Dr. Mary Osentowski technically teaches speech communication. But to her - and to the thousands of students she has taught at Richland College since 1972 - the real subject is life.

Her students most often call her "Mrs. O" or "Dr. Mary," since the title of "Dr. O" is already taken by her husband Francis, professor of music at North Lake College. What they call her, she says, is much less important than what they take away from her classroom.

"In my speech communication classes, I believe I'm giving students the skills they need to succeed in life," she says. "Those skills include listening, working with people, expressing ideas and dealing with conflict." Though after years of teaching, Dr. Osentowski had risen in academic ranks to the administrative level, serving as communications division chair for a decade, in 1993 she chose to return to the arena she loves best - the classroom. "The classroom is where the real essence of community college takes place, and I wanted to be there," she says.

Holding a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Nebraska-Kearney, Dr. Osentowski earned her master's and doctorate degrees from the University of North Texas. Before joining Richland's faculty, she taught junior high and high school English in California, Nebraska and Denton. In 2004, she was named a Minnie Stevens Piper Professor, an annual award from the state of Texas honoring 10 college and university professors from throughout the state for excellence in teaching.

"I teach because I love students, and I feel teaching is a calling," she says. "Community college is a place where there is such variety and diversity in our students, and I love that. In a classroom with a diverse mixture, people really do learn the skills that prepare them for a diverse world."

Chair of Altrusa International's Leadership Development Committee, she served as the governor of District Nine in Texas for the organization, which promotes volunteer service worldwide to its more than 11,000 members. She is an alumnus of Leadership Richardson, served on Richardson's Adult Literacy Board and as chair of the city's Civil Service Board, and is a member of the Richardson Woman's Club.

But really, for Dr. Mary Osentowski, it's all about her students. "One of my students said my class should really be called Life 101," she says. "What a great compliment."

For Dr. Mary Osentowski, it all began here.