Student/Alumni Stories

A conversation with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

William G. Gilroy

Watch video U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Ann Claire Williams, a Notre Dame alumna and Trustee, asked Ginsburg a series of questions on a wide range of issues.In a reflective, frank and often wryly humorous conversation with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Monday night (Sept. 12) at the University of Notre Dame’s Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center,...

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The forsaken virtue

Andrew Barlow '88

To be effective voices in arresting our nation’s spiral into distance, disrespect and disenfranchisement, we must embrace dignity, our own and that of others, regardless of consequence. As a starting point, it is helpful to remember the difference between dignity and arrogance. Dignity flows from the belief that each human life is not just inherently valuable but is equally valuable. Arrogance says,...

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Sustainability students cross disciplinary boundaries to address real-world issues

Tessa Bangs

Notre Dame’s sustainability program, open to all majors, seeks to inspire students to cultivate practices and ways of living that preserve natural resources for future generations. “It is important to think about how our different areas of knowledge complement each other and to understand that many of our most serious problems are not well behaved and do not stay within...

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Studying youth participation in Colombia’s peace-building movements

Carrie Gates

The young people of war-torn northern Colombia want their homes and their lifestyle back. Displaced from their villages by guerilla and paramilitary groups, they have spent the last 10 years in urban centers—making them prime targets for recruitment by those same criminal enterprises. But rather than falling prey to a violent cause, they’ve founded a successful peace-building movement. Notre Dame...

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Next steps in our journey of purpose; beyond Walk the Walk Week

Cidni Sanders

What does it mean for the Notre Dame community — its students, faculty and staff — to be doers, not merely speakers or hearers, of the call to Walk the Walk? As the campus paused January 18-22 to reflect on the values central to the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and the mission of the University,…

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Claim that MBA! A grad’s letter says it all

Christine Cox

Kristen Sawdon was on top of the world when she graduated in May, especially because she never seriously considered an MBA in the past. She always reasoned that it wasn’t the right fit for her.Even an encouraging talk from her then COO couldn’t convince her. “While I never consciously discounted an MBA because I’m a woman, I do think I struggled...

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Why majoring in English made Patrick Lyons ’08 a better doctor

Brian Wallheimer

Dr. Patrick Lyons ’08 doesn’t ask his patients if they have questions when he’s finished talking with them about a diagnosis. There’s a good chance they’ll say no. Instead, he asks what questions they have. Looking at how he practices medicine now, especially in his interactions with patients, Lyons realizes his time as an English major had a profound effect...

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His church and mine: A love story

Nicole Steele Wooldridge ’07

“So, you’re Catholic, but you’re married to a Lutheran pastor. How does that work?” I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve been asked this question in my seven years of marriage. Depending upon the inquirer, I have a few canned answers that easily roll off the tongue, but the simplest and most genuine is this: “By the grace of...

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Studying sociology and Spanish prepares graduate for career in education

Tessa Bangs

Notre Dame alumna Ray’Von Jones ’16 wants to make a difference in the world of education. And her sociology and Spanish majors are going to help her get there. “Education doesn’t only happen inside schools,” Jones said. “It happens in communities and in neighborhoods. So it’s important for me to have a larger understanding of what’s going on in our...

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Planting produce, growing jobs

Jessica Trobaugh Temple '92

Lifting a panel of romaine lettuce, Jan Pilarski ’79, ’96M.A., exposes a tangle of plump roots. Over a year’s time, her social enterprise business, Green Bridge Growers, can produce several hundred pounds of organic vegetables and herbs. The entrepreneurial venture Pilarski began with her son Chris Tidmarsh is an aquaponic farming operation that provides training and jobs for young adults...

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