Latest News

Art history mayor: How the liberal arts helped Tim Keller ’00 develop leadership skills that led to success in consulting, tech, and government

Author: Sophia Lauber

Categories: General News, Arts, and Alumni

Over the past four years, Tim Keller ’00 has found that leading his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, has much more in common with studying art than he initially thought. Being able to analyze and understand the context, history, and circumstances of Albuquerque has helped Keller recognize and address his community’s needs. It’s just one of the many surprising ways art history has re-entered his life since earning his degree — and one of the many skills he developed in his liberal arts education that have remained a constant throughout his career. 

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A chance to change lives: How first-generation college student Natalie Hibshman ’17 built the skills to thrive in a medical career through psychology and studio art

Author: Sophia Lauber

Categories: General News and Alumni

As a plastic and reconstructive surgery resident at Duke University Medical Center, Natalie (Jackson) Hibshman ’17 applies what she learned at Notre Dame and in medical school to improve the lives of her patients. But there's always more to learn. With every physical problem someone encounters, she’s found there are complicated mental and emotional dynamics entwined with it — and her liberal arts education prepared her to take on the task of treating patients holistically.

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Putting learning into practice: How Notre Dame laid the foundation for Gina Pérez ’90 to build community in Chile, earn a Ph.D. in anthropology, and inspire new generations of liberal arts students

Author: Sophia Lauber

Categories: Internationalism, General News, and Alumni

Now a cultural anthropologist and professor of comparative American studies at Oberlin College, Gina Pérez ’90 strives to foster that same love of ideas among her students that she discovered in the Program of Liberal Studies at Notre Dame, encouraging them to take fresh looks at topics people have contemplated for centuries. Driven by her faith, Pérez's has spent her post-Notre Dame career engaging with communities both in the U.S. and Latin America through service, activism, and research. “I believe that ideas and conversations can change the world for the better — because they lead to informed and thoughtful action and engagement with the world,” she said. 

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An unpredictable career, full of purpose: How Notre Dame helped Mary Agnes Laguatan ’85 find her place in the world through languages, service, and a global mindset

Author: Sophia Lauber

Categories: Internationalism, General News, Catholicism, and Alumni

A love of language led Mary Agnes “M.A.” Laguatan ’85 to Notre Dame. Four years later, that interest had blossomed into a curiosity about the rest of the world — and a calling to live out her values in the service of others. Now an executive with the global office of Ronald McDonald House Charities, Laguatan’s time at Notre Dame allowed her to discover her place and purpose in the world, one defined by helping others and offering dignity to those in need at home and abroad.

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In research and community outreach, psychology Ph.D. student strives for science to influence policy and make an impact on the public

Author: Sophia Lauber

Categories: Research, Graduate Students, and General News

Morgan Widhalm Munsen knows that effective communication is key for scientific research to have real life implications. So, in addition to conducting significant research of her own as a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Psychology, Munsen also pursues community-based projects that make science more accessible and understandable to the general public. “It’s not like you can do research and then suddenly expect it to be meaningful to people,” Munsen said. “Which is why I think it’s so important for scientists and researchers to tell stories about their research and help to make it as relevant as possible to people.” 

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Volume up: Increasingly, podcasts help Arts & Letters programs make connections on and off campus

Author: Sophia Lauber

Categories: General News, Faculty News, Centers and Institutes, and Catholicism

Throughout the College of Arts & Letters — and across Notre Dame’s campus — faculty and staff are launching podcasts to share engaging conversations with audiences everywhere. From the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture’s Ethics and Culture Cast to the Department of Theology’s Minding Scripture show to the Notre Dame International Security Center’s speaker series podcast, many programs have found the form to be an effective way of inviting the world into Notre Dame’s vibrant intellectual community. “I feel really committed to delivering content to a broad audience, especially to people who wouldn’t get it otherwise,” said Gabriel Said Reynolds, the Jerome J. Crowley and Rosaleen G. Crowley Professor of Theology. “It’s a gift to teach Notre Dame students, so I’m really grateful for the opportunity and I don’t take that for granted, but there are many people who will never have access to institutions like Notre Dame.”

