He has been an Allen Ginsberg Poetry Award winner, a screenwriter, and a USC Phi Kappa Phi “Faculty Recognition Award” winner. He was co-founder of Mo Ming, the renowned dance-theater in Chicago, and director of NYC’s Resident Clown Troupe. Trules has produced city-wide arts festivals and directed and produced THE POET AND THE CON, a feature length documentary film. He believes that college can be more than merely the acquisition of knowledge and the preparation for a vocational career, but also about the discovery of oneself, one's voice, and one's passion.