Student Stories
Notre Dame endeavors to be a place where each student can grow individually in both mind and heart, and become a part of something larger than themselves. By celebrating the unique gifts each student brings to our shared community, student life is enriched immeasurably.
The stories below share just some of the ways Notre Dame students are celebrating and taking advantage of the wonderful diversity on our campus – through both scholarship and development and formation outside the classroom.
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...
Notre Dame students participate in virtual internships in Mexico
Under normal circumstances, the fall and spring semesters would see hundreds of students traveling across international borders to live, study, and work abroad. Although the pandemic prevented these experiences from occurring in person, it didn’t halt collaboration between Notre Dame faculty and local partners all around the world.
Liu Institute expands "Justice and Asia" call for proposals, implements rolling deadline
The Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies is extending and expanding its annual call for proposals for research on the theme “Justice and Asia.” Additionally, funding is available for related lectures. Proposals for the remainder of the 2020-21 academic year will be accepted on a rolling basis until May 1, 2021.
Meruelo Family Center for Career Development, Hesburgh Women of Impact partner to mentor undergraduate women
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...
Restorative Justice through Nature: Elsa Barron '21 and Karli Siefker '21
Notre Dame seniors Karli Siefker and Elsa Barron have developed an environmental education curriculum, weaving in environmental justice, climate change and sustainability, for DePaul Academy in South Bend, which is a residential school for teenage boys in the criminal justice system.
Clara Villatoro Huezo (Master of Global Affairs, International Peace Studies, '22)
"I grew up in a country that experienced conflict--and a lot violence post-conflict--so what peace means and how to respond with peace is a puzzle I’m still working on," Villatoro says. "With the Master of Global Affairs focused on International Peace Studies, I’m trying to respond to the questions I have had my whole life."
February is Black History Month
Students, faculty and staff are invited to participate in a variety of events throughout February in recognition of Black History Month.
Eight Notre Dame undergraduates named spring Gilman Scholars
Eight University of Notre Dame students have been awarded spring Gilman Scholarships to study abroad, for a total of 15 students so far for the 2020-21 academic year.
Conversations That Matter: The Intersection of Racial Justice and Life Issues
The Notre Dame Office of Life and Human Dignity will host a free, three-part webinar series through spring 2021 addressing the integral relationship between racial justice and the culture of life, from conception to natural death. The first event is Feb. 3.
Jessica Binzoni ’15 J.D. founded a nonprofit in Iraq, the Law School’s Loan Repayment Program makes her mission to serve a reality
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.
A conversation with Mike Brown '01
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.
Walk the Walk Week Prayer Service
This year, since we are not able to gather in person, we encourage…
Alumni Spotlight: Anselme Mucunguzi '18 is Building a World-Class E-Commerce Support Service
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
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.
Bringing support and treatment to veterans in need
Col. (U.S. Army Retired) D.J. Reyes ’79 serves as an advocate for fellow veterans in Tampa's Veterans Treatment Court.
'What impact can I make?' Engineering alumnus Seun Odun-Ayo '20 works toward inclusion at Microsoft
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.
Klau Center for Civil and Human Rights announces Spring Series: Building an Anti-Racist Vocabulary
Series begins Friday, February 12. The entire series will be offered via Zoom, and is open to the Notre Dame community—students, staff, faculty, and alumni.
LSSP Scholar Stacy Manrique merges her love for Technology, the Arts & Social Responsibility
When Stacy Manrique joined a group of Notre Dame students visiting Mexico’s prestigious Monterrey Institute of Technology two summers ago, it felt like a “homecoming.”
Begin with empathy: Notre Dame Ethics Week explores finding common ground
Notre Dame Ethics Week, held Feb. 16-19, features four events exploring the theme “Beginning with Empathy: Listening and Learning From Others.” The sessions explore a wide range of topics related to empathy, including the underlying science, diversity and inclusion, teaching empathy as part of problem solving and how medical professionals employ empathy.
Elizabeth M. Renieris appointed founding director of the Notre Dame-IBM Tech Ethics Lab
Elizabeth M. Renieris, currently a technology and human rights fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and a practitioner fellow at Stanford University’s Digital Civil Society Lab, has been appointed founding director of the Notre Dame-IBM Technology Ethics Lab at the University of Notre Dame.
“Walk the Walk” is more than a week, it’s an invitation
“Walk the Walk” is more than a week to recognize Notre Dame’s efforts to be a welcoming and inclusive campus …
Untapped Resources: The Office of Student Enrichment
Hidden on the second floor of LaFortune Student Center is the Office of Student Enrichment (OSE). Aimed at providing a more inclusive and open environment for all Notre Dame Undergraduates, OSE is a God-sent resource for our low socioeconomic status students. Seeking to enrich the Notre Dame experience for all, this untapped resource has many opportunities for funding, mentorship, and guidance.
Danielle Merfeld (ND ’94) elected to National Academy 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.
Senior art history major Meg Burns awarded Luce Scholarship
Notre Dame senior Margaret “Meg” Burns, an art history major from San Antonio, Texas, has been awarded a 2021–22 Luce Scholarship. The scholarship provides a stipend, language training, and individualized professional placement in Asia, with a goal of enhancing the understanding of Asia among potential leaders of American society. Burns is Notre Dame’s 10th Luce Scholar in total and its third...
U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo to speak at Notre Dame
Joy Harjo, the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States and the first Native American to hold the position, will speak at Notre Dame on Monday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. The online event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
Alumni Spotlight: Whitney Bouey '19 is a Product Manager at SRAM
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.
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
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…
Identity, Exploration, and Discernment: A Personal Journey to Religious Pluralism
At the heart of it, pluralism invites us to engage with the new questions of the 21st century and to no longer see our differences as daunting borders. Embracing new faith traditions has made me a stronger Christian. By welcoming these traditions into my own religious space, I make more room to understand God as the trinity, as a mystery,...
The Rome Gateway commemorates the International Holocaust Remembrance Day
The Rome Gateway has had a special connection to the historical heritage of the Jewish presence in Rome since the acquisition of the ND Villa, the living-learning community where the students of the University of Notre Dame in Rome live, located in Via Celimontana. The ND Villa housed a Jewish school in the two-year period from 1938 to 1940
Notre Dame, others join to fight rising local hunger
The Health Improvement Alliance of St. Joseph County, in partnership with Cultivate Food Rescue, established the Emergency Food Initiative in March as a way to support food security in South Bend and the surrounding area and negotiate the complexity of that task during the pandemic.