Friends,

First, I want to join the chorus of those welcoming you to Trinity! I’m Chaplain Alex. I help to oversee religious and spiritual life for the Trinity community, and I also serve as a confidential resource here on campus. If you ever want a coffee, a clementine or someone to process both the hard and wonderful things of life with, all of my availability is online at tuchaplain.youcanbook.me. You can also find out about some of the great offerings from Chapel | Spiritual Life on Instagram @tu_CSL.

As we approach the start of a new year at Trinity, I am sitting with a reflection shared by Fred Rogers (Mister Rogers to many) a number of years ago during a commencement address: “All of us, at some time or other, need help. Whether we’re giving or receiving help, each one of us has something valuable to bring to this world. That’s one of the things that connects us as neighbors — in our own way, each one of us is a giver and a receiver.”

Each of us brings something valuable and unique to this community, and together it is us who make Trinity, Trinity. For Trinity is not simply a collection of red brick buildings, or a place that we are set apart from, but a community that we are a part of, that we form together. We, the faculty, students, staff and alumni are who make Trinity the university that it is. Each of us is a giver and receiver in our own ways, and while as students there are times you may feel like you are receiving more than you are giving, know this: Your presence here, your gifts and your story will shape this community in ways both seen and unseen.

For life at Trinity is, at its heart, life in community. We are called to be neighbors to one another. And I invite you, as you begin your journey here, to sit with the question: “Who is my neighbor?” This is not simply a question of proximity, but an invitation to curiosity and connection — to learn the stories, histories and values of the people who share your classroom, your residence hall and this campus. It is an invitation to come to know those who work across the hall or live in a different part of San Antonio, and to extend to them the gift of attention and care. In small, everyday moments — learning a name, honoring a story, offering a hand — you practice the kind of hospitality that ripples far beyond these grounds.

When I came to Trinity 20 years ago as a student, I thought I knew who I was, but because of the wonderful people on this campus and in this city, I began a new chapter of my story. I shifted majors multiple times, spent a lot of time off campus working with those who were unhoused, entered my “crunchy” phase and only wore shoes when in class. It was also at Trinity that I learned what it meant to truly live in community, from helping to found the Swashbucklers, to living in an intentional community of spiritual practice after college. Many of the habits, ways of being and friends I made while I was a student have continued to shape me.

So, as you head into the beginning of your Trinity sojourn, know that this community is eager to welcome you, to learn from you and to grow alongside you. The year ahead will bring challenges and discoveries, questions and possibilities and moments that will invite you to become more fully yourself. In the midst of it all, remember that you are not walking this journey alone. You are surrounded by neighbors — classmates, professors, staff, alumni, San Antonians — who are ready to support you and to be shaped by your presence here. Together, we will continue to make Trinity not just a university, but a home.

Welcome again!
Chaplain Alex Serna-Wallender ‘08