Trinity cross country and track & field junior Aaron Garcia spends a good part of his day in Austin, Texas, taking the University's online synchronous classes.

However, Garcia has also found the time to give back to his community, as a volunteer at Austin's Central Texas Food Bank. Large trucks delivered boxes of food, and Garcia and other volunteers placed the much needed staples in families' vehicles as they drove up.

He was made aware of the need to assist at the Central Texas Food Bank because of his mother, Rebecca Garcia, who is employed by Seton Healthcare and assigned as a school nurse to the Austin Independent School District.

"My mom is working in the hospitals right now," Garcia said. "She told me about how a lot of the kids who go to public schools get their breakfast and lunch on campus. When school got canceled, they would not have access to it. It's pretty important to help the kids in the community get the food they needed."

Garcia has also helped lead Trinity's Alternative Spring Break to New Orleans, Louisiana. In particular, Garcia and his crew mates went to the so-called "Cancer Alley," because of a large concentration of chemical plants. They did not engage in protests, but helped an organization make signs calling attention to the toxins. The Trinity contingent also assisted in the recycling of Mardi Gras beads, which a non-profit group resells. The company employs people who have mild autism and other conditions which might preclude their working at other jobs.

He is also a member of Trinity's Student-Athlete Advisory Commitee, the voice of student-athletes on campus.

On the cross country courses, Garcia placed 33rd at the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Championships last fall at Colorado Springs, Colorado, while the team finished as runner-up. Garcia was selected as an alternate for the NCAA Division III South/Southeast Regional at Memphis, Tennessee, as the men came in at the #11 position. In track & field, Garcia said he switched from specializing in the 3,000-meter steeplechase to the 5,000 meter race.

Garcia was also tabbed for the SCAC Fall All-Sportsmanship Team. The conference places a special emphasis on sportsmanship throughout the year, and the fall sports coaches were asked to select a student-athlete who exhibited sportsmanship during the season. Garcia definitely fit the bill.

He was a runner at Austin's St. Andrew's Episcopal School. However, Garcia earned All-Southwest Preparatory Conference honors in the sport of soccer.

Garcia has a message for students, and the community, about the importance to reach out to people in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Everyone should help as much as possible,'' Garcia said. "If you don't have the means to do so, try to quarantine yourself and observe social distancing as much as you can."

Keeping his social distance, Garcia has been running, biking, studying, trying to cook, and learning some photo editing techniques to keep busy during the current pandemic.