point of view of the individual and how that “makes me feel.” I love to see how historical perspective influences these questions.

You mentioned that you are interested in Math and Physics as your next fields of study. What influenced your interest?

I’ve always been interested in science. Growing up in Mozambique I spent my time reading books about science facts. During the rainy season I would go outside and build dirt dams and see how different consistencies of dirt would better contain the water, including a detailed analysis of why different dirt types behaved in different ways.

When I got to Trinity and had Geometry and Pre-Calculus with Mr. Robinson, he gave me a taste for pure mathematics. He taught us proofs, how we could really know something because it was built upon a certain given. For homework we would have to come up with our own proofs for something like the Pythagorean theorem and we would come in with a variety of different proofs. I found out that you could prove the same thing in multiple different ways, and it just blew my mind! It was like an artistic approach to figuring things out.

As for Physics, Mr. Tomassi is so energetic and excited about this subject that it was easy for me to feel the same. He would give us experiments to help us derive formulas, such as the kinematic equation. What caught my attention was that physics is the extension of math into the physical world. I’m interested in studying these abstract ideas and how they can be used to describe the world.

What has been a challenge for you?

Languages! When I lived in Malawi and Mozambique I was always afraid of making mistakes with speaking the language so I would hide at home and not go into the village. Then when I got to Trinity I was forced to jump into the intensive Latin course and that was so hard! I would spend 2-3 hours/night on homework to pick up the Latin forms. But sometime during the second semester, something clicked in my head and I could see how the Latin fit together like puzzle pieces. I have always liked to talk, and this was thrilling to think about expressing myself by connecting these pieces. I got to translate JFK’s Space Race speech and had to come up with a way to express words such as “Spaceship.” Would it be “A box of fire” in Latin?

So I found my love of languages through having to take Latin at Trinity. These past 2 years I’ve added on French and Greek, so now I speak a bit of French at home with my family and read from the Greek Bible for my morning devotions (which helps me to slow down and really ponder the meaning behind each Scripture verse.) In Greek class with Dr. Robertson we are translating the Sermon on the Mount, and I get to see that words such as “righteousness” come from a Greek term meaning “doing what God requires.” It’s great to gain that deeper understanding. I plan to continue the study of Greek in college because I really want to be able to study philosophy (Plato and Aristotle among others) in the language in which it was written. Trinity has helped me see the interconnection between subjects and that they are not just random requirements.

How was your transition to Trinity Academy in 9th grade after living most of your life in Africa?

I remember sitting by myself at lunch reading a book so I wouldn’t have to talk to my classmates. I didn’t want to betray my love for Mozambique by entering into life here in the States. But then in 10th grade, I encountered a question posed by Aristotle, “What is the basis of a true friend?” I had to think if I wanted my friendships based on a common experience (such as living abroad) or perhaps instead, in a common pursuit for truth and seeing how that is fulfilled in God. From that point on, I engaged with my classmates, enjoying genuine discussions and debates as we got to know each other well and become friends on that solid ground.

What would you like to leave us with?

When you are starting a new subject, don’t approach it with skepticism, but rather look to see what is worthwhile about the subject and how it can inform something in your life. You may not see how it applies immediately, but keep attacking the subject with all your energy and find wonder in the subject. It makes learning so much easier. And make time for friends as well!