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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.

Sister Rosemary Connelly to receive 2023 Laetare Medal

Published: March 19, 2023

Carrie Gates

Sister Rosemary Connelly, R.S.M., former executive director of Misericordia and lifelong advocate for individuals with developmental disabilities, will receive the University of Notre Dame’s 2023 Laetare Medal — the oldest and most prestigious honor given to American Catholics — at Notre Dame’s 178th University Commencement Ceremony on May 21 (Sunday).

Women's Investing Summit

Published: March 13, 2023

ThinkND

Notre Dame Women’s Investing Summit Presented by Notre Dame Institute for Global Investing Originally published by thinkND at think.nd.edu on February 24, 2023. …

Sophomore Hayley Jie Brownd named 2023 Realizing the Dream Scholar

Published: March 07, 2023

Erin Blasko

University of Notre Dame sophomore Hayley Jie Brownd, a native of China and one of countless survivors of the country’s one-child policy, has been named a Realizing the Dream Scholar by the nonprofit group Independent Colleges of Indiana.

Campus Ministry's Diana Salgado Huicochea helps underrepresented students connect with their faith

Published: March 01, 2023

Bianca Feix

Diana Salgado Huicochea works in Campus Ministry as the assistant director of outreach for minority students. Recently, Bianca Feix ’25, a student assistant for the Liu Institute, interviewed Diana about her path to Notre Dame and the important work she does on campus. …

Myla Leguro to receive 2023 Kroc Institute Distinguished Alumni Award

Published: February 22, 2023

Lisa Gallagher

Myla Leguro, M.A. ‘10, has been selected to receive the Kroc Institute’s 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award, an annual honor that showcases Notre Dame peace studies graduates whose careers and lives exemplify the ideas of international peacebuilding. Leguro will receive this prestigious award in person on Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at 4 p.m., and offer a presentation, “Harnessing the Power of...

Permanent display of Potawatomi art to open Feb. 23 at Geddes Hall

Published: February 20, 2023

Erin Blasko

A new, permanent exhibition of Native American artwork will open at 4 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 23) at Geddes Hall Coffee House on the campus of the University of Notre Dame.

Notre Dame observes Black History Month with campus events

Published: February 09, 2023

Kristi Flaherty

The University of Notre Dame is celebrating Black History Month throughout February with a number of events.

Foreign Language Teaching Assistant spotlight: Caroline Kipruto

Published: February 03, 2023

Luke Van de Walle

Kenyan native and Swahili Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) Caroline Jepchumba Kipruto is an exemplary representative of her community, Eldoret. Located in the western region of Kenya near the Great Rift Valley, Eldoret is famous for a large number of world-class track and field athletes like Eliud Kipchoge who is Olympic champion is marathon runner and world record…

FirstGen@ND: Erik Finch-Soto ’25 Majors in Neuroscience, Finds Community

Published: January 31, 2023

Shannon Rooney

Erik Finch-Soto ’25 knew from a young age that he wanted a career that allows him to help people like his grandfather. When he was younger, his grandfather was diagnosed with a disease that affected his brain. “It hit our family pretty hard and I just remember not knowing much about it and my family explaining it to me. I...

Transformational Leaders Program aims to help students reach their goals while staying healthy, grounded and connected

Published: January 26, 2023

Chloe McCotter

Developed to invest in students as the University of Notre Dame’s most important and precious resource, while acknowledging that not all students come to higher education with the same preparation or resources, Notre Dame’s Transformational Leaders Program (TLP) provides students with access to mentoring, education and outreach specialists, community-building activities, a dedicated gathering and study space and other academic resources.

Professor Diane Desierto serves as co-counsel in landmark UN ruling for Filipina ‘comfort women’

Published: March 16, 2023

Denise Wager

Diane Desierto, law professor and faculty director for the Law School’s LL.M. Program in International Human Rights Law, began her career in 2004 seeking reparations and justice for Filipina women who suffered from the sexual slavery system imposed by the Japanese during World War II.…

Notre Dame English professor Dionne Irving Bremyer named finalist for PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction

Published: March 10, 2023

Josh Weinhold

Dionne Irving Bremyer, an associate professor of English at Notre Dame, has been named a finalist for the 2023 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the country’s most prestigious peer-juried prize for novels and short stories. The honor is for Irving Bremyer’s short story collection The Islands, which follows the lives of Jamaican women — immigrants or the descendants of immigrants —...

Women Lead 2023

Published: March 06, 2023

Office of Brand Content

As Notre Dame celebrates Women's History Month, we introduce you to seven outstanding women who are innovating in their fields to help the University become a powerful means for doing good in the world.

FirstGen@ND: Carlos Flores '23, Architecture Major and Varsity Cheerleader

Published: March 01, 2023

Shannon Rooney

For Carlos Flores '23, choosing a major was tough. He started out at Notre Dame as an engineering major, but upon taking an architecture elective, he discovered that he liked both engineering and architecture equally. Luckily, he had some help from a mentor back home in Oklahoma, who told him to choose the major that he thought would provide him...

