In December 2025, the Moody Foundation launched the Moody Opportunity Match to help ensure that financial barriers do not stand in the way of Trinity University students’ pursuit of experiential learning opportunities. The initiative directly supports Trinity’s strategic plan, Ready. Set. Rise., which prioritizes expanding access to transformative learning experiences beyond the classroom. It also advances the Moody Foundation’s historic $1 billion pledge to education and student postsecondary success across Texas.
The foundation committed $1 million to match donor gifts of $25,000 or more, dollar-for-dollar, to create named, endowed Opportunity Funds for study abroad, undergraduate research, internships, or career readiness programs.
Only seven months later, 31 Trinity alumni, parents, and friends have contributed $1 million to the initiative, building a $2 million total permanent base of support for the hands-on learning experiences that prepare graduates to lead and succeed. These individuals created 10 internship funds,
five study abroad funds, one graduate school prep support fund, five research funds, and nine unrestricted funds, the equivalent impact of 40 new endowed opportunities for hands-on learning. The endowed nature of these funds means they are not just single-use; instead, they will exist in perpetuity.
“These invaluable experiences are powerful catalysts for student growth, helping students build confidence, clarify their goals, develop the skills employers value most, and prepare for what comes next in their lives,” says Megan Mustain, Ph.D., provost and vice president for Academic Affairs.
For students like River Rocha ’27, philanthropic support of experiential learning has meant the world—quite literally. This past summer, he participated in the Trinity in Japan program and visited cities across the country, including Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, Sapporo, and Nagoya.
“Through the kindness of donors, students are able to receive funding that not only takes financial strain off their families’ shoulders, but also helps them focus on pursuing their academic and career goals,” Rocha says.
These 40 Opportunity Funds will become available for use over the next few years to enable as many students as possible to take part in the defining experiences of a Trinity education, no matter their financial circumstances, just like River Rocha ’27 did.
Many donors who established an Opportunity Fund through this initiative had experiences similar to Rocha's: a role model who opened a door, an experience that shaped their career, or a loved one whose memory and influence they hope to carry forward. Below, meet a few of the donors and learn about the people, experiences, and values that inspired them to shape students’ lives.
Veronica Sanchez Cardenas ’80 and Daniel Edward Cardenas
Internship Opportunity Fund
Veronica Sanchez Cardenas ’80 and Daniel Edward Cardenas understand that some of the most important learning takes place outside the classroom.
Both native San Antonians, the Cardenases met while both pursuing their Master of Business Administration at St. Mary’s University. Veronica is the founder and principal of Cardenas Asset Management, where she provides investment advisory services, including financial planning and portfolio management for individuals and small businesses. Daniel is a director and bank research analyst with Brean Capital LLC.
Their careers taught them how pivotal early professional experience can be: An internship can introduce a student to a profession, clarify a career path, and provide the kind of experience that cannot be replicated in a classroom. However, not every student can afford to accept an unpaid or underpaid internship.
“We do not want finances to be the reason why Trinity students have to turn down opportunities that could influence their futures. Through this fund, we hope to give students greater freedom to pursue internships for the quality of experience and knowledge they provide, rather than solely for the compensation they offer,” the couple says.
For the Cardenases, the Moody Opportunity Match was a meaningful way to pass forward the same empowering experiences they received early in their careers to future generations of students preparing to start their own.
Marcus Mlcak ’04, M’05 and the legacy of Craig “Braxton” Barry ’25
Study Abroad Opportunity Fund
For Marcus Mlcak ’04, M’05, a partner at accounting firm Ernst & Young, the Moody Opportunity Match offered a way to honor the memory of a Trinity student by investing in the experiences of those who will follow him.
Craig “Braxton” Barry ’25, M’26 was an accounting student who unexpectedly passed away in January 2026. He was a cherished member of the Trinity community, a starting player on the men’s basketball team, and on the way to earning his master’s degree in accounting this past May. After graduation, he planned to start working as an associate at Ernst & Young.
To honor Barry, Mlcak and his colleagues at Ernst & Young, bolstered by the firm’s matching gift program, came together to establish an Opportunity Fund for study abroad.
“Braxton had such a positive, meaningful impact on the people around him, and we wanted to find a way to carry that forward. The Moody Opportunity Match allowed us to do so, while further enhancing the student experience at Trinity,” explains Mlcak.
The fund is one way that Barry’s presence and memory will continue to be felt in the Trinity community for years to come.
Erika Robinson, J.D.
Mathes Rae, Karen, and Deborah Robinson Legacy Career Readiness Opportunity Fund
For Erika Robinson, J.D., the Moody Opportunity Match was a way to honor and carry forward her family's legacy and the values they embodied.
Robinson, general counsel for Trinity, established her Opportunity Fund in honor of her grandmother, mother, and aunt, women she describes as models of “strength, grace, and unwavering faith.” “Their legacy is one of love, resilience, and deep community, and it is my hope that this fund carries those values forward for generations to come,” Robinson says.
Robinson’s fund will pass down her family’s influence to future generations of students as they explore career paths, gain hands-on professional experience, and build the skills and confidence to pursue meaningful careers, allowing them to nurture the very strength, grace, and faith in their futures that she admires in her family role models.