This week, Trinity City Comics' own hrilina♡ shares her thoughts on the work she did in the past year, and the work ahead.
hi! my name is hrilina♡, pronounced “ree-lee-na” (i like to say: “the h is silent; i am not!”). much like the characters in trinity city comics (tcc), i am a youth leader, i am an advocate, and i am from new orleans!
you may recognize my name from the blog posts on the website:
for the last year, i have held the role of the tcc youth organizer and the journalist for the media platforms, but my journey with tcc did not start here; my journey with tcc has been naturally progressive and one of a mutual fascination!
in 2020, i was one of three youth leaders tcc connected with through direct selection for the work we did in another youth leadership program. we started as members of a focus group while the comic book was in development stages to discuss our opinions and provide outlooks on questions regarding politics, identity, and community. over time, i have been involved with the comic book in a myriad of capacities, whether it be to submit audience feedback, attend in-person sessions, serve as a panel representative, liaise as reader outreach, conduct interviews, be interviewed, etc. with the goal to grow interest and help create the amazing comic we’ve published. it was exhilarating to be among the first people to hold a first run printed copy of the first issue of trinity city comics at the launch party!
after serving on the panel, my enthusiasm and understanding of the vision, along with my work ethic and valuable contributions to the comic’s growth earned me a paid internship to be the youth consultant and organizer for tcc. in this role, i would continue providing feedback for comic story development and i would establish and engage with our online presence, including connecting with our readers and identifying a community base.
on my quest to market the comic book, i decided to go to the library to introduce the librarian to tcc, where i piqued the interest of a patron studying in a nearby carrell. - at her request, i shared the link to the digital comic book. her early readers' questionnaire responses were so perceptive, the trinity city team wanted to discuss her observations more and thus the blog series “meet the future” was born.
now, six interviews later here we are - interviewing the interviewer for her insights!
since the comic book’s inception, we have achieved an abundance of developmental milestones which are highlighted in the 2023 trinity city annual report. on this journey, we also created a lot of memories while working to achieve those milestones. moments that had the most impact on me include preparing for representing the comic book on panels, interacting during in person workshops to create character bibles, and learning of the motivation to design the most beautiful hand carved award for the artists and community trailblazers.
looking forward, i am eager to expand our platforms to engage more of the community: i want to interview the artists, the readers, the trailblazers, and the supporters to learn of their connection to trinity city and one another: i am excited to see the vision the new team brings to trinity city’s next issue; i am intrigued at the number of festivals we will explore to introduce trinity city; and i am keen to turn this year's inaugural events into annual events.
i enjoy reading the readers' questionnaire responses and conversing with our intrigued, immersed readers and creators on how they resonate with tcc’s vibrant world; i am honored to be a catalyst of change through this work.
Thank you, hrilina♡, for all you do! We can't wait for what's next. Click here to stay in the loop and sign up for our newsletter.
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