Notre Dame Law School Religious Liberty Initiative supports criminal complaint against Chinese government for Uyghur genocide

Published: February 21, 2023

Anna Bradley

The Religious Liberty Initiative’s amicus brief represents renowned U.S. & U.K. human rights advocates

FirstGen@ND: Daniel Lapsley, professor of psychology and ACE collegiate professor

Published: February 14, 2023

Shannon Rooney

Notre Dame Professor of Psychology Daniel Lapsley uses the word “naive” to describe himself as a young student approaching his college years. He grew up with five siblings near Pittsburgh. His father was a steel worker and his mother was a homemaker. Neither of Lapsley’s parents had been to college, but he knew he wanted to go. …

Tax return preparation help available for local low-income taxpayers

Published: February 07, 2023

Carol Elliott

The University of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s College will provide free tax return preparation services to low-income families again this year through the Vivian Harrington Gray Tax Assistance Program (TAP).

Foreign Language Week is Back!

Published: February 01, 2023

Luke Van de Walle

The LaFortune Ballroom came alive last year during Foreign Language Week 2022 with the smell of food, the beating of drums, the sound of music, and the grace of the dancers from different cultures. The Notre Dame community watched in awe as the performers transported them to different parts of the world, each dance telling a story of its own...

Notre Dame joins with Habitat for Humanity to increase access to affordable housing close to campus

Published: January 31, 2023

Erin Blasko

The University of Notre Dame is joining with Habitat for Humanity of St. Joseph County to build as many as seven new homes over the next five years, all in or near the increasingly popular Northeast Neighborhood south of campus, walking distance to downtown, the East Bank and Eddy Street Commons.

Law School launches podcast focused on DEI

Published: January 24, 2023

Office of Brand Content

Max Gaston talks about his role as the Law School's director of DEI, and how his podcast gives a window into his work.

FirstGen@ND: Tavin Martin ’25

Published: March 14, 2023

Shannon Rooney

As a first-generation college student, Tavin Martin ’25 faced a lack of knowledge and resources when it came to applying to college. A high-achieving student, she knew she was headed toward higher education, but neither of her parents had been through the college application process. Though her older brother went to college, he went to a local college and the...

Margarette Macauley of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and Afghan alumni discuss protecting women’s rights

Published: March 08, 2023

Denise Wager

The continued discrimination and oppression of women’s rights around the world and a call for actual change were the themes of a talk on Thursday, March 2, co-sponsored by Notre Dame Law School and the Klau Institute for Civil and Human Rights.

Five distinguished leaders to join former Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos as Notre Dame honorary degree recipients

Published: March 02, 2023

Notre Dame News

The University of Notre Dame will bestow honorary degrees on five distinguished leaders in science, business, music and community service at its 178th University Commencement Ceremony on May 21.

Transformational Leaders Program: Staff and faculty shape student experience through personal accompaniment

Published: February 24, 2023

Jenna Liberto, Director of Internal Communications

It’s a wide-open room, filled with study tables and comfy chairs with colorful pillows. There are snacks in baskets beneath inspirational signs and plenty of outlets for phone and laptop charging. The wall art is eclectic, yet intentional— chosen to represent diverse cultures and the beauty of the human race. A local coffee shop? That’s not far off, at least...

ND Law alumnus Pier Pigozzi ’10 LL.M., ’20 J.S.D. nominated to serve on Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

Published: February 20, 2023

Kevin Allen

The Republic of Ecuador has nominated Notre Dame Law School alumnus Pier Pigozzi ’10 LL.M., ’20 J.S.D. to serve on the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The commission is affiliated with the Organization of American States and headquartered in Washington, D.C. Its members meet several times a year to examine allegations of human rights violations in North America, South America,...

Notre Dame Law School Religious Liberty Clinic supports Catholic dioceses’ efforts to operate the first faith-based charter school in the U.S.

Published: February 14, 2023

Anna Bradley

Two Catholic dioceses have submitted an application to address educational gaps in Oklahoma by opening the first religious charter school in the nation.

The Latina/o Studies Association Holds its Biennial Conference at Notre Dame, Looks Toward the Future

Published: February 06, 2023

Oliver Ortega

After two years of delay, the Institute for Latino Studies at the University of Notre Dame hosted a gathering this past summer for one of the most important academic organizations in ethnic studies. Hundreds of scholars and artists flocked to the Duncan Student Center over the course of four days in July to attend the Latina/o Studies Association's biennial...

Graduate student Ornella Joseph speaks about lead test kits for Walk the Walk Week

Published: January 31, 2023

Rebecca Hicks

Ornella Joseph, a fourth-year chemistry graduate student in the lab of Marya Lieberman, was a highlighted speaker at the “Research That Matters: Scholarship Advancing Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion” event on January 23, 2023. This event was part of Walk the Walk Week, a week-long series of events coinciding with Martin Luther King, Jr., Day.

LL.M. alumni publish article calling on United Nations to take urgent action to protect Afghan women’s rights

Published: January 30, 2023

Denise Wager

Two alumni of Notre Dame Law School’s LL.M. Program in International Human Rights Law have authored an article that details the current violation of women’s human rights in Afghanistan and calls for the United Nations to take urgent action.

Inspiring prayer service centered on unity and love among Walk the Walk Week highlights

Published: January 24, 2023

Sue Ryan

From start to finish, the annual University of Notre Dame Walk the Walk prayer service featured inspiring song and rousing words and prayer on Sunday (Jan. 22).