Home ›
News ›
Student/Alumni Stories

Student/Alumni Stories

Three alumnae awarded Thomas R. Pickering and Charles B. Rangel Graduate Fellowships

Published: January 14, 2022

University of Notre Dame alumnae Irla Atanda and Amber Bryan have been named Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Fellows. Alumna DeJorie Monroe has been named a Charles B. Rangel Graduate Fellow. This is the University’s first Rangel Graduate Fellow and second and third Pickering Graduate Fellows.

Hispanic Alumni of Notre Dame panelists encourage students: ‘You belong here’

Published: September 22, 2021

Chloe McCotter

Members of the Hispanic Alumni of Notre Dame (HAND), a University of Notre Dame Alumni Association affinity group, gathered virtually Tuesday (Sept. 21) for the second annual Hispanic alumni success stories panel.

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.

How the liberal arts instilled curiosity, boldness, and fearlessness in a history and Japanese student — and carried her from USA Today to Hollywood red carpets

Published: February 23, 2021

Carrie Gates

For Arienne Thompson Plourde ’04, the first step toward a successful journalism career was to study history and Japanese. Although it might seem an unlikely combination for an aspiring journalist, it gave her a strong foundation to build on — and just as importantly, four years to study what she loved. “For me, I always knew that I wanted to be...

Danielle Merfeld (ND ’94) elected to National Academy of Engineering

Published: February 18, 2021

College of Engineering

Danielle W. Merfeld (ND ’94) vice president and chief technology officer, GE Renewable Energy, General Electric Co., has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). Election to the Academy is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer.

Bringing support and treatment to veterans in need

Published: February 15, 2021

Maura Sullivan Hill

Col. (U.S. Army Retired) D.J. Reyes ’79 serves as an advocate for fellow veterans in Tampa's Veterans Treatment Court.

Rochelle Krebs ’09 J.D. benefits from the Law School’s Loan Repayment Assistance Program to forge a public interest career path many years after graduation

Published: February 04, 2021

Denise Wager

For Rochelle Krebs ’09 J.D., the journey to a career in public interest law was not typical. Not until several years after earning her law degree from Notre Dame Law School did she begin practicing full time in civil legal aid, helping survivors of domestic violence in the Seattle area. Now, she is…

ND Founders Profile #51: From Startups to Starting a Family, this FouNDer Has Prioritized Bringing It All Together

Published: January 20, 2021

Melanie Lux

Jeannine Parise has two speeds, full-steam ahead and full stop. That applies to her career and her family, both of which she calls her “important work.”

Puebla alumni series: Jesse Hernandez ‘11

Published: January 12, 2021

Jesse Hernandez

Jesse Hernandez is a 2011 Notre Dame graduate and majored in Arts & Letters pre-professional studies and psychology. Hernandez writes about his time in Puebla and how it led to a career in medicine.

Alumni Spotlight: Janaeé Wallace '16 is Investing in STEM Founders

Published: December 03, 2020

Gene Stowe

Janaeé Wallace knew she wanted to help finance STEM-based businesses so they could grow the economy in The Bahama Islands and across the Caribbean before she knew what incubators and venture capitalists…

NEH awards four fellowships, digital scholarship grant to Arts and Letters, Keough School faculty

Published: January 13, 2022

Renée LaReau and Beth Staples

Three faculty members in the University of Notre Dame’s College of Arts and Letters and one in the Keough School of Global Affairs have won National Endowment for the Humanities fellowships, extending the University’s record success with the federal agency committed to supporting original research and scholarship.

A Message from Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C. regarding Notre Dame Board of Trustees’ Task Force Report on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Published: August 16, 2021

president.nd.edu

Nearly a year ago I wrote a letter to the Notre Dame community announcing the creation of a Trustee Task Force on diversity, equity, and inclusion. The Task Force was appointed by the Chair of our Board, Jack Brennan, with my encouragement and full support. It was chaired by Byron Spruell, a member of the Board, and it included accomplished leaders from...

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.

A conversation with Mike Brown '01

Published: February 23, 2021

NDWorks

Mike Brown ’01, regional director, athletics advancement, development, recently shared a Gospel reflection with FaithND readers in the context of Black History Month. Here, he takes a moment to share beyond his reflection.

Meruelo Family Center for Career Development, Hesburgh Women of Impact partner to mentor undergraduate women

Published: February 17, 2021

Siobhan Loughney

Hesburgh Women of Impact (HWOI), an organization of Notre Dame alumnae dedicated to celebrating and supporting female leadership within the University, is hosting a mentorship program in partnership with the Meruelo Family Center for Career Development. The program matches undergraduate women with an alumna in their field of interest to guide and support them in career related preparation and goals...

