November 2023

A full month of Notre Dame activities and events, from learning and advocating at the Ignation Family Teach-In for Justice, to learning about the finance profession from women in the know, to celebrating and honoring Black arts and culture, our school community has fully engaged. We are thankful to every member of the Chez Nous family, including all our extended family of alums and friends. Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!

Notre Dame once again sent a contingent of students and faculty to the Ignation Family Teach-In for Justice in Washington, DC, over the weekend of October 28th. This year's theme was "Beloved and Boundless," and students attended break-out sessions on topics such as Migration, Gun Violence, Prison Reform, Fast Fashion, and War in the Holy Land. On Monday, October 30th they participated in Advocacy Day by meeting with U.S. Government representatives on Capitol Hill to promote justice and the causes that matter most to them. On November 9th, these same students shared their experience and what they learned with the entire ND community at a morning assembly. We are so grateful to our student representatives and their leaders and chaperones, Mr. McDonald,

Ms. McGrath and Ms. Landry!

On the evening of November 2nd, Notre Dame was pleased to offer a Finance Panel for students, parents, and friends interested in learning about careers in the field. We thank our distinguished panelists: Ewa Kozicz Stankiewicz '93, Co-Head of Cowen Sustainable Investments; Akila Raman-Vaseghi, Chief Commercial and Strategy Officer of Transaction Banking at Goldman Sachs; and Alicia Crighton, Managing Director/Global Co-Head of Futures and Head of OTC and Prime Clearing at Goldman Sachs.

Lynda Lopez P'26 kindly moderated the conversation before a full house, with topics that ranged from finding one's unique pathway into the varied world of finance, to observations and experiences as women working in a male-dominated industry. Our panelists certainly recommended perseverance and also conveyed positivity and enthusiasm about their professional realms, providing plenty of information and inspiration to our students.

For the fourth year in a row, Notre Dame, under the direction of ND's incomparable Arts Chair Nicole Wakabayashi, has been honored to present an arts and culture showcase called What Is Black? Each year Ms. Wakabayashi and her team of senior curators focus on a specific theme related to the Black experience and then highlight and celebrate that theme through music, dance, and spoken word. This year's theme was "the vibrancy and impact of the Afro-Caribbean diaspora." Guests artists included Jose Ortiz, aka Dr. Drum and his group Bomba Ro; choreographer Angel Kaba; and guest musicians Jernej Bervar, Jeremy Yaddow, and ND's own Steve Womer, aka our Geometry and Statistics teacher, on bass!

Senior Curators Mahlah Abudu, Isabela Rosario, and Hallie Leveque worked hard for months, side by side with Ms. Wakabayshi, planing for the production. Isabela and Mahlah reflect on their experience:

"What is Black is more than just a production we students put on but it's about the passion behind it. From months of planning to practices that last hours, it is a work of art that each and every single person involved in it cultivates. With every word spoken and muscle moved it's a different part of everyone adding on to their view on what the beauty and variety of blackness truly entails... My true hope is that this production continues long after I walk across the graduation stage. I am truly so blessed to be a part of building such a legacy that helps our Black students long before me and long after me feel like they have a voice and that who we are as a people and culture, no matter how vast it may be, matters." 

Mahlah Abudu '24