Making a Difference - Communications Class Honored

Last week, the Center for the Homeless in South Bend honored communication studies professor Terri L. Russ and students enrolled in her “Public Communication” course with the “Volunteer(s) of the Year” award. Since the fall of 2009, Saint Mary’s students have taught communication skills classes to residents at the Center. This is the third semester for the course at Saint Mary’s.

Claire Yancy, Kristina Marinelli, Peter
Lombardo, Caroline Baumgartner, Terri
Russ, Sara Montelongo, Katrina MesinaWith unemployment still high in northern Indiana, competition in the job market is fierce. Russ says the classes are designed to enhance the communication skills the residents need to be successful in life. “My goal as a teacher is to help my students understand how what we do in the classroom extends to the outside world. With this class, students will have the opportunity to put theory into practice,” Russ said.

Peter Lombardo, director of community involvement at the Center for the Homeless, said the benefits to residents are tangible. “One of the skills the guests of the Center for the Homeless most need is the ability to communicate either orally or in writing. This will help them within their families, in the workplace and in their other relationships. The classes which the students of Saint Mary's College public communication class conducted here last year and are conducting this year will improve the lives of our guests immeasurably and help them as they seek to break the cycle of homelessness," he said.

The class at the Center, which started up again last week, is divided into sections, including: general public speaking, professional preparation communication, communication with emphasis on gender dynamics for single moms, and public speaking designed for pre-teens/teens.

“Looking back on my experience last fall, I can see how much of an impact we had at the Center,” said Caroline Baumgartner ’11. “I worked with the kids group and in the beginning it was tough to get them into the mindset where they wanted to communicate with us, but after a lot of work we were able to create a strong relationship and it was amazing to watch it develop. Going into this I never thought we would be recognized for our program. This is a great honor and I know it will motivate future classes to continue their efforts to make a difference.”