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Silvia Dall’Olio

Imagine you are charged with the health and safety of more than 100 students studying abroad, a formidable job under normal circumstances. Then imagine that a rapidly spreading mystery virus with no vaccine or cure that you thought was half a world away is suddenly on your doorstep.

Silvia Dall’Olio, executive director of Notre Dame’s Rome Global Gateway, says she felt like she was living in two worlds as the coronavirus rapidly spread through Italy in February. She watched a disaster unfold in the north of the country while life in Rome continued unfazed — and students prepared to attend big parties for Carnival, the festival just before Lent begins.

Dall’Olio is getting high marks from the University for how she reacted, keeping a cool head and taking all the right measures as the world’s second major COVID-19 hotspot was exploding around her. She credits her team in Rome, the University’s second-largest program abroad, and counterparts at Notre Dame International and the University’s Emergency Operations Center for the students’ ultimate safety.

Dall’Olio found Notre Dame through her now husband, Michael Driessen, a political science professor at John Cabot University in Rome. They met as students in Bologna, her hometown, through the community of L’Arche, a place where adults with and without intellectual disabilities share their lives together. They decided to get married, and three weeks after the wedding, she landed on the Notre Dame campus, where Driessen was earning his doctorate.

An assistant professional specialist of Romance languages, Dall’Olio earned a master’s degree and taught while at Notre Dame. She holds a doctoral degree in linguistics and second language pedagogy, and has worked internationally as a translator and language tutor, including at the Italian Embassy in Qatar’s capital, Doha. Dall’Olio has led the gateway for three years, but has worked there in various capacities since it opened in fall 2014.

She is particularly proud of the gateway’s formal designation last year by the Italian Education Ministry as an Italian research institution, and the Rome International Scholars Program, which combines traditional learning with research and internships.

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Abby Heck ’21

Abby Heck is a junior on the women’s golf team, hailing from Memphis, Tenn. Below is an excerpt of her experience volunteering during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“On a typical day, I have my online classes, which begin at 7:20 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Once I’m done with class, I go to West Cancer Center, where I help screen patients for the coronavirus. I spend about twenty hours per week volunteering.

I’m a pre-med student interested in oncology. A doctor who I shadowed over Christmas break reached out to me saying they needed help with volunteers for, I think, two reasons. First, hospitals and clinics, and really all healthcare facilities, are understaffed to deal with such a pandemic. We have not faced such a large outbreak since the Spanish Flu nearly a hundred years ago. Second, most volunteers are older and at-risk; they especially need to stay home.

I’m right there in the doorway when people walk into the clinic. I ask about travel histories and symptoms. We don’t turn anyone away, but if someone looks like they could be displaying symptoms of the virus, they’re given a mask and seen separately. We have isolation rooms that are cleaned and kept empty for an hour between patients. These practices are aimed at preventing the spread of the virus. We’re trying to protect everyone there, especially the patients with cancer whose immune systems are already compromised.

It’s been really interesting to be here day after day. I’ve shadowed a lot of doctors in the past and in different fields, but I don’t usually have a chance to interact with patients or get to know them at all. Volunteering every day now, I see a lot of the same people, and I’ve had a lot of really meaningful conversations. I’ve seen women walk out after finishing their last breast cancer treatment. They’re so excited, and I’ve had fun celebrating with them. I’ve also seen patients who just received rather sad news about their prognosis. I’ve learned empathy, and that has been very moving.”

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Angela R. Logan

Angela R. Logan, Ph.D. is an Associate Teaching Professor and has served as the St. Andre Bessette Director of Nonprofit Professional Development (NPD) in the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame. A member of the College’s Department of Management and Organization, she teaches the Master of Nonprofit Administration (MNA) Field Project course, which serves as the capstone course for the degree program.

In her role as Academic Director, she leads the team that manages both the Master of Nonprofit Administration degree program and the Nonprofit Certificate programs. Angela joined the College in the summer of 2013 as the Associate Director for Planning and Development for Nonprofit Professional Development. In 2015, she became the Associate Director for Operations for NPD.

Angela has over 20 years of experience in higher education and philanthropy, with a particular focus in the areas of education and diversity. Over the course of her career, she has served as the Program Officer for Education at The Harvest Foundation (Martinsville, VA), the Director of the Bonner Scholars Program at Oberlin College (Oberlin, OH), and the Director of Multicultural Affairs and the Admissions Counselor/Coordinator of Multicultural Admissions at Defiance College (Defiance, OH). Dr. Logan’s research focuses on the intersection of gender, race, and philanthropic leadership. A trained facilitator of Anti-Racism Study Circles, she also provides trainings on leadership, conflict resolution, stress and time management, and cultural sensitivity, both nationally and internationally. She is a Life Member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and an active member of The Links, Incorporated.