 

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Senior relies on skills developed in PLS and data science to create sustainable solutions for communities in need

Author: Sophia Lauber

Categories: Undergraduate News, Research, and General News

As an Arts & Letters undergraduate, Sam Ferraro is contemplating big ideas like the pursuit of social justice and human dignity — and developing concrete, sustainable solutions for communities in need. And the Program of Liberal Studies and data science minor have enabled them to implement tangible strategies for organizations and communities from Appalachia to Guatemala. “I believe in the common good, and I want to figure out my place in contributing to it,” Ferraro said. “Health is the overarching term that I can apply to all my experiences so far, whether that is environmental health, physical health, emotional health, or resilience.”

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A Q&A with Nicholas Roberts, history Ph.D. alumnus

Author: Sophia Lauber

Categories: Research, Q and A, Internationalism, Graduate Students, and General News

Nicholas Roberts completed his Ph.D. in history at Notre Dame in May, focusing on modern Islamic history. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in music performance and history from Syracuse University in 2009 and his Master of Arts in global, international, and comparative history from Georgetown University in 2014. This fall, he is joining Norwich University as assistant professor of Middle Eastern history. In this interview, he discusses why he chose Notre Dame, his research on the history of the Omani Empire in the Indian Ocean, and why places like the Middle East, Africa, and the Indian Ocean should be more of a focal point in historical narratives.

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How Matthew Bisner takes what he learns in political science, peace studies, and gender studies classes and uses it to improve communities

Author: Sophia Lauber

Categories: Undergraduate News and General News

Matthew Bisner believes knowledge is best used when applied to the real world — and that’s why he’s spent much of his time at Notre Dame using what he has learned in the classroom to strengthen the community. A senior political science and peace studies major with a gender studies minor, Bisner looks to his coursework for tools and inspiration to improve the world around him — from aiding students in the midst of a pandemic to campaigning for a more inclusive campus.  

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A math major loved his first Italian class and saw ‘no reason to stop’ — a decision that led to a second major, studying abroad, and a national essay prize 

Author: Sophia Lauber

Categories: Undergraduate News, Research, Internationalism, General News, and Alumni

Matthew Canonico ’20 has won the Dante Society of America’s Dante Prize for best undergraduate essay — the third time since 2014 that a Notre Dame student has received the award.

A mathematics and Italian major, Canonico combined his two academic interests to explore deeper truths in Dante’s Divine Comedy

“There are a lot of hidden treasures in Dante,” he said. “Sometimes when reading Dante, something would click, and I’d get tingles down my spine. It’s an inexhaustible piece of art that, 700 years later, is still inspiring scholarship.”

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Through economics, political science, and Latino studies, senior Diego Reynoso seeks to empower marginalized communities

Author: Sophia Lauber

Categories: Undergraduate News, Research, General News, and Centers and Institutes

After growing up in a neighborhood where many of his friends didn’t make it to college, senior Diego Reynoso knows firsthand the challenges facing students in low-income communities. Now, as the second person in his family to graduate from college, Reynoso hopes to use his Notre Dame education to empower Latino communities and marginalized individuals. His time in the College of Arts & Letters and the Institute for Latino Studies, he said, have given him the skills, resources, and support to do so. “I do this for my family because they never had the opportunities that I have right now,” he said. “Just doing the most I can to help those who come from similar situations means the world to my family.”

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Studying Russian for four years helped a political science major find community, explore a new culture, and land a job in cybersecurity at Ford Motor Co.

Author: Sophia Lauber

Categories: Undergraduate News, Internationalism, and General News

When Brianna Drummond walked into her first Russian class at Notre Dame, she didn’t know much about the language — including that it had its own alphabet. Now, nearly four years later, Drummond is reading poetry and prose in Russian, discussing how they connect to important historical events, and preparing for a full-time IT job at Ford Motor Co. that could draw on her knowledge of Russian. “I was motivated by the challenge (of advanced classes), combined with the fact that I had a team with me, and the professors were always checking in because it’s a small department, so everyone knows you,” she said. “I have so many friends now from the Russian major — it’s a great way to have a little community within the larger Notre Dame community.”

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Through her research on counterterrorism, cybersecurity, and COVID-19, senior relies on design thinking and computer science to help improve people’s lives

Author: Sophia Lauber

Categories: Undergraduate News, Research, Internationalism, and General News

With majors in design and computer science through the Reilly Center Dual Degree Program, Hind Zahour knew very little about DNA — but she didn’t let that stop her from joining a COVID-19 research team last summer. When Zahour’s consulting internship was shortened due to the pandemic, she sought out an opportunity related to the global crisis and was invited to work with with an engineering professor, running code code to determine what genes are affected by COVID-19. The tangibility and creativity of Zahour's design major and concentration in industrial design have become the perfect balance to the technical coding work she does in computer science — and the combination has given her a more holistic way of thinking.

