New Faculty Spotlight! 2017 River Ridge graduate Mr. Alex Baum received a degree from the University of Minnesota in Aerospace Engineering. Now he’s back to join the community of learners as a new faculty member!

Here’s a little more about Mr. Baum:
Q: Describe a moment of significant intellectual awakening in your life.
A: I’ll point to either reading “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” (which I found on a public trash can) or re-reading Walden while flying to Washington DC to race for Air Force ROTC. ZAMM challenged me to rethink epistemology and tied together a lot of philosophical ideas which had kicked around my head since Trinity, and Walden sparked a train of thought about what things we have enslaved ourselves to.

Q: What is one of your most significant life experiences outside of college?
A: This past summer I worked as a backpacking instructor in the Colorado Rockies with Camp Wojtyla, a Catholic outdoor adventure program for middle school and high school students. It was amazing to hear the boys’ insights into how the natural world can teach us about God and the Christian life. I personally developed a stronger sense for how to encourage deep thoughts from lads who held themselves in high esteem.

Q: What are you most looking forward to about teaching at Trinity this year?
A: I am looking forward to teaching Old Testament scripture because it was instrumental to my conversion while I attended Trinity, and I enjoy encountering the various apparent asynchronies which inevitably pop up.