Students
Education, Schooling, and Society Leadership Board Members
2022-2023
Fall 2022
Rachel Thompson
Adam Salek
Chase Pierce
Mary Rozembajgier
Nicole Campbell
Tia Williams
Spring 2023
Olivia Harle
Tyler Martire
Mary Rozembajgier
Nicole Campbell
Tia Williams
Some 2023 Senior Thesis Topics
Effortful Control in the Puzzle Box Task In Maltreated and Non-Maltreated Youth - working with Drs. Valentio and Pentimonti
Nicole Campbell
Executive Functioning and Cognitive Mechanisms Involved in Mature Number Sense - working with Dr. Nicole McNeil
Bianca Contreras Lopez
Covid 19's Impact on Low Income Latino/Hospanic Students' Literacy Performance - working with Dr. Jodene Morrell
MyKayla Geary
From Houston, TX, MyKayla is an International Economics major and an Accounting minor. She is especially curious about forms of teaching that occur outside the classroom and "disparities in education in communities of color."
Emily Kane
Emily Kane is a senior from New Jersey majoring in Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics, as well as clarinet performance with honors. She conducts research with the LAMBS lab at ND on how to more effectively teach statistics. ESS has shaped how she views the world, giving her a fuller understanding of how the American education system came to be as well as how it can be changed for the better.
Alice McCullough
The Connection Between Political Sorting and Politicized Civic Education in the United States - working with Dr. David Campbell of Political Science and Dr. Collier from ESS.
Quinn McKenna
Ethics of Care in High-Poverty Classrooms -working with Dr. Maria McKenna
Annika Marshall
James Joyce's use of Dantean Sensory Impairment in Dubliners - working with Dr. J. Rosenberg
Sophia Nakfoor
Sofia is a Psychology and Economics major with a minor in Education, Schooling, and Society from Naples, Florida. She is interested in how to best improve instruction for all students and hopes to pursue a career in teaching in the future.
Madison Nemeth
Evaluating Critical Literacy within IB English Classrooms Across the U.S. - working with Dr. Maria McKenna and Dr. Ernest Morrell
Hannah Reynolds
Parental Attitudes On Vocational Education for girls in Northern Uganda - working with Dr. T.J. D'Agostino
Kayla Swiderski
The Impact of Teacher Tropes in Film and Television on Perceptions of the U.S. Education System - working with Drs. Ruiz and J. Morrell
Tia Williams
Impacts of Parent and Community Voice on Educational Landscape and Policy - working with Dr. Maria McKenna
Caroline Zitnik
The Variances in Social Studies Textbooks and their Usages in American High School Classrooms,” - working with Dr. Brian Collier & Professor Mark Johnson (2nd reader)
ESS Senior Class of 2023
Alisia Auguste
Alisia Auguste is a History major with minors in Africana Studies and ESS and comes from Newark, New Jersey. She is passionate about education in Black urban communities and plans to ensure that Black students receive high-quality educational experiences and have access to the resources and opportunities for educational success.
Emma Bartley
From Louisville, KY, Emma is a Neuroscience and Behavior major in the Glynn Family Honors Program. Emma is passionate about the intersection between education and psychology and more specifically the interplay between child maltreatment and learning.
Rose Benas
From Naperville, IL, Rose has majors in Political Science and Global Affairs. Her experience as a Writing Center tutor sparked an interest to learn about pedagogy in education. Through ESS classes, she has discovered a desire to pursue teaching.
Joonhee Bock
Joonhee is an Economics major from Torrance, CA. He is interested in equal educational opportunities within public schools. He hopes to further research education systems and pursue a career in education policy.
Adri Bodewig
Adri is from El Salvador and is pursuing majors in Economics and Global Affairs. She attended a private American school K-12 and hopes to eventually work with education systems in the international community.
Clare Brown
From Arlington Heights, IL, Clare is majoring in Sociology, Peace Studies, and ESS. Considering working for a restorative justice non-profit or going into social work, she is especially interested in restorative schools and stopping the school to prison pipeline.
Nicole Campbell
Double-majoring in Design and Neuroscience and Behavior, Nicole is from Fairfield, CT. Her end goal is a career in child development or policy. Meantime, she is interested in the idea that education can address socio-economic gaps.
Bianca Contreras Lopez
From Beaverton, OR, Bianca is majoring in English and minoring in ESS. She spent the 2022 summer working as a 9th-grade ELA teacher for a non-profit organization in Boston. Bianca hopes to pursue a career in education research and policy, specifically focusing on the educational support given to non-English speaking students and students from low-income backgrounds.