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For senior Veronica Mansour, creating and staging an original musical is the perfect blend of her English and music majors

Author: Sophia Lauber

Categories: Undergraduate News, General News, and Arts

When Veronica Mansour landed her first role in musical theater as Marcie in It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown at age 8, she never imagined she would one day write a musical of her own. She still has trouble believing it now. A senior English and music major with a minor in musical theatre, Mansour spent last semester workshopping her original musical, An Old Family Recipe, which will be filmed over the course of a few weeks and released to the public in a live-streamed opening night this spring.

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By studying classics, Mariko Jurcsak landed a research job in Hawaii, deepened her appreciation for Shakespeare, and gained a new perspective on public policy

Author: Sophia Lauber

Categories: Undergraduate News, Research, General News, and Arts

Sophomore Mariko Jurcsak remembers the moment she became hooked on ancient history. She was in her high school Latin class, reading a poem by the Roman poet Catallus about the death of his brother, when her teacher shared that he had connected with the poem after his own brother had passed away. Connecting with history on the basis of shared humanity gave Jurcsak a new perspective on the subject — and inspired her to major in Greek and Roman civilization in the Department of Classics.

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Economics and English major turns her interest in comedy into a research project — including a trip to Stephen Colbert’s show

Author: Sophia Lauber

Categories: Undergraduate News, Research, and General News

What do Stephen Colbert and an ancient Greek political satirist have in common? After taking the advice of a professor to pursue any topic that interested her, junior Ella Wisniewski decided to answer that question in a research project on political comedy. That simple suggestion from Collin Meissner, an assistant dean for undergraduate studies, during a Glynn Family Honors Program seminar set her on a path that included a trip to New York, adding a second major, and embracing learning for the sake of learning.

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Majoring in sociology prepares Kiersten Hogan for medical school and a career in psychiatry — and gave her enough flexibility to add two minors in her senior year 

Author: Sophia Lauber

Categories: Undergraduate News and General News

A single sociology class in her first year changed the course of Kiersten Hogan’s undergraduate career — and opened her eyes to the connections between social structures and health. The coronavirus pandemic confirmed for her the importance of providing mental health support and services, particularly for minority communities, and she added minors in Africana studies and gender studies as a senior in order to better understand the populations she'd like to serve.

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Exploring a new language leads history and political science senior to valuable research and international experiences — and a third major

Author: Sophia Lauber

Categories: Undergraduate News, Research, Internationalism, and General News

What’s senior Liam Karr’s secret to juggling three majors, writing a thesis, and still finding time to practice and perform with the Notre Dame Glee Club? A little time management and a lot of love for what he does.“I just totally do the whole ‘study what you love’ thing, and don’t really care if my schedule looks a little busy,” he said. A self-described “history nerd” with an interest in politics, Karr quickly discovered how much natural overlap there is between his first two majors. Deciding to pursue a third major — Arabic — was more of an unexpected development.

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Q&A with Patrícia Rodrigues-Niu, Ph.D. student in anthropology

Author: Sophia Lauber

Categories: Research, Q and A, Internationalism, Graduate Students, and General News

Patrícia Rodrigues is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Anthropology and a fellow in the Kellogg Institute for International Studies focusing her research on the historical and anthropological bases for indigenous claims to territory and legal protection of archaeological sites and ecological resources in Brazil. In this interview, she discusses her research on the Wauja people in Brazil, why she chose Notre Dame, and how the anthropology program's emphasis on transdisciplinarity makes it distinctive.

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Across three continents, research and languages are the keys to Ugandan undergrad’s success in economics and global affairs

Author: Sophia Lauber

Categories: Undergraduate News, Research, Internationalism, and General News

Whether he’s studying in Uganda or France, South Africa or South Bend — or speaking English, Luganda, French, or Swahili — Trevor Lwere has one topic at the forefront of his mind. No matter where he is, the economics and global affairs major is driven to investigate what different cultures and perspectives can teach each other about forming the best society. “Every time I move to a different place, I get curious about how different societies imagine how they should be organized and how they approach life,” he said.

