Carmen (Josephine) Rodriguez
Class of 1953
Through Donnelly and its founder Sister Jerome Keeler, OSB, Carmen (Josephine) Rodriguez found her life’s passion: education. After graduating from Donnelly, she became a member of the Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica in Atchison, Kansas, and took the name Sister Carmen. She went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in education from Mount St. Scholastica College and began teaching. Much like Sister Jerome, Carmen focused on instilling the importance of education in each of her students and challenging them to do great things. In 1973, she earned her Master of Arts degree in Mexican American Culture from San Jose State University and then moved back to Kansas City. While in KC, she taught Mexican American Cultural History at Donnelly. She then moved back to the west coast to teach a variety of subjects at Los Medanos Community College in Pittsburg, California. In 1988, Carmen earned Donnelly’s prestigious Delta Award for her work in education.
Carmen Rodriguez was inducted in 2011.