The idea came early, as she watched “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “NCIS” (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) on TV with her mom. Trinity Cortez-Ansley knew she wanted to become a Medical Examiner.
She wanted to help solve crimes, and she wanted to help families in distress find peace and closure.
Maybe a few TV shows sparked an idea, but it was Trinity, now 18, who made the rest of it happen through focus, determination, and an overriding feeling that she has no time to waste. This spring she graduated with honors from high school and earned two associate’s degrees (also with honors) from Cuyamaca and Grossmont colleges. She heads to U.C. Davis this fall, and already has her sights set on medical school and an eventual doctorate in forensics.
Her high school, Health Sciences High & Middle College charter school in San Diego, has a special partnership with area community colleges that allows students to take college courses for college credits. Through that partnership, Trinity began taking classes at Grossmont and Cuyamaca two years ago, when she was 16. Today, she leaves Grossmont with an associate’s degree in social and behavioral sciences, and she finishes Cuyamaca College with an associate’s degree in public health science.
Trinity said she recognized early on that her charter high school would allow her to dive into college classes early, and she wanted to take full advantage of what her school had to offer to accelerate her path toward medical school. “I knew I had this amazing opportunity to get my associate’s degree in high school,” she said. “I had this opportunity, and it pushed me.”
On May 24, Trinity gave a speech at a gathering of the black student club at Cuyamaca College, Umoja. She spoke about purpose and self-determination, two of the seven principles celebrated during Kwanzaa, the annual celebration of African culture and values that help fortify a sense of community among African Americans.
Trinity says a strong sense of purpose and self-determination will propel her through college, on to medical school, and to a doctorate.
“In the beginning, everybody told me I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t get my associate’s degree in high school,” she said of people’s initial reaction. As she began her journey, she said her motivation was not to prove those people wrong, but to discover her own potential. “I found my purpose in education. It wasn’t just about coming to class. I actually enjoyed learning the material, and I looked forward to sharing my knowledge.”
Once she was immersed in an academic life, working her way toward a high school degree while also taking college courses, Trinity said a strong sense of self-determination was vital to keep moving forward. “I always knew I was very different from everyone else,” she said. “My mom likes to say I march to the beat of my own drum. For me it was about finding my courage to walk in that path.”
Her path hasn’t been easy. Trinity says she lives with a handful of learning challenges that she’s worked hard to overcome: dyscalculia, a learning disorder that disrupts a person’s ability to understand numbers and math-related concepts, and a separate memory processing disorder that makes memorization difficult and standardized exams a real challenge.
She has also endured personal loss, the first one two years ago when her grandmother lost a battle to lung cancer, and the second just a few months later when her 47-year-old father died from a heart attack.
Processing those losses at 16 was overwhelming, and Trinity said she initially withdrew from people who could help her. “Sitting alone with grief was one of the hardest things,” she said. Soon, however, she said she found comfort by reaching out to “my own village” – her mother and others closest to her, as well as counselors at Elizabeth Hospice in San Diego.
Two years later, with continued guidance from her mother and key mentors at both college campuses, she now finds herself on the cusp of a challenging and rewarding college career, and a prestigious career in medicine.
“They told me, “You can’t fail, because that’s not who you are,” Trinity said of the steady drumbeat of support she’s received from those supporting her. “That consistency in motivation kept me moving.”
Trinity credits faculty and staff at both colleges, particularly in chemistry, anatomy, and physiology, for supporting her academic journey so far. She is friends with Grossmont College President Denise Whisenhunt, who refers to the 18-year-old as her “role model.”
“I see in her the future,” said President Whisenhunt. “She has an innate commitment to academic excellence and a drive like no other. It has been an honor to watch Trinity grow as a student and community leader. Trinity represents our imperative to give our local high school students access to life-changing college education that will propel them to incredible academic journeys.”
She also singles out her chemistry professor at Grossmont College, Peter Friedman, as another individual who took a personal interest in her academic development. She remembers one office hours visit when he showed her the physics behind a prism, expanding her knowledge beyond chemistry into the wonder of light and its spectrum of colors.
Trinity’s anatomy professor at Cuyamaca, Fabienne Bouton, took a special interest in Trinity’s progress. Toward the end of the spring term, Trinity said Bouton gave her a small figurine to keep her encouraged as she encounters future challenges. It’s a simple miniature bowling pin which, when placed on a flat surface, rocks back and forth but never falls over. “I’ll be taking this with me to college,” Trinity said.
Heading into the summer, Trinity says she’s taking some time off to prepare for the rigors of university life; it’s the first time in years she won’t be attending summer school. She says she’ll enjoy driving her Nissan Ultima and spending time gaming on the computer, a personal hobby.
While she’s off to U.C. Davis, Trinity says she’ll always remember that she began her college career at Grossmont and Cuyamaca community colleges – institutions that launched her future. “I started at community colleges,” she said. “They were the beginning of higher education for me.”