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IU Kokomo student records Sisters’ memories for internship
March 19, 2003 | |||||
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KOKOMO, Ind.—One generation of women speaking to women two and three generations away. This is what one internship through IU Kokomo is helping to accomplish. Since January, senior Communication Arts major Kami Noland from Tipton County has been earning credit hours by videotaping brief life histories of 40 Sisters of St. Joseph at their motherhouse, St. Joseph Center, north of Tipton. The sisters, whose average age is over 70, tell Noland, in her 20s, about their families, childhoods, and education; how they entered the religious order; the types of service in which they have been engaged; and other memories. Noland will edit the 30-minute interviews into a video documentary for the Sisters’ archives that can be viewed by future members of the community. Additionally, she will transcribe the biographical information into written form for the communication office. Although the community previously has kept written biographical records of the Sisters, this is the first time videotaping has been attempted. Noland said the video “takes my notes for me,” so she can engage the Sisters in more personal conversations. “I ask them if they have something they’d like to share with Sisters of St. Joseph 20 years from now,” Noland said. Through video, those future Sisters “can see the facial expressions and voices, and get a better feel for these Sisters and who they were.” Bridget Brewster, who obtained a bachelor’s degree in General Studies from IU Kokomo in 1995, arranged the internship as director of development for the Sisters of St. Joseph. She plans to excerpt the interviews on the order’s Web site, www.csjtipton.org. Noland’s internship is somewhat unusual, Brewster said, because the motherhouse “is not just your run-of-the-mill working environment,” Brewster said. “These are conversations about how women relate to their own spirituality.” Because of that personal aspect, “the Sisters went into the project a little reluctantly,” Brewster said, “But, Kami took the time to come in and really visit with them. They have come to know and love her.” Noland said the Sisters, who have mostly served as teachers and nurses, don’t speak of careers, but of their “missions,” in service to God and fellow human beings. “It’s not just a job they do; it’s their lives,” Noland said. The interviews will help “bust stereotypes” about the Sisters, Noland said. “They’re very active and very well educated. A number of them hold master’s degrees or multiple degrees. They’ve been CEOs of hospitals, held prominent positions, and continue to serve in vital ministries.” She said the internship initially interested her as a chance to work with women religious. Also, she is able to use skills she learned in video production courses taught by assistant professor of communication arts Amy Graban. Speaking with the Sisters of St. Joseph has deepened Noland’s interest in “the interpersonal aspect of communication.” After graduation in May, she wants to enter graduate school, possibly in counseling.
Noland called the internship “a wonderful chance to make the transition from student to employee without the pressure of losing my job if I mess up.” She praised Brewster for “giving me my freedom” in the project. “She allows me to work at my own pace and lets me find my own style. Bridget gives a good example of how to work with an intern. She remembers that this is an educational opportunity for me.”
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