She has taken courses through the Duke University Nonprofit Management Program, The Grantmaking School at Grand Valley State University, and The Fund Raising School at Indiana University. Angela holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from the University of Toledo, a Master of Business and Organizational Leadership degree from Defiance College, and is the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in Philanthropic Studies from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

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Emily Rupchock eMNA ’20

Emily Rupchock has been serving South Bend’s most vulnerable populations for more than a decade. After graduating with a degree from Bethel College in 2005, she took a position at Hope Ministries, a transitional housing program with a recovery focus for homeless individuals in the South Bend community.

After a stint with the Center for the Homeless in South Bend, Rupchock assumed her current role as Director of Ready to Grow St. Joe, a collection of early childhood stakeholders committed to ensuring that all children in St. Joseph County, Indiana, have the foundation to thrive in school and in life.

In 2014, Rupchock enrolled in an executive leadership course at Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business as part of a professional development opportunity while at the Center for the Homeless. A few years later, she enrolled in Notre Dame’s Executive Master of Nonprofit Administration program. Her experience thus far has exceeded her initial high expectations. “It’s an intense program, but I appreciate that it’s well catered to folks who are full-time professionals. If you’re in a leadership role in the non-profit sector, it’s incredibly practical. It’s been great to develop presentations for class and then turn around and show them to my board right away.”

Rupchock also appreciates the ways in which the program intentionally develops female leaders. “There’s a lot of focus on what leadership looks like at its best—understanding yourself in an effort to understand the folks that work for you and with you.”

She credits the program’s small class sizes with fostering in-depth conversations about topics like gender parity in the workforce.

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Audrey George ’90

Audrey L. George is Chief Executive Officer of Horizons for Youth, Chicago’s only organization providing need-based scholarships, comprehensive support programs and educational resources for students of all academic ability levels from kindergarten through the start of their career. Through their holistic approach, 99 percent of their participants have graduated from high school and 84 percent have graduated from college or are currently pursuing their degree.

Audrey has led Horizons for Youth since 1999, overseeing growth from 42 students to 265, and staff from 2 to 17. Before Horizons for Youth, Audrey held positions at the Greater Chicago Food Depository and the Blessed Sacrament Youth Center in North Lawndale. She has presented at the National Partnership for Educational Access’ annual conference, the Axelson Center for Nonprofit Management, the UChicago Booth School of Business, and the University of Notre Dame.

Audrey holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Notre Dame and an M.A. in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago.

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Heidi Beidinger

Heidi Beidinger serves as the Director of the Master of Science in Global Health program and Assistant Professor of the Practice in the Department of Biology. She earned a Master of Public Health from the University of Illinois­-Chicago and a PhD in Educational Leadership and Organizational Analysis from Western Michigan University.

Heidi undertook various leadership roles with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for 13 years. She developed an expertise in STDs/HIV, correctional healthcare, and surveillance and monitoring programs focused on improving screening and treatment programs in Chicago correctional facilities and hospitals. Heidi also worked as a consultant in K-12 education for nearly 10 years.

At Notre Dame, she focuses her research on developing partnerships with communities in rural Vellore, India and St. Joseph County, Indiana to assess and evaluate HIV care services, maternal and child health issues, and diabetes chronic management programs. She also partners with the Near Northwest Neighborhood of South Bend, Indiana to address and conduct research on the community’s lead poisoning issue.

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Ellen Pil ’21

Ellen Pil is a junior political science and Arts and Letters pre-health major who is passionate about public policy, global health, and emergency medicine, along with research, service, and Gothic literature.

During the summer of 2019, Ellen worked on policy advocacy to benefit federally qualified healthcare clinics in the Chicago metropolitan area. She has also worked in rural South Africa to educate local healthcare workers about malaria, identify public health concerns, and design intervention strategies. She has previously conducted research on overlapping ideological influences in Gothic literature. She traveled to Munich, Germany with two of her classmates to pursue this project during the spring of 2018. This research was presented at three conferences, most recently at the ACC Meeting of the Minds in Louisville, KY in April 2019. Ellen’s work has been funded by grants from the First Year of Studies, Glynn Family Honors Program, Notre Dame Scholars’ Program, Hesburgh-Yusko Scholars Program, Notre Dame International, and the Flatley Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement.

