Summer of Social Concerns

Students engage in justice research around the globe

July 16, 2025

This summer, nearly 300 Notre Dame undergraduates are engaging with marginalized communities across the United States and around the globe, continuing the Institute for Social Concerns’ longstanding commitment to offer students opportunities to explore questions of justice and the common good. Students are working with partner organizations and faculty mentors to conduct original research on questions related to labor, migration, poverty, the environment, and more.

Read on to meet some of the students.

Supporting young mothers and women entrepreneurs

Incoming chemical engineering major Cecilia Marmori Soliz, above center, is serving her home community of Hernandarias, Paraguay, through the institute’s RISE program.

RISE offers incoming students the chance to get proximate to issues of justice in South Bend or their hometowns and to consider possible responses on an individual and societal level. Participants are part of a cohort of pre-matriculating students who are guided by Notre Dame faculty and institute staff to better understand the demands of justice rooted in a sense of place. This summer, 25 students are participating in RISE South Bend, and 39 students are participating in RISE Hometown, including nine international students like Cecilia.

Working with the local organization Mujeres Empoderadas, Cecilia is supporting young mothers through workshops focused on mental health, emotional well being, and personal growth. She is also co-leading a special series for women entrepreneurs, offering practical tools in branding, social media, and digital catalogs. Beyond facilitation, she is managing event logistics, helping collect personal stories from participants, reactivating the organization’s Instagram, launching its first website, and collaborating on fundraising and local partnerships.

“RISE Hometown gave me the chance to see my community in a whole new way,” Cecilia says. “Every person I meet is unique and unrepeatable, and this experience is teaching me to truly see people with just and loving attention, recognizing them as made in the image of God, through the eyes of Jesus. I’m honored to have the chance to learn, grow, and connect more deeply with my community through this program.”

Identifying discrepancies in NYC’s healthcare system

Rising sophomore Joshua Jones, above second from left, a native of Chatham, New Jersey, crossed the Hudson River to New York City to learn about the discrepancies in the healthcare system and how it impacts individuals with HIV/AIDS.  

Joshua is one of 121 rising sophomores participating in NDBridge, a program that enables students to think hard about injustice, work with communities around the world that face it, and consider their responsibility to the common good while at Notre Dame and beyond. This summer, NDBridge students are placed at 32 sites, including 64 placements abroad.

A neuroscience and behavior major, Joshua hopes to deeply and meaningfully connect with the community through his engagement with the Alliance for Positive Change. He spent time at the Luis and Lillian Outreach Center, staffing an information table, distributing supplies and program materials, and guiding people inside for free HIV testing. 

“I have been brainstorming ways that I can help people,” Joshua shares, “regardless of where I am or what I have to do. Through my experience in NDBridge, I have recognized my shortcomings and I am critiquing my perspective and moral code in order to help everyone that I can.”

Standing with survivors

“Solidarity to me,” says rising junior Ashly Turcios-Sierra, “was being present to the community of survivors.”

A business analytics and global affairs double-major from Gatlinburg, Tennessee, Ashly is working with children survivors of sexual violence in Huánuco, Peru, through a Social Concerns Summer Fellowship. The fellowship provides opportunities for students to explore their vocational aspirations, consider the dynamics and drivers of injustice, and conduct original research in collaboration with their community partners. This summer, 67 rising juniors and rising seniors were placed at 44 sites, including 34 international placements.

Through Paz y Esperanza, Ashly is seeking to identify patterns of vulnerability and systemic gaps in protection for young people in Huánuco, which the organization has identified as having especially high rates of sexualized violence against children and youth. Her goal is to help Paz y Esperanza refine their intervention strategies, advocate for stronger policies, and allocate resources more effectively to protect at-risk children in the region.

“The girls are determined to be defined by who they are, not what happened to them,” Ashly reflects. “It’s truly an inspiration to witness but hard to navigate when you consider their ages.”

Exploring the intersections of dental health and dignity

This summer rising junior Makeda Grimaud, above center, is exploring issues of justice in a slightly unexpected place: the dentist’s chair. 

Makeda is one of 25 McNeill Common Good Fellows at 25 sites this summer, including 14 international placements. McNeill Common Good Fellows are a community of students from across all Notre Dame colleges committed to exploring life’s biggest questions through a three-year fellowship that includes shared coursework, community engagement, faculty-mentored research, and adventure.

With funding support from the fellowship, Makeda is bridging continents and care, researching at Howard University College of Dentistry and in clinics in Dakar, Senegal, to explore how dental health intersects with access, equity, and dignity. Her research looks at the efficacy of various models of affordable and accessible dental care.

“I was truly able to immerse myself in the D.C. community and understand how American history has played a role in who can access dental services,” Makeda says. At the College of Dentistry, she “had the pleasure of talking to faculty and students about giving back and making dentistry more accessible to those in poverty.”

“At Cabinet Dentaire Kerjea,” she says of her time in Senegal, “I shadowed Dr. Khady Seck Diakhoumoa, who was not only welcoming and kind, but also extremely passionate about social justice in dentistry.”

Connecting labor rights to environmental justice

Rising senior Annie Chen, above left, a political science and economics double major, is interning at Unite Here Local 1 in Chicago, where she has been meeting hospitality workers and participating in negotiations and delegations. 

The institute’s Higgins Labor Program offers Summer Labor Fellowships that enable students to develop skills in organizing, research, advocacy, and communications. Annie is one of six fellows working at Unite Here Local 1 or the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, D.C.

“These first few weeks have been such an eye-opening experience,” Annie says. “Through this internship, I’ve met workers who have been overlooked, underpaid, and mistreated for far too long.”

As a climate justice organizer for the past six years, Annie reports that her internship has shown her how deeply connected labor rights are to environmental justice. “Workers’ resilience motivates my advocacy, not just for the planet, but for the people who sustain our communities.” 

To read more field notes of students’ summer experiences, check out our Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn pages. Join us to celebrate our students and their exploration into questions of justice at the Research for the Common Good Symposium and Andrews Scholars Reception. The ceremony is 5–7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 2, in Room 215/216 of McKenna Hall.

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