GENESIS
Lead. Create. Ignite.
Share Your Passion for Justice! Genesis is an exceptional cohort of ten dynamic, creative, and motivated students who collaboratively develop initiatives that support, extend, and deepen the work of the Institute for Social Concerns across campus.
These students are passionate about the work of the institute and seek to invite others to share in this mission. Students in Genesis will design and lead signature events, such as Stories of Courage and The Art of Justice. In addition, they will develop personal connections to students through engagement with interested students, dorm communities, academic units, and more. This work will involve designing and implementing events, hosting pop-up conversations and activities in response to topical justice challenges, connecting with students, and contributing to institute communications and outreach. Genesis is the student face of the institute! Genesis leaders receive a $600 stipend each semester, their responsibilities are estimated at 5–6 hours per week.
Applications for Genesis 2027-2028 will open in March 2027. You can indicate your interest and receive an email reminder by filling out this interest form.
2026-2027 Genesis Cohort
Bailey Chavis
I am a sophomore studying political science with minors in justice & society and civil & human rights on a pre-law track. I live in Johnson Family Hall and I’m originally from Michigan City, Indiana. I discovered the Institute for Social Concerns through their work with incarcerated students in a prison near my hometown. I joined as a Poverty Studies minor, and I have grown and learned through every SOCO program and course that I have been part of since. This past summer I was able to connect with a community in San Francisco’s Tenderloin through the NDBridge Program. I joined the Genesis Team because I’ve had a really impactful experience with SOCO and want to help connect students to the transformative experiences SOCO has to offer.
Mayalen Fortoul
I am a sophomore from Monterrey, Mexico, currently living in Welsh Family Hall. I am studying Strategic Management and Marketing and I am pursuing minors in Impact Consulting and Sustainability. On Campus, I have been involved in NDBridge, the Innovation for Impact club, and Student International Business Council (SIBC). I joined the Institute for Social Concerns looking for opportunities to learn more about Catholic Social Teaching and to understand on a deeper level the causes and potential responses to social and environmental injustice. I was inspired to join Genesis after taking the course Art and Social Change, doing printmaking with people experiencing homelessness at Our Lady of the Road, and then NDBridge this past summer in Chile, working with children and elders that were facing material and relational poverty. I am eager to share my past experiences and help other students connect to the incredible resources and opportunities from SOCO, motivating students to be a force for good and be in touch with the necessities surrounding us.
Colin Gibbons
I am a sophomore from Winter Springs, FL studying Civil Engineering with a supplemental major in Peace Studies. My first experience with the Institute for Social Concerns was the Appalachia Seminar with an immersive experience to Appalachia Science in the Public Interest in Kentucky. Since then, I have participated in a Proximities seminar studying Justice at the US-Mexico border as well as the NDBridge program with TeamLift in Karonga, Malawi. Over the course of these experiences, I have been able to understand the power of proximity and getting to experience the emotions of a place and its people. One of the most powerful parts of my time at Notre Dame has been the friendships and community that I’ve been able to experience through the Institute’s programs, and Genesis serves as my opportunity to invite others on campus to experience the warm heart of this work.
Emma Latchford
I am a senior from Cleveland, Ohio, studying Neuroscience and Behavior with a minor in Poverty Studies. I used to live in Cavanaugh Hall, and am now living off campus. I first got involved with the Institute when I picked up the Poverty Studies minor my sophomore year. Since then, I have taken a variety of courses that explore the many facets of poverty in America. These classes were very eye-opening, and led me to join Genesis so I could connect other students with the same impactful classes and experiences I participated in!
Jonathan McMerty-Brummer
I am a Sophomore from Minneapolis, Minnesota, studying Electrical Engineering with a minor in Sustainability. I call the wonderful Coyle Hall home and run the best dorm restaurant on campus, Ellie’s Deli. I’ve been involved with SOCO before I even stepped foot on campus, through RISE South Bend. Since then, I’ve run the gauntlet and tried to sign up for as many SOCO classes as possible, including the Appalachia Seminar in fall 2025, NDBridge this past summer, and now returning as a student leader for the Appalachia Seminar this fall. These have been some of my favorite and certainly the most impactful classes I have taken at Notre Dame. I am so excited to be part of Genesis this year and share these experiences and many, many more with my peers.
Easton Porter
I am a junior from Bainbridge, NY, living in Dunne Hall and studying biology on a pre-med route, with minors in compassionate care in medicine and theology. I discovered the Institute during my sophomore year after partaking in the Appalachia course, and since then, I’ve been fortunate enough to participate in Proximities and the Summer Fellowship. Through my experiences, I’ve learned the value of presence, curiosity, and community engagement that have shaped my studies and my career obligations as a future medical provider. As a member of Genesis, my goal is to provide fellow students with opportunities to similarly discover the importance of their personal and professional ambitions and root themselves in their communities.
Shah Aslam
I am a sophomore from Livingston, New Jersey currently pursuing majors in Economics and Chinese on the pre-med track. On Campus I live in Alumni Hall and was first introduced to SOCO through NDBridge , which sent me to the Sisters of Mary School in the Philippines and later led me to Genesis and the McNeill Common Good Fellows. Spending time inside a community during NDbridge, rather than passing through it, changed what I think doing good work looks like. As a Genesis leader, I am excited to build a space where our stories and differences build work that lasts.
Adriana Tzul Gutierrez
I am from Houston, Texas, and currently living in Pasquerilla East Hall. I am studying Accounting, Finance, and Spanish. On campus, I have been involved in NDBridge, Summer Fellowship, the Tax Assistance Program (TAP), Student International Business Council (SIBC), Latino First Year Retreat (LFR), and Latino Sending Ceremony Committee. I joined the Institute for Social Concerns as a Genesis leader because I saw it as an opportunity to invite others to share in the mission of the Institute and Notre Dame, that of service and community. Having experienced this myself through the NDBridge, Summer Fellowship, and Genesis, I would like to motivate others to be a force for good.
Samantha Vallejo-Leon
I am a sophomore from Austin, Texas currently pursuing a major in Architecture and minors in Sustainability and Anthropology. On campus, I live in Grojean Hall, and have been involved with the Institute for Social Concerns through programs like RISE Hometown and NDBridge. Such experiences have truly influenced my passion to learn and practice ethical design in order to rebuild the relationships with our environment and with one another. As a Genesis leader, I am eager to help build a community rooted in storytelling and expression, creating a space where our shared talents become building blocks for a better world.
Application
Applications for Genesis 2027-2028 will open in March 2027. You can indicate your interest and receive an email reminder by filling out this interest form.
Questions?
Contact Ed Jurkovic at ejurkovi@nd.edu.