Ellen is currently studying Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) with Professor Tamara Kay. Project ECHO is a collaborative model that links community healthcare providers with medical experts, thereby enabling vulnerable patients with complex and/or chronic conditions to receive care in their home communities. Ellen focuses on the global spread of the ECHO model and the factors contributing to its diffusion. She primarily works on interview transcript analysis using qualitative data coding software.

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Jane Lee ’09

Through her research, teaching, and service work, Jane Lee, the daughter of immigrant parents, focuses on helping underserved immigrant groups who lack access to health care.

After graduating from Notre Dame, Lee earned a Master of Social Work degree from Columbia University in 2011. During her studies, she started her work with immigrant and refugee populations and saw their health needs firsthand. While working toward her Ph.D. at New York University, Lee learned she would need open-heart surgery to replace a valve. The experience further strengthened her resolve to make sure everyone receives access to critical health services. After earning her Ph.D. in 2017, she became an assistant professor at the University of Washington’s School of Social Work.

Lee’s publications in scholarly journals have attracted media coverage, and she continues to pursue innovative research and volunteer work that helps improve health outcomes for immigrant communities.

Lee, who lives with her husband, Robert, and dog, Rosie, in Seattle, was recognized as one of Notre Dame’s inaugural Domer Dozen honorees in 2019. The Domer Dozen honors young alumni who continue to make a difference in the areas of faith, service, learning, or work, serving as inspiring role models to a rising generation of soon-to-be Notre Dame graduates.

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Sophia Costanzo ’19

Sophia Constanzo recently graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor’s degree in Film, Television, and Theatre. During her time at the University, she served as a resident assistant in Farley Hall, joined the Women’s Club Boxing Team, and acted as a Eucharistic Minister. Sophia also served as a Team Leader for Take Ten, a skills-based conflict resolution program that provides youth and adults with positive alternatives to violence and encourages them to think before they act, building their capacity to make more informed choices when faced with a conflict.

With the help of funding from the American Dream Summer Grant Program sponsored by the University of Notre Dame, Sophia produced, filmed, directed, and edited a documentary on Cuban-American immigrant experiences in America for her thesis. The film, titled REMEMBERING CUBA, followed the story of one family and used it to trace how the experiences of Cuban immigrants have shaped their first and second generation relatives over time, looking at what it truly means to be a Cuban-American. REMEMBERING CUBA was selected for the Oregon Documentary Film Festival 2019 and the Lift-Off First Time Filmmakers 2019 film festival, which is an online festival run through Vimeo on Demand. In addition, her short screenplay BEATRICE won first place in The Golden Script Competition, an international writing contest.

While at Notre Dame, Sophia was the winner of the Broad Avenue Filmmakers Award, presented each year to a graduating senior for the best work in film production. Sophia is currently pursuing an MFA in Film and Television Production from Loyola Marymount University.

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Mary Pergola Parent ’86

Mary Parent comes from a filmmaker lineage and grew up in the Television and Film Industry. Her grandfather, Vincent “Jimmy” Pergola, traveled the world as a Fox Movietone & British Pathe’ News newsreel cameraman. Mary watched and learned from her father, Director of Photography James C. Pergola, A.S.C. She spent her childhood on the movie sets of major motion pictures, Emmy Award winning television specials, and classic TV shows like Flipper and Baywatch. After graduating from the University of Notre Dame in 1986 with a degree in Communication and Theatre, Mary worked on numerous films, television pilots, and commercials.

In 1989, she embraced television journalism and joined both the production and news teams of CBS affiliate WCSC-TV. During her years in television news production, she worked as Director of Public Service Productions, Production Coordinator, and Audio Director. As On-Air talent and Film Critic, Mary enjoyed producing her unique vox populi Movie Reviews for many years. In 1990, Mary was honored to be part of the WCSC-TV Production and News teams that won the George Foster Peabody Award for their coverage of Hurricane Hugo.

Intrigued by stories of justice and injustice, Mary decided to pursue a law degree. After earning her Juris Doctorate, she continued her legal education and earned an LL.M. in International Human Rights Law. Her focus is on jurisprudential themes in films and various media platforms; documentaries that tackle social justice issues; Civil Rights, and International Human Rights Law.

Mary is dedicated to supporting students in their journey as filmmakers. She has established two Endowments at the University of Notre Dame to benefit the student filmmakers in the Department of Film, Television, and Theatre: The Broad Avenue Filmmakers Award and the Mary Pergola Parent and Dr. Thomas Parent Endowment for Excellence in Filmmaking.