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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.

VIDEO: Maria Ressa keynote address for 2023 Asia Leadership Forum

Published: April 03, 2023

Liu Institute

Maria Ressa, a Filipino and American journalist who won the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for reporting on abuses of power and fake news, was the distinguished speaker for the Asia Leadership Forum at the University of Notre Dame on March 21, 2023. Notre Dame Law Professor Diane Desierto, a Liu Institute…

Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Spotlight: Jefferson Saransig

Published: March 31, 2023

Luke Van de Walle

Nestled in the highlands of northern Ecuador, Otavalo is a region rich in culture and hailed as the textile hub of indigenous Ecuadorians. Its residents, called Otavaleños, have transformed the…

Angela Seidu (MGA '24)

Published: March 28, 2023

Ciera Griffin

Angela Seidu is a first-year MGA student from Ghana focused on youth empowerment, community development, and gendered peacebuilding frameworks. In this Student Q&A, Angela discusses women in peacebuilding, obstacles to community development, and her Kroc experience thus far.

Alberto Solís-Castro (MGA '23)

Published: March 21, 2023

Ciera Griffin

Alberto Solís-Castro is a second-year MGA student and peace practitioner…

Islamic Awareness Week

Published: March 21, 2023

Ansari Institute

The Muslim Student Association (MSA) is having a week-long Islamic Awareness Week March 21-24. This week is a great opportunity to learn…

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…

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…

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…

VIDEO: Julia Kowalski book launch for "Counseling Women: Kinship against Violence in India"

Published: April 02, 2023

Liu Institute

Global affairs professor Julia Kowalski launched her book, Counseling Women: Kinship against Violence in India (University…

Poets & Scholars to convene at Notre Dame for "Latinx Poetics, a One-Day Gathering"

Published: March 31, 2023

Letras Latinas

An award-winning group of poets and scholars will convene at the University of Notre Dame on April 12 for “Latinx Poetics: a one-day gathering.” The…

Africana studies professor’s book, detailing how slavery’s influence survived emancipation, wins Paul E. Lovejoy Prize

Published: March 21, 2023

Beth Staples

Zach Sell’s book Trouble of the World: Slavery and Empire in the Age of Capital has won the 2022 Paul E. Lovejoy Prize from the Journal of Global Slavery for its excellence and originality in a major work related to global slavery. The panel of judges unanimously awarded the prize to the assistant professor in Notre Dame’s Department of Africana...

Notre Dame defends religious freedom in Oak Flat oral argument

Published: March 21, 2023

Anna Bradley

A group of Western Apaches and a diverse coalition of legal and religious experts today urged the government in federal court to protect Native American sacred sites on the same basis as other…

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

…

Myla Leguro to receive 2023 Kroc Institute Distinguished Alumni Award

Published: February 22, 2023

Lisa Gallagher

Myla Leguro, M.A. ‘10, has…

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.

Four students named US Department of State Critical Language Scholars

Published: March 31, 2023

Erin Blasko

Four University of Notre Dame students will study abroad this summer as part of the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program, a language-based scholarship program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.

Poverty’s Perjury: A discussion on poverty in America with Prof. James Sullivan

Published: March 30, 2023

Kathryn Desai

LEO co-founder, Jim Sullivan, recently joined an episode of the Reaganism podcast. On the episode, host Roger Zakheim, Director at the Reagan Institute, speaks with Jim about government policy towards poverty in America and the mistruths and misunderstandings surrounding poverty and being poor in…

Kenneth Heckel appointed director of Office of Military & Veterans Affairs

Published: March 21, 2023

Dennis Brown

Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Kenneth Heckel, director of regional development at the University of Notre Dame and previously director of academy advancement for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, has been named director of Notre Dame’s Office of Military & Veterans Affairs (OMVA), effective April 10.

Theology at the service of decolonization, with Carlos Mendoza-Álvarez

Published: March 21, 2023

Francisco J. Cintrón Mattei

Carlos Mendoza-Álvarez is professor of theology at Boston College and Friar of the Order of Preachers. His books include Deus…

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…

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,…

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…