Meet…
Heidi Arnold, a professor in the Communication Department at Sinclair Community College.
Why She’s Interesting…
Arnold grew up in Zanesville, Ohio and earned a Master’s degree in Interpersonal Communication at Ohio University, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism.
“Right out of college, I saw ads for a community college English professor, and I got that job and loved it,” Arnold said. “I left there to go work at a magazine. I worked there for two years, but I missed teaching, so I went to a college in N.C.”
She taught there for a while, but wanted to come back to Ohio to be closer to her family. She had heard about Sinclair and decided to teach there.
“If you’re living in Dayton you may not realize this, but people from the outside view Sinclair as one of the best community colleges out there,” Arnold said. “It is cutting edge and I’m glad to be a part of it.”
There are many things Arnold loves about Sinclair, one of which is the challenges faculty members face in a changing world.
“There’s always something new for us to learn,” Arnold said. “We get new technology and teaching strategies that keep me on my toes.
Another aspect she enjoys about Sinclair are the students themselves, who are more devoted to their studies than some from the other universities Arnold taught at.
“I love to see students who are excited to be here. My favorite students are the ones that soak everything up like a sponge,” Arnold said.
Yet teaching at Sinclair isn’t all she does, as she also enjoys photography, creative writing and reading.
She also loves traveling to different places and engaging different cultures and customs, whether it is five miles away or 5000.
She’s been on many trips to different locations including Middle America, West Africa and Europe. One of her favorite parts of traveling is seeing the diversity the world has to offer.
“I really enjoy meeting diverse people, and by that I mean anyone not like me, be that the way we think, our race, culture, or where we’re from,” Arnold said.
One of Arnold’s favorite experiences as a professor is teaching interpersonal communication at a women’s correctional facility in Dayton once a week.
She notes that it is not a pretty place and people don’t want to deal with or help inmates learn and get reacquainted with the world, but to her it’s necessary and fascinating.
“Some of these women have done some horrible things, but the majority of them made a mistake and aren’t too different from me. In fact, who knows, that could’ve been me,” Arnold said. “It’s so interesting for me to talk to them and learn from them.”
She is always looking for new experiences and challenges in teaching, and will keep on learning from the people she meets.
Henry Wolski
Reporter