Senior’s Service Project is Example of College’s Mission to Prepare Women to Make a Difference in the World
Left to right, Sister Linda Bellemore, CSC, South Bend resident
Sheila Muhammad and Morgan Carroll '15 enjoy one another’s
company. (Photo courtesy of Sister Ellen Mary Taylor, CSC) Media Contact:
Gwen O’Brien
Director of Media Relations
Saint Mary’s College
(574) 284-4579
May 12, 2015 (Notre Dame, Ind.)—When Morgan Carroll ’15 of Fort Wayne, Ind., graduates on Saturday from Saint Mary’s College with a degree in communications studies, she’ll leave campus with memories of laughing, learning, and love that came with four years here. One of her most meaningful experiences is a service project concerning a South Bend woman living with AIDS.
It all started as “a last wish before I die” request from Sheila Muhammad, who had a desire to leave a written legacy for her family about her challenges and triumphs since she was first diagnosed with AIDS 25 years ago. “I wanted to leave something for my kids about my life and help others who have the virus and are dealing with the struggles I went through,” said Muhammad, a widow who has three children and six grandchildren. She also is blind, having lost her eyesight in 1995 due to CMV, or cytomegalovirus, which she may have contracted because of her compromised immune system.
“I try to keep positive. I put one foot in front of the other. My motto: ‘Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something.’ I try everything. I am a fighter,” said Muhammad. “I’ve been employed (by Sodexo) at Holy Cross College for 12 years — I wash dishes. I try to be as normal as I can be. Losing my sight does not mean I lose my ability to work.”
When Muhammad expressed her wish to share her life’s story, her longtime friend Holy Cross Sister Linda Bellemore “got into gear” to find someone to help Muhammad. That someone turned out to be the team of Carroll and Faye Kennedy of Stillwater, Minn., who graduated in 2014 with a degree in business administration. Both were students of Marne Austin, assistant professor of communication studies. The two learned about chronicling oral histories in one of her courses. When Austin alerted the class that a Sister of the Holy Cross had a service project for someone to document Muhammad’s story, Carroll and Kennedy promptly volunteered.
“The students’ immediate, positive response to this invitation was indicative of women who know and believe that life, learning, growing, faith and service are their personal values and why they are at Saint Mary’s College,” said Sister Linda, who first met Muhammad through AIDS Ministries/AIDS Assist in South Bend.
Carroll wanted to help Muhammad for another compelling reason: She was born with a condition that could have left her blind, if not for surgeries at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis.
South Bend resident Sheila Muhammad, left, and Morgan
Carroll ’15 share a laugh. The two became good friends
through a six-month service project during which Carroll
recorded and transcribed Muhammad’s story about living
with AIDs.“This experience has put my personal situation into perspective and helped me appreciate the vision I have been blessed with. Sheila is truly a role model in the way she lives her life despite the many challenges she faces,” Carroll said. “I deeply appreciate all that she has done for me.”
The six-month-long service project for Muhammad began shortly after Carroll and Kennedy volunteered. “Sheila would talk and we would record her on our phones. Then we transcribed the conversations and compiled her story,” Carroll explained. “It was important for the three of us to get to know one another.”
“I really loved meeting the girls and telling them my story. I love them for not judging me. I know I have them as friends for life,” said Muhammad. “If my story gets published in a book, they will get special mention in the credits.”
Carroll described the impact the project — and Muhammad — have had on her life. “Each time we left Sheila’s house, we got a deeper understanding of how amazing she is. Her inspiring attitude and outlook lifted my spirits. She is one of the biggest inspirations in my time at Saint Mary’s.”
“Sheila has always kept me grounded,” echoed Sister Linda. “She sees obstacles and asks, ‘How do I get around it?’ She has such a positive outlook on life — she lives it.”
Sister Linda recalled the moment when Carroll and Kennedy presented Muhammad with the finished product. “Witnessing Sheila’s excitement that her greatest wish for her anticipated short life was fulfilled, and hearing her expressed gratitude for a task that she had been unable to accomplish herself, confirmed for me that the mission of Saint Mary’s College is alive and impacting our world. Indeed, these women were prepared to make a difference in the world and they already are.”
~Press release written by Amy H. Smessaert, communications director, Sisters of the Holy Cross.
About Saint Mary’s College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, residential, women’s liberal arts college offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study, such as business, nursing, art, chemistry, and social work. In the fall of 2015 Saint Mary’s College will begin to offer two graduate degrees: a Master of Science and a Doctorate. All programs that fall under these degrees are co-educational and include a Master of Science in Data Science, a Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology, and a Doctorate of Nursing Practice. Founded in 1844 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, Saint Mary’s College seeks, according to its mission statement, to educate students, develop their talents, and prepare them to make a difference in the world. Saint Mary’s College ranks among the top 100 Best National Liberal Arts Colleges for 2015 published by U.S. News & World Report.
About the Sisters of the Holy Cross: Founded in 1841 in Le Mans, France, the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Cross is an international community of women religious whose motherhouse is located in Notre Dame, Indiana. The congregation serves in Bangladesh, Brazil, Ghana, India, Mexico, Peru, Uganda and the United States. Sisters of the Holy Cross are called to participate in the prophetic mission of Jesus to witness God’s love for all creation. Their ministries focus on providing education and health care services, eradicating material poverty, ending gender discrimination, and promoting just, mutual relationships among people, countries and the entire Earth community.