Colleen Smyth

Colleen lead her first storytelling collaboration with HOSTL in January of 2019 for Southwestern Illinois College. She originally moved to St. Louis from Dayton, OH in 2007 to study political science at St. Louis University. After completing her undergraduate degree, she continued on to get both Masters in Social Work and Pastoral Studies. With a commitment to St. Louis and social change, Colleen has worked for and volunteered at a variety of nonprofits in the St. Louis area. She is passionate about storytelling and its role in empowering, humanizing, and connecting people to one another. Most recently, she has been working with university students to deepen their understanding of civic identity, think critically about the ways they enter into and impact communities, and develop the skills to respond to social problems.