Kathi McMillan ’25

I’m a fifth-generation Washingtonian from Southeast DC. I was born to parents who were blind (Mildred and John), from them I learned morals, values, self-respect, respect for others, and advocacy, which came with challenges where I had to grow up fast. I was also born with an identical twin sister (Karen), which came with its own set of challenges. I am the youngest by four minutes… My education started at the age of three with Head Start Program until age seven, I then navigated the Public School System until graduating from H. D. Woodson Sr High School, and in the mist of this time I lost my father, grandfather, grandmother, gave birth to my first child, and the lost of my mother, which I didn’t give up my dream of achieving a college degree… Through it all, my hunger for higher education didn’t disappear. Within the last thirteen years, I have been homeless, I lost my identical twin to cancer, I received a Certificate in Community Health Worker, and an Associate of Arts degree in Health Services at Trinity.

During my tenure at Trinity, I used the experiences, perseverance, determination, resilience, and tenacity that I learned through my life for fuel to navigate, form relationships, present, be present, receive lessons from professors, and meet assignment deadlines. At Trinity, I learned that community and encouragement are everything that Trinity provides. As I reflect on my accomplishments, I feel an overwhelming sense of Gratitude with tears of joy because of all of the challenges, losses, ups and downs in life, and the significance of my academic achievement shows me that I can accomplish whatever I set out to do for myself at the age of sixty!! I am the first of my mother’s children to receive a college degree this means the world to me, and because of all my professor’s, my advisor, and all the staff and faculty at Trinity, and “I can’t forget all of my classmates” for encouraging and motivating me because this wouldn’t been a reality for me without it. Thank you so much for providing an atmosphere where people like me can achieve great things!! In the fall, I will be pursuing my bachelor’s degree in Health Services with a concentration in Business Administration at Trinity. Thank You!!