A Full Circle of Empowerment
March holds some significant milestones in the development of student empowerment and leadership, especially for the freshmen and seniors. A core tenet of education at Notre Dame is educating students to become “lifelong learners, spiritual seekers, justice advocates and community leaders.” The results of this goal are exemplified at the annual Women’s Place Project and Senior Service Learning Project.
The Women’s Place Project (WPP) was founded 28 years ago by Sister Maureen Hillard, a former religious studies teacher and advocate for women’s leadership. Sister Hillard was inspired by an impressive feminist art installation, “The Dinner Party,” created by Judy Chicago in 1974. Chicago’s table highlighted 39 influential women from history by creating table settings reflecting their accomplishments and identity. The WPP reflects many aspects of the original piece, with some twists. According to the Notre Dame website, the class of 2026 highlighted almost 200 women this year, much more than the original’s 39. Additionally, the freshmen expand on their woman of impact’s work and legacy by adding short toasts to their tables settings. For example, Maggie Garza ‘24 honored Betty Friedan, feminist activist and author of “The Feminine Mystique,” in her toast in 2021. She thanked Friedan for her work in empowering women and paving the way for them to enter society and the workforce with full respect. The WPP’s main goal is to provide new students with strong examples of women’s leadership, which they use for the next three years to guide their work.
The final year Senior Service Learning Project (SSLP) builds on these experiences by demonstrating Notre Dame students’ leadership capabilities at the end of their high school education. Each senior identifies a pressing justice issue or need in their community, expands their awareness of the causes and effects of the problem, and takes significant action to address it. At the Young Women’s Advocacy Summit, seniors reflect and present their experiences to members of their class and the community. Isabella Caruz ‘23 stated in her presentation that during her project, where she gave singing lessons to kids interested in the arts she grew closer to her community and discovered new talents she possessed. The lessons in leadership and service that seniors learn throughout this project are incredibly valuable to the development of “Women of Impact” that Notre Dame strives to achieve for every student.
These two programs have become widely loved traditions over the years, with many alumni coming back to campus to view and appreciate students’ hard work and accomplishments. Congrats to all of the freshmen and seniors who participated in this year's WPP and SSLP!
