This year, one in seven students is a legacy, meaning they’re related to an alumnus. Hear from legacy students Rozlyn ’21, Imani ’21 and Justin ’18.
With 107 years of history, Holy Trinity has a rich legacy, best exemplified through our alumni. Nowhere is this more evident than in our current crop of Legacy Tigers: current students who are related to an alumnus of a school.
This school year, one in seven students is a legacy, including Rozlyn Ross ‘21. “My dad [William Ross ‘89], aunt [Jeanette Lozano ‘94], cousin [Graciela Santacruz ‘07] and sister [Alma Delgado ‘11] all went to Holy Trinity. When I was little, around six, I told my dad I wanted to come here, too. So, in 8th grade, he kept reminding me. My whole family kept telling me that I needed to go to HT because of all the opportunities here, and the high rate of students who go on to great colleges. Now that I’m here, I really enjoy it and feel like I can make this school my own. My dad, cousin and sister all played basketball here, and now I am, too.”
Rozlyn is already attending alumni events, including the recent Alumni Basketball Game, with her dad. “It’s fun to know that my family are alumni and I’m going to be a future alum.”
Holy Trinity means family for Justin Ruiz ‘18, whose cousin Luis Ruiz ’17, brother Steven Ruiz ‘11, sister Stephanie Ruiz ‘09 and brother-in-law Jeremy Rinfret ‘07 are all alumni. “I didn’t start out at HT, but when it was time for me to move on to another school, my siblings were telling me how HT is a great school and really shaped who they are today. My sister and brother-in-law met here, and they talked about what an amazing environment HT is and how the teachers helped them realize what they wanted to do and how they wanted to go through life. They were able to overcome their challenges by being here, and that really inspired me.”
Now, Justin is experiencing first-hand the benefits of Holy Trinity’s supportive community. “Right now, my biggest struggle is college applications, and I feel like any faculty member around here is able to give you advice on colleges, and even normal life things. I can go to any faculty or staff member to talk, and they’re willing to open up to me and give a little bit of their life to help my life.”
For Imani Gonnigan ‘21, it’s hard to imagine life without Holy Trinity. “Both my parents [Richard Gonnigan and Camille Holcomb] came to HT and met here. When I was growing up, they’d tell me so many stories. They’d say, ‘Man, you don’t know anything, when we used to go to HT we could meet in the hallways, we used to be so cool.’”
When it came time to visit high schools, Holy Trinity was at the top of Imani’s list. “I wanted to see the school that they went to, so I came on as a shadow and I ended up liking it. Now that I’m here, I have some of the same teachers as my parents: Ms. Lohenry, Mr. Joseph, Mr. Bopp. And some things are so different because it’s two different times.”
“I would want my kids to come to HT,” Imani adds. “It would be fun, a family tradition.”