Cayla Dent
Cayla Dent is a senior at the University of Notre Dame majoring in Sociology, and minoring in Education, Schooling, and Society. She is from New Orleans, LA where she first discovered her passion for youth development. After working at a summer camp for disadvantaged youth, Cayla quickly realized America’s neglect of underprivileged children. She recognizes the need for collective and systematic, social change. After her undergraduate studies, Cayla plans to attend law school to further her studies and continue her fight to make a change. At Notre Dame, Cayla understands the importance of her scholastic and extracurricular endeavors. In her sophomore year, Cayla served as the Diversity Council Representative for Shades of Ebony, and currently serves as a scholar ambassador for first-year students, a Fighting Irish and Posse Scholar.
Emily Gates
Emily is from Buffalo, NY. Majoring in Accounting, she is interested in what works and what doesn’t in the education system largely because of the influence of one of her teachers in high school. Emily hopes to become a math professor.
MyKayla Geary
From Houston, TX, MyKayla is an International Economics major and an Accounting minor. She is especially curious about forms of teaching that occur outside the classroom and "disparities in education in communities of color."
Joey Jegier
Studying Philosophy, ESS, and German, Charlotte native Joey Jegier is interested in education both as a personal journey and as a social good. He is writing his senior thesis in ESS on the psychological foundations of academic discernment.
Emily Kane
Emily Kane is a senior from New Jersey majoring in Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics, as well as clarinet performance with honors. She conducts research with the LAMBS lab at ND on how to more effectively teach statistics. ESS has shaped how she views the world, giving her a fuller understanding of how the American education system came to be as well as how it can be changed for the better.
Maddie McBride
Maddie is from Dallas, TX. Studying economics, design, and education, Maddie plans to pursue a career that finds an intersection between her three academic interests.
Alice McCullough
Alice is originally from outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and studies Political Science and ESS at Notre Dame. She is particularly interested in history and civics education and plans to pursue a career in teaching after graduation.
Quinn McKenna
Quinn is from North Palm Beach, FL and is a PLS major with minors in ESS and Poverty Studies. Her interests surround international education as well as the Ethics of Care in education, and she wishes to pursue a career intersecting education and social impact.
Annika Marshall
Annika is from Portland, OR and is majoring in the Program of Liberal Studies. She enjoys learning about school choice, education law, and liberal arts education. After graduation, she may teach English or attend graduate school.
Sophia Nakfoor
Sofia is a Psychology and Economics major with a minor in Education, Schooling, and Society from Naples, Florida. She is interested in how to best improve instruction for all students and hopes to pursue a career in teaching in the future.
Madison Nemeth
Madison is from the south side of South Bend majoring in Africana Studies and Political Science. She has researched hip hop pedagogy and is interested in reforming education to be more inclusive of minority students.
Marcello Olivares
I am currently attending Business School of Mendoza and I Major in Business Analytics and have a minor in ESS. I chose ESS as a minor as it grabbed my attention to learn how the American Schooling system is so diverse and how kids who live in poverty are affected day to day.
Hannah Reynolds
Hannah is from Rumson, NJ majoring in Economics and Global Affairs with a concentration in International Development Studies. Her two majors and minor in ESS have formed her interest in international education development. After spending her summer researching vocational education for girls in rural Uganda, she hopes to pursue a career in international education research and policy.
Sarah Rodriguez
Sarah is an Accounting major from Ft. Lauderdale, FL. She has been interested in education since she was a child. Given her own experiences as a student, she is especially interested in the achievement gap.
Meghan Rupnik
Meghan is from Springfield, Illinois, majoring in Business Analytics. She hopes to one day pursue a career in education policy in order to dismantle inequality and create change within school systems.
Aerin Scalco
Aerin is from San Diego, California, majoring in psychology with a minor in Education, Schooling, & Society. Her personal interests are grounded in the support for underrepresented groups and amplifying their voices. She firmly believes in place-based education and hopes to one day help strengthen schools in Native American communities like her own Native community.
Kiara Schmidt
From southern California, Kiara is an American Studies major. She has first-hand knowledge of the impact teachers have on their students because of her mom, a teacher who now works as a professional development specialist.
Natalie Selover
Natalie is an International Economics major and Poverty Studies minor from Atlanta, GA. She is interested in the intersection of good, equitable education and economic development and the factors that drive effective teaching and policy.
