Graduate Justice Fellows

YEAR IN REVIEW

Finding Scholarly Purpose in Justice

Graduate and professional students come to Notre Dame because of its commitments to both academic excellence and the pursuit of the common good. Through the Institute’s graduate programs, these students develop a strong sense of purpose in whatever discipline they pursue, thereby creating an interdisciplinary community around the shared pursuit of justice.

During the fall semester break, the Institute offered its annual Graduate Institute for Engaged Teaching and Research, designed for graduate and professional students in all fields at all levels interested in applying their disciplinary lens and tools to issues of justice. This widely sought-after program explored principles and effective models of public scholarship and community engagement, and participants experienced a mix of dialogue with community and academic leaders, workshops, guided reflection, and community walking tours.

For graduate and professional students who want to delve into particular issues, the Institute’s Justice Labs (see page 15) offer an opportunity to apply disciplinary expertise to public scholarship on some of the world’s most intractable social issues.

The highly competitive Graduate Justice Fellowship is the Institute’s signature program for graduate and professional students to recognize and refine how their work impacts justice and intersects with Catholic social tradition, improve the interdisciplinary aspects of their work, and articulate their work through other disciplines. Meeting throughout the year, fellows worked with faculty, peers, and invited scholars and leaders from the University and beyond to sharpen research plans through interdisciplinary dialogue and workshops.

“Being a Graduate Justice Fellow means embracing a broad, interdisciplinary understanding of justice. As a socio-legal researcher and trained attorney, I had my own definitions of justice, but through my connection with the Institute for Social Concerns and a diverse group of individuals from various disciplines, I’ve learned that justice is not a one-size-fits-all concept.”

– PAVITHRA RAJENDRAN, 2024–25 Graduate Justice Fellow

The program culminated in the Passport to Justice event in the McNeill Gallery of Geddes Hall. There, the fifteen 2024–25 Graduate Justice Fellows from across the University presented their research. As attendees visited each exhibit featured in their “passport,” the fellows gave summaries of their research. Psychology Ph.D. student Yunyan Zhao described how family dynamics play a role in teenage well-being, for example, while political science Ph.D. student Mayra Ortiz Ocaña shared her research on when and how criminal justice institutions in Mexico decide to prosecute the violence perpetrated by organized crime that affects thousands of victims.

Through its graduate offerings, the Institute is helping students connect their research to justice and creating a network of scholars committed to finding ways their research can be a force for good.