Home ›
News ›
Student Stories

Student Stories

Statement from Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., on first anniversary of murder of George Floyd

Published: May 25, 2021

“The brutal death of George Floyd a year ago today caused soul-searching not only among municipalities and how they police their citizens, but among us all, including Notre Dame. We continue to work to better achieve diversity, equity and inclusion across the University and foster an environment in which each person’s dignity is respected, community is cultivated and the evil...

I am ND: Meet Eric T. Styles

Published: May 04, 2021

Carrie Rulli Stone, Internal Communications

Being a rector in a Notre Dame residence hall is like being a cruise director who provides spiritual guidance, according to Carroll Hall rector …

Prayer service for the Atlanta shootings

Published: March 18, 2021

Campus Ministry

A prayer service for all those impacted will be held in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart tonight (March 18) at 8:30 p.m. A live stream will be available on the Campus Ministry website.

For senior Veronica Mansour, creating and staging an original musical is the perfect blend of her English and music majors

Published: March 16, 2021

Sophia Lauber

When Veronica Mansour landed her first role in musical theater as Marcie in It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown at age 8, she never imagined she would one day write a musical of her own. She still has trouble believing it now. A senior English and music major with a minor in musical theatre, Mansour spent last semester workshopping her original...

Carla Harris, business leader and gospel singer, to receive Notre Dame’s Laetare Medal

Published: March 14, 2021

Amanda Skofstad

Carla Harris, vice chairman of wealth management and senior client adviser at Morgan Stanley — as well as a celebrated gospel singer, speaker and author — will be awarded the University of Notre Dame’s 2021 Laetare Medal, the oldest and most prestigious honor given to American Catholics, at the 176th University Commencement Ceremony on May 23 (Sunday).

Women’s Investing Summit’s new format opens up event to more students, speakers

Published: March 09, 2021

Ryan Peters

The Notre Dame Institute for Global Investing (NDIGI) is hosting the third annual Women’s Investing Summit (WIS) this week. WIS Week consists of a series of speeches from women with extensive experience in different areas of investment, small group networking sessions and a student stock pitch competition.

Women Who Empower: Thaïs Burmeister Pires

Published: March 08, 2021

Colleen Wilcox

A clinical psychologist by trade, Thaïs Burmeister Pires is on a mission to enrich the lives of people around her. It started with her three daughters. “Ever since they were little, I always empowered them to be whatever they wanted to be,” says Pires. “That empowerment started with a strong education and an experience outside of their comfort zone.”

Statement from Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., on Pope Francis traveling to Iraq

Published: March 04, 2021

Notre Dame News

By making the first-ever papal visit to Iraq, he is bringing hope to the Christian faithful there who have faced persecution, while at the same time engaging in interreligious dialogue on the Plain of Ur, the birthplace of Abraham, the patriarch of Muslims, Christians and Jews.

March is Women’s History Month

Published: March 03, 2021

Cidni Sanders

The month of March is set aside as a time to celebrate the many contributions of women to society and learn more about what can be done to improve gender equality. The Gender Relations Center is hosting two events in conjunction with Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day.

Mortaza Saeidi-Javash (Graduate Minor in Peace Studies)

Published: February 26, 2021

Matthew Macke

"Peace studies provided me with a better perspective on the importance of my engineering research and its impact on people's lives," Saeidi-Javash said. "Knowing that my research may have such a tremendous impact encourages me to explore more and be a force for good."

Through economics, political science, and Latino studies, senior Diego Reynoso seeks to empower marginalized communities

Published: May 21, 2021

Sophia Lauber

After growing up in a neighborhood where many of his friends didn’t make it to college, senior Diego Reynoso knows firsthand the challenges facing students in low-income communities. Now, as the second person in his family to graduate from college, Reynoso hopes to use his Notre Dame education to empower Latino communities and marginalized individuals. His time in the College of...

Statement: Father Jenkins on Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Published: May 03, 2021

Notre Dame News

“As we mark the beginning of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month, we have an opportunity to reflect on and celebrate the extraordinary contributions of the peoples and cultures of Asia and the Pacific Islands to our world, and particularly to the United States."

First-year journey: Rob Rucki '24 grows his business at Notre Dame

Published: March 17, 2021

Shannon Rooney

Rob Rucki ’24 had his heart set on attending a military academy. He worked hard in high school to get the grades he hoped would get him in. But when Rucki visited Notre Dame for the first time, his goal changed.

Nirupama Sensharma receives 2021 Browne Award

Published: March 15, 2021

Janet Weikel

Nirupama Sensharma received the 2021 Cornelius P. Browne Memorial Award in Nuclear Physics for her work on wobbling motion in gold nuclei and outstanding outreach effort through her project Nuclear Energy – The Better Energy.

VIDEO: Asian American Distinguished Speaker Series with Ai-jen Poo

Published: March 12, 2021

Christine Cox

Labor activist Ai-jen Poo, co-founder and CEO of the National Domestic Workers Union, was the inaugural guest for the Asian American Distinguished Lecture Series on March 11, 2021.

