Ellen
M. Zarchin ’02 with husband Patrick Roman ’02 —“I believe passionately
in Trinity’s mission, and I want to play a part in helping,” says Ellen
Zarchin, who has worn many different kinds of volunteer caps since she
graduated nearly a decade ago. Zarchin attributes her interest in
volunteerism to the values with which she was raised. “I was always
encouraged to contribute to society,” she says. “Volunteering is a part
of who I am.”
For someone whose undergraduate experience included participation in student government, Kappa Kappa Gamma, the sailing club, the graduation pledge committee, and study abroad in two foreign nations, volunteering on behalf of Trinity was especially easy. “My experience at Trinity was fabulous, well beyond my expectations of what college would be like,” she says. “As Trinity provides students the opportunity to be engaged citizens of the College community, greater Hartford, and the world, continuing to be an engaged alumna only seemed like a natural progression of my undergraduate experiences as a student.”
Class secretary from 2002 to 2007, she has been an admissions volunteer for the past nine years. Since 2007 she has been a class agent. And for the past year she has been a member of the Long Walk Societies.
Volunteering is not just about a sense of responsibility to give something back, says Zarchin. Since graduating, she and her husband, Patrick Roman ’02, have lived in England, Texas, and Canada. Her efforts on behalf of Trinity have helped them remain in close contact with the College while residing in those locations, she says.
Josh Gruss ’96—The reward for volunteering, says Josh Gruss, is
reengaging with Trinity. Heavily involved with establishing his career
for a decade after graduation, Gruss found his way back to his alma
mater through President Jones. And the reward, he says, has been
“opportunities to get involved with the College again, observe what’s
going on from an inside perspective, and play a meaningful role in
shaping the future of Trinity.”
Gruss has always had an affinity for the water, and he earned a Coast Guard captain’s license while he was still a teenager in order to pilot fishing boats off Long Island. That experience led to a stint in the Coast Guard Reserve for six years after he graduated from Trinity, an experience from which he says he acquired strong leadership and discipline skills. Those skills have paid off in his financial services career, first with Bear Stearns’ investment banking group and, since 2003, as a partner with his own company, Gruss Asset Management.
His return to Trinity began in 2008 when President Jones was traveling around America to meet alumni in various cities. Gruss hosted a for the president at his home in New York, and the two men connected. That led to him becoming a member of the Board of Fellows and, last year, one of the youngest members ever appointed to the Board of Trustees.
As a student, Gruss played lacrosse, traveled abroad, and pursued his passion for music as a guitarist. Coming back to the fold has afforded him an opportunity to become involved in the arts at Trinity, especially its music programs.
