Women's College Stories

Notre Dame saw the potential in me as a whole person, when other schools didn’t. The SSND were a sort of secret force for good, helping me build confidence that I didn’t even realize I needed. The advocacy of Sister Eileen Eppig and Dr. DiRienzi, in particular, strengthened my efforts as I laid out a path to eventually becoming an enterprise level Technology Manager within the civil space and aerospace field.

NDMU’s community of students and faculty have helped me gain confidence both in and out of the classroom. The small campus has helped me find my voice and my leadership positions on campus have given me skills to use in my professional career. The tight-knit community helps me feel supported and cared for even when I’m far away from home.

Notre Dame has allowed me to become my best self. First, my professors and others helped me to recognize that I indeed had a voice to share with the world. Next, NDMU helped me to deepen the knowledge and skills I needed to speak my mind and heart and to impact the lives of others.

Notre Dame is a rigorous academic environment that allows you to grow in the classroom as well as in the world beyond campus. While you are pushed academically you are never alone; the close-knit community rallies around you to help you achieve more then you ever believed possible.”

Thanks to NDMU, I was able to go abroad for a year in Spain and participate in a summer abroad in Peru. I was given the opportunity to step outside my comfort zone, both personally and academically."

The professors at NDMU always go the extra mile and are incredibility resourceful. They strive to know you as a student and as a person. In my experience, the professors always reach out and provide me with more opportunities to succeed and be happy, even when the semester is over!

Notre Dame has given me leadership opportunities on the field, in the classroom, and in campus activities. These experiences have shaped my leadership style and I have grown tremendously — as a mentor, programmer, captain, and student.

At NDMU, I am constantly inspired to excellence. This is an empowering education that instills confidence, showing me that my voice deserves to be heard and respected. Supported in every way by this caring community, I am confidently taking risks, broadening my perspective, and becoming my best self.

Attending a women's college gives me the skills I need to be successful in life. From working with like-minded women to being surrounded by those with similar aspirations and values, I have become more confident to truly be who I am and in my ability to be a leader in the world.

Jolisse is the first-ever NDMU recipient of the Newman Civic Fellowship. She is a passionate student leader invested in advancing the voices and stories of those of Latin American descent. “My on-campus participation at NDMU has led to opportunities to speak about issues and policies around the world with official ambassadors and consulates," said Jolisse. "Through the Newman Civic Fellowship, I seek the tools to further develop my global advocacy work for Latin America and continue my service to this community whom I call family.”