Vicente Miles
What is your first memory of Trinity?
My first memory of Trinity is being introduced to the school as a new sixth grader at orientation. Isaac Shreves introduced me, and was always so nice to me afterwards. He always invited me to eat with him at lunch.
How was the transition to middle school for you?
In fifth grade, I was going to a charter academy part time, but not for any academic classes, because I was also being homeschooled. I was always busy, but not really learning anything hard. The transition to Trinity in sixth grade wasn't too big of a jump, but by eighth grade I felt the difficulty, especially all the reading. The best strategy I found for making the reading load better was writing annotations. I had this new teacher in eighth grade who taught Medieval History and demanded I annotate... it eventually paid off.
What have been your favorite books in Humane Letters?
I liked reading all the philosophy. Rousseau was the first: I love the idea of starting from the beginning to try to understand the human psyche. I was excited for Plato, but then the dialogues turned out to be more like stories. Finally, we started reading Aristotle. When he talked about virtue as the mean between vices, I thought, this really is how the world works. I was also interested in how he influenced later writers like Augustine and Thomas Aquinas. I was amazed that you could take something that was totally unreligious, just focused on what the universe is and how it works, and then set it next to how the Bible says the world works, and see that they match up pretty well in describing human life.
What do you think makes Trinity distinct?
The relationships we have in the Trinity community have helped me a lot. I can talk to Mr. T. about anything. My mom was diagnosed with cancer at the end of my sixth grade year, and it was a big blessing to us to have the Trinity community reaching out to help us. Seeing other people’s willingness to be there for someone inspired me as a young student and helped me know what I wanted to be like. I’ve always looked up to the older students at Trinity. That's why I really love that part of The Brothers Karamazov where the boy looks up to Alyosha for a model of how to be.
Do you have a favorite Trinity Academy tradition?
I love Spring Field Day. The events you do with your squad really bring you together as a community. I find it easy to relate to younger students, but I have to be the grown up sometimes. I like to be the fun person, who you know is going to help you have a good time, but if I see my squad mates trash talking our opponent, I step in or try to talk to them about it. That's part of what I like about getting to be involved.
What is one class or subject you would not have taken on your own?
Studio Art. The first day of seventh grade, I was not looking forward to it. My handwriting is illegible and I did not believe I could do it. But I drew a Fennic fox, and the end result made me really proud. Our final piece from eleventh grade, the charcoal portrait of Marcos, is the thing I'm most proud of that I've done at Trinity. We have a room at our house: one wall is photos of people who have made a difference in our lives -- including some authors from the Trinity curriculum -- and on the other wall is all the art me and my brothers have made at Trinity. My portrait of Marcos is right next to the door.
What extracurriculars did you participate in? What have those experiences added to your life?
The three main extracurriculars I participated in were cross country, basketball, and tennis. In basketball, learning to rely on others and to be part of a team was a big step for me. I always felt like I had to carry the team when I was younger -- even when I was not the best person on the team, I felt that way. It led to a lot of ball hogging. This explains why the middle school team lost a lot. But starting in high school, I was playing with older guys. I learned that you have to trust other people to play their part on the team. Instead of practicing by myself, now I like to invite people over to the gym at Hinson so we can play, talk, and build friendship. We play pick-up games every Saturday morning, and the whole starting five will come.
What’s next for you? What do you hope it will be like?
I'm going to start community college and work this year. Then I hope to transfer to Corban University where I can finish my nursing program. I've always been interested in the medical field. Two years ago, I took care of a man with Alzheimer's at a nursing home, and it was enjoyable to get to know someone in that way. It was cool to see how the staff there helped him and interacted with the other people who needed help there.
