St. Peter's Group at Mamertinum Prison
Jessica Schmidt (second from right) is a junior at Judson University in Illinois this year and is getting her bachelor’s in communication with a minor in business. She plans to use this degree to be a vendor manager for a major arena where she will book the performers and oversee the big and small details for large music productions. She has been involved in different aspects of performing through chorale, musicals, pom’s, cheerleading and plays since she was little. The love that she has for performers and music is what led her to desire the career as a vendor manager. Although she loves the arts, her main passion is children. She eventually plans to go back to school to get her masters so she can pursue her love for children and teaching and get her masters in early education. Jessica has worked with children since she was 7 being a “mother’s helper” and has moved up to a full time nanny for a year out of her life. She hopes to one day be a mother with a big family to love on. Jessica works throughout the year as a waitress at the local sports bar and grill along with 24 other girl waitresses that treat her like family. also makes sales calls for her father’s company as well as babysitting for two special families on a regular basis every week. She loves every minute of this experience in Rome and can’t wait to go home and share all that she has learned and seen with her loved ones.
Mike Trn (the guy, or Lone Ranger if you prefer) is a junior majoring in writing at Geneva College. Along with classes he plays baseball for the Golden Tornadoes and has given thought to joining the basketball program. Having played 5 sports and achieving a 3.95 GPA in high school, Trn decided to attend Geneva due to the fact that he lived in Beaver Falls until the age of 13 and many family members still resided in the area. A proud Catholic, Trn regularly attends St. Philomena’s, his childhood parish and school in Beaver Falls, and St. Patrick’s church in Fredericksburg, Virginia where he now lives. His parents Ed and Terri have two other children: Amy, 23 and Adam, 15. In the future, he hopes to marry his current girlfriend and plans to spend a couple of years living with her in Cardiff, Wales until moving back to the United States to settle down, have a family, and hopefully embark on a long and successful career in writing. He is attending the Semester in Rome program in order to travel as much as possible so as to gain experiences for writing, as well as learn what it is like to live outside of himself and push his boundaries. He hopes that home will continue to become increasingly more important to him as the semester progresses and looks forward to successfully returning with experiences only God could provide.
Sofia Payson (right) is a Junior at Geneva College. At her home campus she is a student of Communication, but currently she studies humanities and culture at Geneva College Semester in Rome. Communication and culture have many similarities, but by forming a marriage between the two subjects Sofia has great dreams to impact the film industry. She hopes that her Semester in Rome will continue to broaden her knowledge of God’s earth as it already has been. Sofia likes to meet new people, take on challenges that push her to grow, and spend time with her family.
Jenna Melton (left) is a senior at Geneva College, studying Biology with the intent of attending medical school and operating a family practice in rural, depressed, regions of the Appalachian.
