Sara Marie Bodenstein, OSSM Class of 1994 and Current Faculty Member
Probably the most profound time in my OSSM experience was when I began walking in the doors at OSSM as a new member of the faculty. I was in total awe that I was to be a part of the faculty that had shaped me as a student (Class of 1994). I was overwhelmed when, at convocation 2010, I stood next to Dr. Ken Lease, Dr. Dorothy Dodd, Dr. Fazlur Rahman, Dr. Ann Dell, Dr. Xifan Liu, and especially my dad, Charles Dillard, and Dr. Edna Manning, who had given me this opportunity. Excepting Dr. Rahman, in my ten years as part of the faculty, I have watched all those who saw me as a student (including Gary Salwierak, Suzanne Donnolo, Johanna Lee, and Lynn Morgan) retire and move on. But I know on whose shoulders I stand. I want to make them proud. I want to carry on their legacy. I want to make an impact on my students every year, just as that cloud of witnesses impacted me. Every day, I walk past the place where my name is written on the wall to face a room full of dedicated students. I am mindful that any one of them may someday walk in the doors of OSSM and take a place as a new member of the OSSM faculty, prepared to make a difference for the next generation.