Caroline Smith
Caroline is from Maryland and is majoring in Psychology with a minor in Poverty Studies. She is interested in the impact of early childhood interventions on children from low-income backgrounds, especially English language learners.
Kayla Swiderski
Majoring in Political Science and American Studies, Kayla grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii. She's curious about the role of the teacher as it extends beyond instruction, and school desegregation as a moral imperative.
Theresa Villa
Theresa is a Neuroscience and Behavior major from Stuart, FL. She is interested in how education affects development in early childhood and throughout the rest of one's life.
Juliet Webb
An Anthropology and Peace Studies major from Larchmont, NY, Juliet has dreamed of being a teacher since she was six. Inspired by relationships with her own teachers, Juliet is currently researching how literacy fosters trust between students and educators. Eventually, she hopes to go into school leadership and administration, but not before teaching a class of her own!
Tia Williams
Tia grew up in New Orleans “loving to learn and wanting to learn more.” She is pursuing a degree in Mendoza because of her interest in nonprofit work. Tia is also interested in becoming a teacher.
Caroline Zitnik
Caroline is a history and Spanish major from Robertsdale, Alabama. She believes that education is the best way to ensure the success of all children. Following graduation, Caroline will pursue a master's of education through the ACE program.
Recent Alumni
Class of 2022
Alisia Auguste
Alisia Auguste is a History major with minors in Africana Studies and ESS and comes from Newark, New Jersey. She is passionate about education in Black urban communities and plans to ensure that Black students receive high-quality educational experiences and have access to the resources and opportunities for educational success.
Emma Bartley
From Louisville, KY, Emma is a Neuroscience and Behavior major in the Glynn Family Honors Program. Emma is passionate about the intersection between education and psychology and more specifically the interplay between child maltreatment and learning.
Rose Benas
From Naperville, IL, Rose has majors in Political Science and Global Affairs. Her experience as a Writing Center tutor sparked an interest to learn about pedagogy in education. Through ESS classes, she has discovered a desire to pursue teaching.
Joonhee Bock
Joonhee is an Economics major from Torrance, CA. He is interested in equal educational opportunities within public schools. He hopes to further research education systems and pursue a career in education policy.
Adri Bodewig
Adri is from El Salvador and is pursuing majors in Economics and Global Affairs. She attended a private American school K-12 and hopes to eventually work with education systems in the international community.
Clare Brown
From Arlington Heights, IL, Clare is majoring in Sociology, Peace Studies, and ESS. Considering working for a restorative justice non-profit or going into social work, she is especially interested in restorative schools and stopping the school to prison pipeline.
Nicole Campbell
Double-majoring in Design and Neuroscience and Behavior, Nicole is from Fairfield, CT. Her end goal is a career in child development or policy. Meantime, she is interested in the idea that education can address socio-economic gaps.
Bianca Contreras Lopez
From Beaverton, OR, Bianca is majoring in English and minoring in ESS. She spent the 2022 summer working as a 9th-grade ELA teacher for a non-profit organization in Boston. Bianca hopes to pursue a career in education research and policy, specifically focusing on the educational support given to non-English speaking students and students from low-income backgrounds.
Cayla Dent
Cayla Dent is a senior at the University of Notre Dame majoring in Sociology, and minoring in Education, Schooling, and Society. She is from New Orleans, LA where she first discovered her passion for youth development. After working at a summer camp for disadvantaged youth, Cayla quickly realized America’s neglect of underprivileged children. She recognizes the need for collective and systematic, social change. After her undergraduate studies, Cayla plans to attend law school to further her studies and continue her fight to make a change. At Notre Dame, Cayla understands the importance of her scholastic and extracurricular endeavors. In her sophomore year, Cayla served as the Diversity Council Representative for Shades of Ebony, and currently serves as a scholar ambassador for first-year students, a Fighting Irish and Posse Scholar.
Emily Gates
Emily is from Buffalo, NY. Majoring in Accounting, she is interested in what works and what doesn’t in the education system largely because of the influence of one of her teachers in high school. Emily hopes to become a math professor.
MyKayla Geary
From Houston, TX, MyKayla is an International Economics major and an Accounting minor. She is especially curious about forms of teaching that occur outside the classroom and "disparities in education in communities of color."
