When Trinity Moreno enrolled as a student at Front Range Community College in the spring of 2022, she was seeking her Associate of Science, a bridge to help her attend her dream university and, eventually, medical school.
But she found something she didn’t expect—a deep sense of community and a second home.
“It’s been more than a good experience. It’s an amazing experience,” she says. “I’ve been involved with the tutoring center, clubs, getting to know the professors.”
“Front Range feels like a second home to me.”
Overcoming Setbacks
For Trinity, 21, who grew up in Fort Collins, college wasn’t just about classes. It was about pushing past limits. Her mom, who earned her GED at FRCC, encouraged her to give community college a try before heading to her dream school, Colorado State University. Trinity followed that advice.
One of her biggest academic hurdles? College algebra.
“College algebra was a really difficult class for me, and math wasn’t my strongest [subject],” she remembers, adding that she ultimately took the class four times before mastering the concepts and passing the class.
Finding Her Community
But in the process, she found community in FRCC’s Academic Success Centers, where she got to know the tutors who not only helped her understand the material, but also believed in her.
“It’s just more than just a math tutoring center,” she explains. “It’s a community in a math tutoring center.”
“It’s not just going to tutoring and that’s it. You get to know the tutors and they help you; they support you. I’ve known most of the tutors for a really long time.”
A Leader with High Goals
One of her Writing Center tutors, Barbara Engels, says she “truly enjoyed watching the incredible progress [Trinty] has made.”
“Trinity is an extremely focused and hard-working individual,” Barbara says. “She is very determined and anxious to succeed. She is a very quick learner and has shown impressive leadership abilities and a clear understanding of how to work with her peers, who look to her for guidance and support.
“Trinity has set high goals for herself, and I have no doubt that she will reach them.”
Support and Encouragement
Professor Sarah Fedel, who taught that challenging algebra class, stood out to Trinity as well.
“Sarah is very supportive,” Trinity says. “She knows that I do my best and encouraged me to do tutoring. … I’ve been working really hard, going to tutoring nearly every day.”
Sarah calls Trinity someone who always has a positive attitude, great communication skills and who puts in her best effort.
Jobs, Clubs, Classes: Finding Balance
Trinity also participates in extracurriculars. She’s the president of the Anime Club and is active in student government, Math Club and Games Club.
She’s also a full-time student and a full-time certified nursing assistant. In the fall of 2023, she worked in a nursing home, caring for 17 residents during each eight-hour shift. She later transitioned to home health care, where she connected deeply with the clients she served, even offering her time for free when one couldn’t afford services.
Support Makes the Difference
When asked how she balances it all, she admits it’s not easy.
“It’s the people around me that are supportive that kept me going—my clients, my family, my friends, the professors and tutors.” Trinity shares. “Even though the burnout has caught up to me, I just still go and do my own thing, and I do my best.”
Trinity’s support system includes her dad, who works long hours to support their family and will be in the audience as she prepares to cross the graduation stage.
“He inspired me to work hard, but not in the same way that he does; I am working hard academically,” she says. “My father values the fact that I am a first-generation member of the family who works hard.”
What’s Next?
Now, Trinity is preparing to transfer to Colorado State University to study neuroscience, with a Spanish minor. Her dream is to become a neurosurgeon. She knows the road ahead will be long, but she’s not afraid of the work.
To students just starting out, she offers this advice: “I would say, ‘Keep going, do your best and be determined. It’s going to be all right, and you’ll do great.’”
“I had to do four attempts in college algebra. You can just try again. I do understand about the financial aid and the cost, but I think it’s worth it.”
Ending a Chapter, Beginning Her Future
If you ask her what strengths got her here, she’ll tell you: resilience, teamwork and determination. And she has demonstrated those strengths by getting through four rounds of algebra, leading and participating in clubs, supporting peers and caring for her clients.
Referring to graduation, she says, “I am very nervous. It’s like the end of the chapter, and I’m going to miss Front Range so much.”
Still, she is looking forward to her bright future.
“Graduation is such an exciting time for FRCC students and their families,” her professor Sarah Fedel adds. “It is a huge milestone to be celebrated, as many students balance full lives outside of the classroom.”
“The commitment of our FRCC graduates to their studies is a testament to their strong work ethic and motivation for continued success in the future.”