'What impact can I make?' Engineering alumnus Seun Odun-Ayo '20 works toward inclusion at Microsoft

Published: February 12, 2021

Grace McDermott

Six years ago, Seun Odun-Ayo '20 was a high school student in Missouri debating whether he would even go to college. Today, Odun-Ayo is a software engineer at Xbox. He is using his Notre Dame computer science degree to make a real impact in the world.

Jessica Binzoni ’15 J.D. founded a nonprofit in Iraq, the Law School’s Loan Repayment Program makes her mission to serve a reality

Published: January 26, 2021

Denise Wager

Jessica Binzoni came to Notre Dame Law School knowing that her calling was to work with refugees, especially those displaced by international conflicts. Her path after law school—including two years as a Thomas L. Shaffer Public Interest Fellow—led her to northern Iraq where she serves displaced Iraqi and Syrian refugees through the nonprofit organization she founded, HOPE + FUTURE.

Blue and Gold and Black and White

Published: January 18, 2021

Notre Dame Magazine

From the health disparities that COVID-19 has exposed in communities of color, to the killing of George Floyd that sparked nationwide protests, it has been a tragic and tumultuous year, prompting a reckoning with racial issues across the country, including at Notre Dame.

I am ND: Meet Jon Camden

Published: January 06, 2021

Gene Stowe for NDWorks

Jon Camden first found his home at Notre Dame 25 years ago when he declared a chemistry major and signed up to take a credit course on playing the organ. The music study led to marching band, liturgical choir and a rich social life focused on Basilica music.

Arista CEO Jayshree Ullal advice for students: “You can be an entrepreneur and an executive”

Published: December 03, 2020

Carol Elliott

Jayshree Ullal was interviewed by Tom Mendoza (ND ’73), former president and vice chairman of the pioneering data management company NetApp, for Notre Dame’s new webinar series, Tom Mendoza Presents.

Ruby Bridges urges Notre Dame Community to ‘pick up the torch’

Published: November 09, 2021

Chloe McCotter

The Klau Center for Civil and Human Rights hosted Ruby Bridges via Zoom on Friday (Nov. 5) for a conversation titled “The First Big Step” at the University of Notre Dame’s DeBartolo Performing Arts Center.

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.

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.

Alumni Spotlight: Anselme Mucunguzi '18 is Building a World-Class E-Commerce Support Service

Published: February 19, 2021

Gene Stowe

Even as he was completing a master’s degree in physical chemistry at the University of Notre Dame in 2017, Anselme Mucunguzi had decided that his future was in technology entrepreneurship rather than science and engineering. ESTEEM gave him the combination of business acumen and computer programming skills that empowered him for the new career.

Isaac Duncan, BFA '97

Published: February 17, 2021

Dept. Staff

Isaac Duncan III, a Brooklyn, New York native and Afro-Cuban descendant, received a BFA degree in 1997 from Notre Dame, and a certification of secondary art education from St. Mary's College. In 2004, he completed his Masters of Fine Arts in Sculpture at the University of Kentucky.

Alumni Spotlight: Whitney Bouey '19 is a Product Manager at SRAM

Published: February 05, 2021

Gene Stowe

New Orleans native Whitney Bouey had never left Louisiana until her mentor during her time at Louisiana State University, a Notre Dame alum, recommended ESTEEM.

Alumni Spotlight: Nancy Nguyen '17 is a Product Manager in a Drone Technology Startup

Published: January 22, 2021

Gene Stowe

Boston native Nancy Nguyen, who earned a degree in chemistry at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire, was considering an offer for a lab chemist job at Massachusetts General Hospital when a professor urged her to consider Notre Dame's ESTEEM graduate program. After a visit with David Murphy, Executive Director of Student Entrepreneurship and the ESTEEM program, she agreed.

IDEA Center Student Intern Stories: Dayeel Dauphine (ND ‘20) is a Mechanical Design Engineer for Essai, Inc.

Published: January 18, 2021

Emily Tyson

Dayeel Dauphine (ND ‘20) learned about the Innovation Lab from Sarah Kubinski, Outreach Coordinator for the AnBryce Scholars Initiative. Dayeel, a double major in Industrial Design and Theology and an AnBryce Scholar, had been enjoying doing research in Prof.…

Wrongful Convictions: Notre Dame law students pursue exoneration cases in nearby Elkhart

Published: December 14, 2020

Brendan O'Shaughnessy

Elliot Slosar was in a Zoom meeting in April with Notre Dame law students working on a wrongful conviction case when he got a call asking him to pick up Andy Royer, whom a judge had just freed after 16 years in prison.

Peace Studies student works alongside first-of-its-kind organization addressing police torture in Chicago

Published: November 30, 2020

Hannah Heinzekehr

When searching for an organization to work with during her second year of studies at the University of Notre Dame, Helina Haile knew that she wanted to work alongside an organization focused on systemic racism in the United States. Her search led her to the Chicago Torture Justice Center (CTJC), a first-of-its-kind organization dedicated to supporting survivors of police violence.