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About
Fidelity & ExcellenceThomas Aquinas College is unique among American colleges and universities, offering a faithfully Catholic education comprised entirely of the Great Books and classroom discussions.
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A Liberating Education
Truth MattersTruth, and nothing less, sets men free; and because truth is both natural and supernatural, the College’s curriculum aims at both natural and divine wisdom.
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A Catholic Life
Under the Light of FaithThe intellectual tradition and moral teachings of the Catholic Church infuse the whole life of Thomas Aquinas College, illuminating the curriculum and the community alike.
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Admission & Aid
Is TAC Right for You?Do you enjoy grappling with complex questions? Are you willing to engage in discussions about difficult concepts, with the truth as your ultimate goal?
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Students & Parents
Mind, Body & SpiritThere is always something to do at TAC — something worthwhile, something fulfilling, and something geared toward ever-greater spiritual and intellectual growth.
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Alumni & Careers
What Can You Do with a Liberal Education?Nothing speaks more to the versatility of the College’s academic program than the good that our alumni are doing throughout the Church and the world.
Meet the Summer Program Prefects: Abigail Cain (’23)
We continue to meet the prefects for the upcoming California High School Great Books Program. Today’s prefect is rising senior Abigail Cain.
Abigail grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan, but she has since moved with her family to San Diego, California. It was there that she learned about the High School Summer Program, which she attended in 2018 — and loved. “It really was amazing how people changed from strangers to close friends in such a short time,” she recalls. “The classes, people, and spiritual life were so rich!”
Even though she had a great time on the Summer Program, Abigail wasn’t sure she wanted to come to Thomas Aquinas College. In high school she discovered an interest in psychology, and she found herself drawn to specialized studies in that field. “I finally decided during the spring of my senior year to attend another college in San Diego,” Abigail recalls. She had kept in touch with many of her friends from the Summer Program over the months, though, and given the proximity to TAC, she decided to visit the College late in her senior year. She never expected her trip to change her mind.
Yet change her mind it did. “I was struck that so many people on campus stopped to talk to me and remembered me from months before,” Abigail says. The richness and warmth of those friendships, so quickly revived as though no time had passed, left her questioning her decision not to attend TAC. Abigail soon found herself revising her original choice: She would come to the College after all. “It was the strong sense of community and genuine people which drew me back to TAC.”
Abigail enrolled as a freshman in the fall of 2019 and has never regretted the late adjustment in her plans. “I know now that God wanted me here. I wouldn’t change a thing!” With her solid love for the TAC community that was born when she was on the Summer Program, Abigail is a natural prefect — a role she has filled three times before. “Each program is so different and memorable. I love seeing the students experience everything for the first time.”
An enthusiastic runner, Abigail is excited to explore the trails around the California campus with the students on the 2022 Summer Program. But they will also find her an engaging partner in discussing their readings. More than three-quarters through the TAC curriculum, Abigail has not found her enthusiasm for study waning: “I love being a student, so there may be more school in my future!” She is considering an advanced degree in theology after she graduates, and she looks forward to exchanging thoughts with the attendees about all the wonderful books they read this summer.