Joey Jegier
Studying Philosophy, ESS, and German, Charlotte native Joey Jegier is interested in education both as a personal journey and as a social good. He is writing his senior thesis in ESS on the psychological foundations of academic discernment.
Emily Kane
Emily Kane is a senior from New Jersey majoring in Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics, as well as clarinet performance with honors. She conducts research with the LAMBS lab at ND on how to more effectively teach statistics. ESS has shaped how she views the world, giving her a fuller understanding of how the American education system came to be as well as how it can be changed for the better.
Maddie McBride
Maddie is from Dallas, TX. Studying economics, design, and education, Maddie plans to pursue a career that finds an intersection between her three academic interests.
Alice McCullough
Alice is originally from outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and studies Political Science and ESS at Notre Dame. She is particularly interested in history and civics education and plans to pursue a career in teaching after graduation.
Quinn McKenna
Quinn is from North Palm Beach, FL and is a PLS major with minors in ESS and Poverty Studies. Her interests surround international education as well as the Ethics of Care in education, and she wishes to pursue a career intersecting education and social impact.
Annika Marshall
Annika is from Portland, OR and is majoring in the Program of Liberal Studies. She enjoys learning about school choice, education law, and liberal arts education. After graduation, she may teach English or attend graduate school.
Sophia Nakfoor
Sofia is a Psychology and Economics major with a minor in Education, Schooling, and Society from Naples, Florida. She is interested in how to best improve instruction for all students and hopes to pursue a career in teaching in the future.
Madison Nemeth
Madison is from the south side of South Bend majoring in Africana Studies and Political Science. She has researched hip hop pedagogy and is interested in reforming education to be more inclusive of minority students.
Marcello Olivares
I am currently attending Business School of Mendoza and I Major in Business Analytics and have a minor in ESS. I chose ESS as a minor as it grabbed my attention to learn how the American Schooling system is so diverse and how kids who live in poverty are affected day to day.
Hannah Reynolds
Hannah is from Rumson, NJ majoring in Economics and Global Affairs with a concentration in International Development Studies. Her two majors and minor in ESS have formed her interest in international education development. After spending her summer researching vocational education for girls in rural Uganda, she hopes to pursue a career in international education research and policy.
Sarah Rodriguez
Sarah is an Accounting major from Ft. Lauderdale, FL. She has been interested in education since she was a child. Given her own experiences as a student, she is especially interested in the achievement gap.
Meghan Rupnik
Meghan is from Springfield, Illinois, majoring in Business Analytics. She hopes to one day pursue a career in education policy in order to dismantle inequality and create change within school systems.
Aerin Scalco
Aerin is from San Diego, California, majoring in psychology with a minor in Education, Schooling, & Society. Her personal interests are grounded in the support for underrepresented groups and amplifying their voices. She firmly believes in place-based education and hopes to one day help strengthen schools in Native American communities like her own Native community.
Kiara Schmidt
From southern California, Kiara is an American Studies major. She has first-hand knowledge of the impact teachers have on their students because of her mom, a teacher who now works as a professional development specialist.
Natalie Selover
Natalie is an International Economics major and Poverty Studies minor from Atlanta, GA. She is interested in the intersection of good, equitable education and economic development and the factors that drive effective teaching and policy.
Caroline Smith
Caroline is from Maryland and is majoring in Psychology with a minor in Poverty Studies. She is interested in the impact of early childhood interventions on children from low-income backgrounds, especially English language learners.
Kayla Swiderski
Majoring in Political Science and American Studies, Kayla grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii. She's curious about the role of the teacher as it extends beyond instruction, and school desegregation as a moral imperative.
Theresa Villa
Theresa is a Neuroscience and Behavior major from Stuart, FL. She is interested in how education affects development in early childhood and throughout the rest of one's life.
Juliet Webb
An Anthropology and Peace Studies major from Larchmont, NY, Juliet has dreamed of being a teacher since she was six. Inspired by relationships with her own teachers, Juliet is currently researching how literacy fosters trust between students and educators. Eventually, she hopes to go into school leadership and administration, but not before teaching a class of her own!
Tia Williams
Tia grew up in New Orleans “loving to learn and wanting to learn more.” She is pursuing a degree in Mendoza because of her interest in nonprofit work. Tia is also interested in becoming a teacher.
Caroline Zitnik
Caroline is a history and Spanish major from Robertsdale, Alabama. She believes that education is the best way to ensure the success of all children. Following graduation, Caroline will pursue a master's of education through the ACE program.