Celebrating New Leaders in Residential Life

The Student Affairs division is excited to announce new leaders in the Office of Residential Life. The University’s 3-year residency requirement provides a foundation for meaningful living and learning on campus, and Trinity’s residence halls and City Vista are home to more than 75% of Trinity students—all of whom the Residential Life team support.

Rachel Boaz Toppel ’10 has been named interim director for Residential Life. As director, Toppel oversees all operations of the Office of Residential Life and serves as a leader and mentor for on-campus students. Toppel graduated from Trinity in 2010 and received a master of education in adult and higher education from the University of Oklahoma. She returned to Trinity in 2013 as a residential life coordinator. From there, Toppel served as the assistant director for residential education in Residential Life, contributing significantly to the integration of experiential education and residential life as well as supporting first-year programming, Sophomore College, junior/senior halls, and community halls. With this decade of experience, Toppel will serve as a strategic thinker in integrating students’ residential life within Trinity’s overall strategic planning.

Kerstin “Kas” Bryant is stepping in as interim assistant director for Residential Life. Bryant comes to Trinity from Duke University where she served as residence coordinator; she has more than a decade of experience in higher education and student housing, with previous roles at Georgetown University and the University of Florida. She holds certificates in international migration studies from Georgetown and in mental health first aid from the National Council for Wellbeing, and she has presented at conferences on DEI training and access to higher education. Bryant holds a bachelor in fine arts from the University of West Florida and a master of fine arts from the University of Florida.

Dylan Pflum is a new residential life coordinator in the upper-division area, serving main campus residence halls and City Vista. Pflum has 3 years of experience in student affairs, including serving as a hall director at Cameron University and in disability accommodations, success strategies, and student advocacy and support at Southern Methodist University. Pflum has a bachelor of arts in psychology from Baylor University and a master of education in higher education from Southern Methodist University. 

These Tigers are backed by a robust Residential Life staff, including:

• Stephanie Keith, Assistant Director for Housing Operations
• Allison Sommers, Residential Life Coordinator
• Nikolaas “Niko” Strom, Residential Life Coordinator
• Gaje Wiseman, Residential Life Coordinator
• Carolina Gomez, Housing Operations Coordinator
• Broc Dumler, Housing Assignments Coordinator
• Blanca Guereca, Custodian