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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.

One whistle changes everything

One whistle changes everything

Sue Ryan

If you follow Notre Dame football, you’ve seen John Sexton on the field for every home game for the past four years. You may not have noticed him much for his first few seasons. He was usually one of the last guys to take the field. As a senior, though, John got his turn at the front of the rotation....

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Ground broken, mural taking shape at Foundry Field, a true community project

Ground broken, mural taking shape at Foundry Field, a true community project

Erin Blasko and Carrie Gates

The proposed public-access baseball field is designed to celebrate the Foundry Giants and other underrepresented baseball teams from South Bend’s past. Active during the 1920s, the Giants were a predominantly Black baseball team whose players typically worked in the Studebaker Foundry. The team included several players who went on to play in the Negro Leagues.

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Notre Dame Law School Religious Liberty Clinic represents Sikh, Jewish, and Muslim groups defending a Muslim inmate’s religious rights

Notre Dame Law School Religious Liberty Clinic represents Sikh, Jewish, and Muslim groups defending a Muslim inmate’s religious rights

Arienne Calingo

A Muslim man’s right to practice his religion was suppressed by state officials while being held in a New York correctional facility. His case highlights the importance of interpreting religious freedom laws to provide sufficient remedies in protecting the rights of religious minority groups in prison. …

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3L Erica Patterson named ABA Law Student Representative of the Year

3L Erica Patterson named ABA Law Student Representative of the Year

Jonathan Bailey

Erica Patterson, a third-year student at Notre Dame Law School, was named Law Student Representative of the Year by the American Bar Association. Patterson finished with the most student representative member points for the academic year. “Winning ABA Law Student Representative of the Year is such an honor,” said Patterson. “Thank you to the ABA Law Student Division for recognizing...

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ND Law’s Religious Liberty Clinic participates in oral argument before the en banc Ninth Circuit to defend Oak Flat

ND Law’s Religious Liberty Clinic participates in oral argument before the en banc Ninth Circuit to defend Oak Flat

Arienne Calingo

Apache Stronghold v. United States was one of the first cases that the Notre Dame Law School Religious Liberty Clinic supported when the clinic was newly established in the 2020-21 academic year. For the past two years, faculty and students from the Religious Liberty Clinic have stood with members of the Apache tribe to protect Oak Flat, a sacred site...

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Class of 2023: Meet six ND Law graduates who have become a ‘different kind of lawyer’

Class of 2023: Meet six ND Law graduates who have become a ‘different kind of lawyer’

Denise Wager

Notre Dame Law School’s mission is to educate a “different kind of lawyer.” Our graduates learn to view the practice of law not only as a profession but also as a service to others and the common good. This weekend, we celebrate commencement for our Class of 2023. Each student in the class had their own story when they first...

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Keough School announces two graduate students as recipients of the annual Hesburgh Global Fellowship

Keough School announces two graduate students as recipients of the annual Hesburgh Global Fellowship

Kate Chester

For the first time ever, two graduate students have been tapped by the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame to receive the prestigious annual Hesburgh Global Fellowship simultaneously. Haleemah Ahmad, who graduates in May 2023 with a master’s in global affairs with a concentration in international peace studies, will return to the Da’wah Institute …

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Emmanuel Cannady (PhD 2022) wins 'Best Dissertation' award

Emmanuel Cannady (PhD 2022) wins 'Best Dissertation' award

Sociology Department

Former Notre Dame Sociology graduate student Emmanuel Cannady has received the “Best Dissertation Award” from the American Sociological Association’s (ASA) section devoted to study of Collective Behavior and Social Movements.  All dissertations defended in 2022 were eligible for the award.  The title of his dissertation is Black Lives Matter University: How Activist Knowledge Affects Organizational Sustainability.…

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Latino studies students learn spiritual leadership skills during Easter Monday workshop

Latino studies students learn spiritual leadership skills during Easter Monday workshop

Angela Olvera

ILS group flanked by CSPL's Gabriel Lara (left) & Michael Nicolás Okinczyc-Cruz (right) (Credit: Joanna Arellano-Gonzalez for CSPL) A group of students from the Institute for Latino Studies embarked on a trip to Chicago on Easter Monday. Their mission was to meet with the Coalition of Spiritual and Public Leadership (CSPL) and partake in an immersive Chicagoan experience.…

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Coming full circle: Blake Ziegler finds politics, God and a good life at Notre Dame

Coming full circle: Blake Ziegler finds politics, God and a good life at Notre Dame

Tracy DeStazio

“The mind will not be cultivated at the expense of the heart,” said Blessed Basil Moreau, founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross. This core University of Notre Dame mission and vision is one that spoke to the heart of graduating senior Blake Ziegler ever since his middle school days at Holy Cross School in his hometown of New Orleans.…

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The Creator's Game: Lacrosse

The Creator's Game: Lacrosse

NDWorks

Tara Kenjockety, undergraduate community engagement librarian, Hesburgh Libraries and member of the Indigenous Faculty and Staff Group and Tiffany Gillaspy, music librarian for Hesburgh Libraries hold the flag of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi. Notre Dame’s lacrosse teams were recently recognized at the March 25 men’s game and the March 27 women’s game. Lacrosse, known as “the Creator’s Game” by its...

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One-day gathering celebrates Latinidad and poetics in all its complexity

One-day gathering celebrates Latinidad and poetics in all its complexity

Oliver Ortega

A select group of poets and critics convened at the University of Notre Dame for "Latinx Poetics, a One-Day Gathering", as part of a marquee spring event for Letras Latinas, the literary arm of the Institute for Latino Studies. The event, held on the second floor of McKenna Hall, was composed of an afternoon session and an evening session, with a...

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FLTA spotlight: Cin-Hua Chen

FLTA spotlight: Cin-Hua Chen

Luke Van de Walle

Taiwan boasts a rich culture and picturesque scenery unlike any place in the world, offering a unique blend of indigenous, Chinese, and Japanese influences that is evident in its architecture, cuisine, and traditions. From the vibrant night markets and bustling shopping districts in Taipei and Kaohsiung, to the stunning peaks of the Alishan and Taroko National Parks, to the pristine...

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