Celebrating a 20-year friendship

Alumni

As they prepare for the Sixth-Grade opera performance of Carmen in May 2012, Grace Nichols ’12 and Julie Street ’12 pose for a photo with Caroline Stewart ’12, Isabel Morgan ’12, and Emma Lin ’12.

Celebrating

a 20-year friendship

By Katie Hammett, Director of The Trinity Fund and Major Gifts

Theirs is a friendship that began in the Butterfly class 20 years ago. Grace Nichols ’12 and Julie Street ’12 became fast friends in 2002 during their Early Learner year at Trinity School, bonding over shared experiences and beloved Trinity traditions. Neither could have anticipated that the relationship sparked at Trinity would carry them into their college years, but this spring they will both graduate from Rice University with cherished childhood memories and a unique bond that ties all Trinity students together. When asked about their favorite Trinity traditions and memories, the usual favorites like the Sixth Grade Opera, Wagon Train, and Pre-K Olympics popped up, but Julie also reflected on the opportunity she had to play Marie in the Fifth-Grade production of The Nutcracker. “It was a really big moment for me because I was on the shy side as a kid and it gave me a chance to step outside of my shell and show my peers what I could do,” Julie says. Both Grace and Julie excel in mathematics and science, so it comes as no surprise that both ladies named Kate Burton as one of their favorite Trinity Teachers. Julie says, “Mrs. Burton made science interesting, and she always made sure our classroom was a safe place!” Grace echoes Julie’s sentiments and says, “I loved Mrs. Burton’s great sense of humor and energy; she really made me feel special and cared about.” A decade after Grace and Julie completed their Trinity journeys, we are grateful that Mrs. Burton continues to share her passion for science with our students. After graduating from Trinity in 2012, Grace and Julie attended The Westminster Schools, where their love of learning continued to grow. While both naturally explored new opportunities and friendships, they remained connected through the robotics team and other extracurricular activities. After graduating in 2018, as fate would have it, Grace and Julie found themselves together once again at Rice University.

Then-Fourth Graders Grace and Julie smile for the camera during the May 2010 Fun and Field Day.

Twenty years after beginning their educational journeys together at Trinity, Grace and Julie are both graduating from Rice University this spring.

In 2002, Grace and Julie enjoy ballet together as three-year-olds. With older siblings performing in the 2010 Sixth Grade opera performance of H.M.S. Pinafore, then-Fourth Graders Isabel Morgan ’12, Grace, and Julie wait in the audience to go on stage.

Grace says, “I have known Julie since we were in the same three-year-old class. We bonded over our mutual love of crafts and refusal to ever grow up. She’s the only person [at Rice] who has known me since childhood and that’s a very special bond.” Both Grace and Julie have big plans after graduation, with Grace accepting a position with Meta (Facebook) in New York and Julie accepting a position at Accenture in Houston. Julie credits Trinity for fostering her career path. “Trinity gave me the opportunity to explore my passions and get the individualized attention from teachers that I needed to learn and flourish,” she says. “That environment in my early years ended up being an amazing foundation for future academic success.”

When asked what advice she would give to Trinity students today, Grace says, “Always keep an open mind about what you want to do with your life, whether it’s choosing clubs to join, your college major, or your career path. Trying new things that I didn’t think I was interested in opened me up to so many great things I never would have known about. Also, if you wear braces, please, please, please wear your retainer. If you don’t, you will regret it for the rest of your life.” Posed with the same question, Julie says, “Explore your passions and stay true to yourself. Don’t let the world put you into a box by telling you what you should or should not do or who you should or should not be; there’s something out there for everyone and sometimes you must try and fail before you get there.” We look forward to hearing more from these two alums in the coming years, celebrating their connection to each other and to Trinity School. “I wouldn’t trade my experience [at Trinity] for anything,” Julie says. “We all have a special bond and take Trinity’s saying ‘Once a Trinity child, always a Trinity child’ seriously. It’s something that will always connect us.”