When Notre Dame’s spring semester began on February 3, the 33 members of the Master of Global Affairs Class of 2022 were able to attend in-person classes together for the first time.
Due to pandemic-related travel restrictions in the United States throughout the fall 2020 semester, many international students were not able to travel to Notre Dame until late January 2021. Arriving on a quiet campus blanketed with fresh snow, the first-year students received a warm welcome from faculty and staff across the Keough School and the Kroc Institute and participated in a week-long orientation.
“The Master of Global Affairs students have already shown great resilience in beginning their studies under challenging circumstances,” said Becca Méndez, associate director of the Master of Global Affairs program. “Their demonstrated ability to be flexible indicates their aptitude for adaptability, a trait they’ll need as global affairs professionals. Each of them brings important and diverse perspectives to the classroom.”
This year’s master of global affairs students come from 17 countries including Belize; Burkina Faso; Colombia; Ecuador; El Salvador; Haiti; Hungary; Kenya; Mexico; Pakistan; the Philippines, South Korea; Trinidad and Tobago; Uganda; Ukraine; the United States; and Zimbabwe. They bring diverse academic backgrounds and professional experiences in clinical psychology, journalism, international development, law, public health, juvenile justice, human rights, engineering, and other fields.
Within the Class of 2022, 16 members chose to pursue a concentration in international peace studies. Five students arrived on campus in the fall, an additional eight were able to join the cohort in January, and three additional students needed to defer until Fall 2021.
Students arriving in January include:
- Sophia Dianne Garcia, Philippines
- Eunhye Lee, South Korea/Canada
- Tinaishe Maramba, Zimbabwe
- Juan Mosquera Sepúlveda, Colombia
- Sarah Nanjala, Kenya
- Susan Nchubiri, Kenya
- Anna Romandash, Ukraine
- Rayangnewende Jean Marc Tiendrebeogo, Burkina Faso
The International Peace Studies concentration within the Master of Global Affairs program, administered by the Kroc Institute, equips students for careers in policy analysis and political change, government and organizational leadership, and conflict analysis and transformation. This new cohort of students join a global network of more than 600 peace studies master’s graduates. Learn more at kroc.nd.edu/masters.
Originally published by at kroc.nd.edu on February 17, 2021.