Young Scholars Symposium in Latino Studies to convene emergent scholars from across country and distinguished Professor Charlene Villaseñor Black

Published: March 09, 2021

Oliver Ortega

Seven up-and-coming scholars from across the country, along with distinguished professor Charlene Villaseñor Black of UCLA, will headline the Young Scholars Symposium at the Institute for Latino Studies next week. The virtual gathering on March 18 and 19 is part of an annual ILS initiative to bring together advanced graduate students and junior faculty working to complete a dissertation, book, or other form...

Flora Tang (Ph.D. in Peace Studies and Theology)

Published: March 08, 2021

Matthew Macke

Tang, whose hometown is Beijing, lists her research interests as post-traumatic theology, decolonial and queer theologies, gender and sexuality studies, religion, and literature. She attended Notre Dame as an undegraduate, then went to Harvard Divinity School for her master's degree.

First-Year Journey: Emily Fuchs '25 embraces her love of design as an architecture major

Published: March 03, 2021

Grace McDermott

Emily Fuchs is a first-year student in Notre Dame’s architecture program and says that the unique character of the architecture school here was one of the major attractions that led to her enrollment.

Q&A with Marian Botchway

Published: March 02, 2021

Elizabeth Smith

Marian Botchway is one of the program directors for the Eck Institute for Global Health (EIGH). She discusses her current research, her position with the EIGH, and her path to a career in global health.

Edison Lecture: Towards Intersectional Equity in Complex Sociotechnical Systems

Published: February 25, 2021

Joan Fallon

Dr. Katlyn Turner (ND ’12) will deliver a Notre Dame Engineering Edison Lecture, “Towards Intersectional Equity in Complex Sociotechnical Systems,” on March 17 at 4 p.m. EST. This virtual presentation is free and open to the public.

Way Maker: 2021 Laetare Medalist Carla Harris

Published: May 17, 2021

Amanda Skofstad

When Carla Harris — finance powerhouse, gospel singer, author and winner of the University of Notre Dame’s 2021 Laetare Medal — started working at Morgan Stanley in 1987, she earned a reputation not just as an ace deal-closer on the capital markets desk.

May celebrates diversity of AAPI, Jewish American and older American communities

Published: May 01, 2021

Cidni Sanders

Access resources to learn more about the groups being recognized and the history of these national observances.

A Q&A on International Women’s Day with Lailatul Fitriyah

Published: March 16, 2021

Josh Stowe

In this conversation, PhD candidate Lailatul Fitriyah shares her perspective on the issues she highlighted as part of a social media campaign for International Women’s Day 2021.

Bishara Mohamed (Master of Global Affairs, International Peace Studies, '21)

Published: March 15, 2021

Matthew Macke

Mohamed was a clinical psychologist before coming to Notre Dame. "I went into clinical psychology because I saw how mental health issues were affecting my community," she said. "I’m Kenyan, but my ethnicity is Somali. So I grew up around Somali refugees — because Kenya took the biggest number of refugees from the civil war in Somalia."

First-year journey: Irasema Hernandez Trujillo '24, political science and global affairs major

Published: March 10, 2021

Shannon Rooney

When Irasema Hernandez Trujillo '24 received a scholarship from the Lily Endowment that helped pave the way for her enrollment at Notre Dame, it felt like fate. Or a sign. Now Trujillo is in her second semester as a political science and global affairs major. She is also a Balfour-Hesburgh Scholar.

Women Who Empower: Jingyu Wang

Published: March 08, 2021

Colleen Wilcox

Jingyu Wang is hoping to redefine the meaning of a leader. As the executive director of the Beijing Global Gateway, Wang is working to change the focus from “leading” to “serving.” “The best leaders aren’t just motivating people to do the work; they’re helping and supporting them in a compassionate way,” says Wang.

Beyond a week or a month

Published: March 05, 2021

Cidni Sanders

Graduate students create resource guide to further antiracism actions at Notre Dame.

ND Law student Samantha Contreras receives Michael Best Diversity & Inclusion Scholarship

Published: March 03, 2021

Denise Wager

Samantha Contreras, a second-year student at Notre Dame Law School, has received a generous scholarship from Michael Best & Friedrich LLP in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The scholarship will provide tuition assistance for Contreras’ third year of law school. In addition, scholarship recipients are offered a summer associate position at Michael Best.

Empathy drives alumna in global health adventures

Published: March 01, 2021

Joanne Norell

When asked where she finds time for fun, Rachel Svetanoff ’15 M.S. laughed. It’s not that she thought the question was funny, per se. She wasn’t shrugging it off. It was more the idea that the perpetually busy global health professional wasn’t already having a good time.

ND Founders Profile #56: Following Her Life Plan Worked until this Alumna Became a FouNDer and Launched a New Plan

Published: February 24, 2021

Melanie Lux

As a teenager in Nairobi, Kenya, Olivia Barnard had her life plan on paper: study business at a leading institution in the United States, get a consulting job with McKinsey & Company, earn a Master of Business Administration degree, and become a CEO.