Graduation year: 2015
Majors/Minors: Irish Language and Literature & Studio Art majors, Gender Studies minor
It took me until my junior year at Notre Dame to recognize the possibilities available in our Gender Studies program. I first walked into the office looking for Abby Palko, Director of Undergraduate Studies, to ask about the research grants the department offered—I was hoping to do research in Ireland that following summer on women in Irish folklore—and walked out of the office with a folder and form to declare the minor. Gender Studies became the perfect intersection of my many fields of study: visual arts, medieval literature, vernacular literature and folklore, and cultural studies. The interdisciplinary nature of the program never fails to teach me a new way of looking at things, which is so valuable to my own interdisciplinary interests. The people in the program, professors and staff alike, truly want whatever is best for their students as well, and are always there for advice, help, or just a chat about life. The program has affected me so positively that I'll be attending graduate school for Gender Studies in the fall. Without the advice and support from my professors and the offerings of the program, I know this wouldn't be my plan, and for that I am so thankful.