10-YEAR TRINITY ALUMNUS Abigail Kimbell STILL IMPACTING THE COMMUNITY

By Samantha DePriest

This past Spring, Trinity Alumnus Abigail Kimbell hosted a gathering at her home to celebrate the 10 year reunion for the graduating class of 2012. What a wonderful opportunity to connect with Abby and learn about where she is now and how Trinity helped prepare for life after TCS. Our school has grown quite a bit since she graduated, however It became obvious that the heartbeat of who we are as Trinity has not changed a bit.

Abby transferred into Trinity as a Freshman and became involved in extracurricular activities like Basketball and Performing Arts. She said the Fine Arts Director (Jeremiah Bartlett), saw potential in her and encouraged her to join and help lead worship. She made connections in both Fine Arts and Athletics who are still in her life today and they helped her become who she is today. She offered advice to our students and specifically to our rising Seniors to invest time, energy, and emotions into those people who you think will be in your life years from now. She smiled when she said “Find your core group of friends and love them well. Don’t underestimate the impact your High School friends can make on your future.”

In her Senior year at TCS, Abby was named Homecoming Queen and served on the Praise and Worship team for High School Chapel. She thanks Mrs. Val Adams for all of her compassion and support over the years as a mentor and friend. She also credits her Literature teacher, Mrs. Carly Schock, (whose husband Matt Schock served as our High School principal during her time at TCS) for going above and beyond to connect with her students. Abby said she appreciated the way Mrs. Schock pushed her out of her comfort zone when it came to her writing. She taught her about business writing and how to write in different voices which has proven helpful in her career. Abby said the impact she had on her life was tremendous.

During her time at TCS, Abby became best friends with fellow classmates Ruth Dennis and Jessica McElveen.  They even received the “Three Musketeers Award” as Seniors. Abby and Ruth are still very close today as are their husbands and children. Jessica was battling a rare form of cancer during her time at Trinity. Abby fondly remembers visiting Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) with Jessica while she underwent chemo treatments and doctor visits. Their friendship was a blessing in so many ways. While Abby was with Jessica at CHOA, she met the Child Life Specialists who were helping in the cancer center. They provided emotional and mental health support for the pediatric patients going through cancer treatments. Abby shared that through that experience she felt God placing on her heart the desire to help others in some way.

Jessica went to be with the Lord soon after she graduated High School but her legacy lives on at Trinity. Mrs. Val Adams was instrumental in the creation of the Lions Award in honor of Jessica. The dictionary defines "lion hearted" as extraordinarily, courageous, and determined. Chris Hanson, then Senior Bible Teacher, presented the award to her at graduation. For her entire Trinity experience she fought cancer, yet she faced it with a courageous spirit in the face of severe adversity which was an inspiration to all. “Jessica was an inspiration to everyone around her. She always had a smile on her face and always had a positive attitude,” shared Matt Schock, former HS Principal. Those who knew Jessica will never forget the impact she made on those around her. In this spirit, this award is presented to the student whose life is also one that inspires others and reveals the true “heart of a Lion”, displaying excellent character, a humble attitude, a servant heart and a persevering spirit.

Abby went on to Georgia State and earned her Bachelors in Managerial Science. While she was in college, the Cancer Treatment Center of America opened up in her backyard where she came on staff as a Loyalty Specialist. During her time there, she ran the group called “Cancer Fighters” which helped encourage positive interactions for patients. She later attended UWG and received her MBA. Abby now serves as the Director of Client Engagement for Pathways Center and she said she has the best job ever! She advocates for her clients and creates therapies such as pet, art, etc. to help provide all the fun for patients. Mrs. Amy Simonton and our High School Art department regularly serve with Abby to create murals for patients at Pathways as well.

We love to hear from our TCS graduates of how God is working in your life after Trinity.

Please reach out to us at: Communications@tcslions.org to share your story.