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How an Arts & Letters education inspired art history major Meg Burns to follow her passion — and be open to change

Author: Sophia Lauber

Categories: Undergraduate News, Research, Internationalism, and General News

Senior Meg Burns says that the tagline to her experience at Notre Dame could be, “It’s OK to change your mind.” After three semesters majoring in biochemistry, Burns decided to follow her passion and major in art history. Then, during her junior year, she dramatically shifted the focus of her senior thesis after having completed research in Dublin. Looking back, Burns said these moments became valuable learning experiences themselves.

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An affinity for problem solving leads Program of Liberal Studies student to South Africa, Denmark — and to the Great Books major

Author: Sophia Lauber

Categories: Undergraduate News, Research, Internationalism, General News, and Centers and Institutes

Senior Sam Cannova’s affinity for problem solving has driven him to pursue a diverse range of experiences at Notre Dame. It has inspired him to dive deep into classic texts, volunteer for a nonprofit in the South Bend community, and travel to South Africa to conduct research on hip-hop culture. He entered Notre Dame intending to major in business but was inspired to try out some Program of Liberal Studies classes after hearing about the experiences of other students in the program.

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How the Program of Liberal Studies helped McKenna Cassidy expand her mind, strengthen her faith, and find a career path she loves 

Author: Sophia Lauber

Categories: Undergraduate News, Research, Internationalism, and General News

The Program of Liberal Studies’ motto — Learn what it means to be human — is a phrase that Notre Dame senior McKenna Cassidy has taken to heart. She grappled with big ideas in her Arts and Letters courses, traveled to Italy to research Renaissance mealtime rituals, and followed her passions to a career in the wine industry. “That motto is a wonderful goal for each individual,” Cassidy said. “It is important to understand who I am and why I’m here, and I’m grateful for the space that the College of Arts and Letters has created for me to discern that question.”

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Seniors team up for Hesburgh Program capstone project, researching bipartisan solutions to reducing recidivism

Author: Sophia Lauber

Categories: Undergraduate News, Research, General News, and Centers and Institutes

Seniors Kendrick Peterson and Andrew Jarocki are on opposite ends of the political spectrum, but they brought their perspectives together for research they hope will make an impact on the South Bend community. The pair chose to team up for their Hesburgh Program in Public Service capstone project — searching for a solution to reducing recidivism that Democrats and Republicans can agree on.

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Through sociology, Spanish, and constitutional studies, senior hopes to ‘build a career by doing good’

Author: Sophia Lauber

Categories: Undergraduate News, Research, Internationalism, and General News

Morgan Peck didn’t know what she wanted to major in when she was applying to colleges. But an enthusiasm for learning and an openness to new experiences has helped her discover three disciplines she loves — sociology, Spanish, and constitutional studies. And all three — plus her desire to serve others — intersect in an issue she hopes to devote her career to. “In immigration law, I see a combination of my passion for learning about the Spanish and Latino cultures and my desire to help people,” she said. “That's something that's been instilled in me since I was very young — build a career by doing good.”

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An investment banking internship in China showed an A&L student he wanted to pursue a career in finance — and take more history classes

Author: Sophia Lauber

Categories: Undergraduate News, Research, Internationalism, and General News

Parker Revers has a full-time job in Morgan Stanley's healthcare group after graduation, but dropped his finance major this year so he could spend more time studying history and complete a senior thesis. "I want to take classes that expose you to a new way of thinking or a new perspective, and history was always what was doing that for me," he said.

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Through international economics, Spanish, and peace studies, senior knows how to analyze data — and understand the human problems it reveals

Author: Sophia Lauber

Categories: Undergraduate News, Research, Internationalism, and General News

Georgia Twersky loves diving deep into data when she’s studying economics. But her experiences at Notre Dame have helped her see the value of understanding the people behind the numbers, as well. An international economics major with a Spanish concentration and a minor in peace studies, the senior has found numerous ways that her academic disciplines support one another, preventing her from missing perspectives that might be lost by focusing on just one area.

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Neuroscience and behavior major explores her faith and values through minor in philosophy, religion, and literature

Author: Sophia Lauber

Categories: Undergraduate News and General News

When neuroscience and behavior major Revell Cozzi decided to add a minor in philosophy, religion, and literature (PRL), she was driven by more than just an academic interest. Cozzi felt the minor provided her with a piece of herself she’d been missing in college life. “One of Notre Dame’s application essays asked us what Father Basil Moreau’s quote, ‘Education is the art of helping young people to completeness,’ meant to us,” the senior said. “I feel like having that interdisciplinary aspect is the best way to bring people to completeness."

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