Global perspectives: Stories from abroad

We believe that fighting for a better world starts with understanding it. Discover stories of transformation, connection, and discovery across cultures and continents.

A person wearing a mustard-colored fleece and a blue Notre Dame backpack walks toward a busy plaza with a classical-style church in the background.

Student experience

A leap of faith

Two Christian and two Muslim young women went from Nigeria to Notre Dame, overcoming tragedy and trauma to show the world-changing power of knowledge.

Four Nigerian women standing in their graduation attire after the Notre Dame commencement ceremonies.
  • A group of people, including a woman in a sun hat and a blue dress, listen to a tour guide in front of a wall covered in graffiti.

    Podcast

    The Fifth Gospel

    St. Jerome, who famously translated the Bible into Latin working from the same cave system in which Jesus was born, said: “Five gospels record the life of Jesus. Four you will find in books and the one you will find in the land they call Holy. Read the fifth gospel and the world of the four will open…

  • Fulbright

    News

    Twenty-two Notre Dame students selected for 2025-26 Fulbright U.S. Student Program

    Twenty-two University of Notre Dame students have been named finalists for the 2025-26 Fulbright U.S. Student Program, with another seven singled out as alternates for the award. The finalists include 18 undergraduate students and four graduate students. Established in 1946, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers students and young professionals...

Student experience

A perilous journey

Economics students witness the challenges of migration in Mexico.

Professor Dziadula intensely listens to a migrant tell their story.
  • Three people, two women and one man, examine cocoa beans spread on a drying table.

    Article

    Bittersweet

    Master's students get taste of complex global problems

  1. Four smiling young people sit on rocks. One wears a green

    News

    Nepal study abroad program leads to research opportunity with real-world impact

    Last year marked the first year of the Nepal Summer: Sustainability and Energy Systems summer study abroad program. Like all study abroad programs, the program was intentionally designed to combine coursework with cultural immersion, appealing especially to engineering students but open to students from all disciplines and grade levels. Led...

  4. Ty Harrington pictured with his friend Mohan, a monk at GEV, whom he visited during his return to India.

    News

    Two summers, one calling: A Notre Dame student’s path back to India

    When a place welcomes you once, it has a way of calling you back. For Ty Harrington '26—a program of liberal studies (PLS), philosophy, and theology major from Carmel, IN—that place was India. His first visit came through an Institute for Social Concerns fellowship at Govardhan Ecovillage (GEV), where he spent...

  7. Archeologists work under a large tarp at an excavation site.

    Article

    Unearthing the past

    Students join archaeologists to discover clues from history

  8. A group of University of Notre Dame students and faculty pose with a large Notre Dame flag in the Galapagos Islands. They stand on a volcanic overlook with a stunning view of turquoise waters, small islands and volcanic peaks.

    News

    Notre Dame surpasses 87 percent for undergraduate study abroad participation

    University of Notre Dame students and faculty from the College of Science and the College of Engineering embarked on a study abroad trip to the Galápagos Islands. The students conducted an observational research project of their own design and learned about principles of evolutionary biology, ecology and environmental geoscience. (Photo...

  11. Two interns on a boardwalk surrounded by reeds. One intern with long brown hair takes a photo. The second intern wears a navy polo and looks at a notepad.

    Photo essay

    Emerald Isle interns

    Notre Dame students access a world of experiential learning in Ireland.

  12. A frontal view of the National Gallery of Art in London

    Article

    London through the arts

    Students explore the galleries and stages of London.

  13. News

    Through experiential learning, students explore poverty solutions in Nigeria

    Communities across northern Nigeria are chronically stressed by conflict and climate change. In 2018, for instance, 40 percent of residents lived below the international poverty line, making less than $2 per day, and another 25 percent were vulnerable to poverty. How can policymakers help them prepare for economic shocks? University...

  14. A person in traditional clothing stands in front of a hexagonal log cabin at dusk.

    Article

    Fighting to build on tradition

    Notre Dame architecture students are helping to revitalize the historic Saint Michael Indian School on the Navajo Nation, the last remaining school founded by St. Katharine Drexel.

  15. People crouch to enter a low, ornately decorated arched doorway into the Grotto of the Nativity.

    Article

    Living stones

    For these students, it's so much more than a pilgrimage

  16. A blurred red double-decker bus crosses a teal metal bridge at twilight. The bridge's underside is illuminated with purple light, and the Tower Bridge is visible in the distance downstream. Riverboats and a city skyline are also visible beyond the bridge.

    Article

    Learning in London

    Four Notre Dame students in London gain experience and knowledge for their careers as they learn more about what it means to be global citizens.

  17. A collage of architectural sketches, watercolor paintings of historic buildings, and urban planning maps.

    Article

    Form and function

    The School of Architecture marks 50 years of the Rome Studies Program

  18. A glowing archway in a dark, brick-like space.

    Article

    Heritage in the kiln

    Renewal and sustainability through traditional brickmaking.

  19. A white castle with multiple towers and spires sits by a calm lake with a white swan, surrounded by a lush green forest.

    Article

    The inspiration place

    Writers and artists find space to create at Ireland’s Kylemore Abbey

  20. People walk along a sandy shoreline near canoes and motorboats with a large body of water in the background.

    Article

    Loaves and fishes

    MBA students bring business analysis to Amazon products

  21. Aerial view of Our Lady of Guadalupe church in Mexico

    Article

    Confronting cultural change

    Divinity students seek intercultural competency to improve ministry.

  22. A group of people walk along a bridge in London with St. Paul's Cathedral visible in the background.

    Article

    ‘London is its own classroom’

    Notre Dame focuses on experiential learning at London Global Gateway

  23. An older man with a white beard speaks to a seated audience in a hall with decorative columns.

    Article

    Faith and reason

    Notre Dame-Newman Centre to engage Irish millennials

  24. Pope Francis, smiling and wearing white, shakes hands with Father John Jenkins.

    Article

    Notre Dame in Rome

    Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., meets with Church leaders in Vatican City

  25. Stylized image of a person with dark hair, looking upwards. A nighttime view of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and the Seine River is superimposed over their face and chest. A faded image of Notre Dame's facade overlays the upper right corner.

    Article

    Rising from the ashes

    Notre Dame architecture students get a behind-the-scenes look at the restoration of Cathedral of Notre-Dame.

  26. A smiling woman looks down at a laughing toddler with messy hair, who is sitting on a colorful foam mat.

    Article

    Small acts of great love

    Caring for the abandoned children of China

  27. Three musicians perform on a stage bathed in pink light. One, wearing a white fedora and black vest, plays a cajón. Another plays an acoustic guitar. The third sits at a table playing congas. A grand piano and other equipment are visible on stage.

    Article

    Flamenco

    The soul of Andalucía builds community in South Bend.

Discover and engage
  1. Smiling man with gray hair wearing a navy blazer, light blue dress shirt, and blue striped tie with orange accents, seated in a conference room with artwork and a monitor visible in the blurred background.

    Article

    A dignity movement

    2026 Laetare Medalist Timothy Shriver

  2. Smiling older man with short gray hair wearing a gray blazer and light blue shirt, set against a deep blue background overlaid with colorful financial candlestick chart graphics in teal, pink, and red.

    Podcast

    How do you measure success?

    Mendoza professor Joe Holt joins Jenna Liberto to talk purpose-driven goals, meaningful work, and redefining success.

  3. Students and three priests in white vestments gather for a night mass around a lit snow chapel and altar, snow-covered Sorin Hall in background.

    Photo Essay

    Between winter and spring

    The month in photos, February 2026

  4. Side-by-side black and white portraits. On the left, a man with wavy hair and a patterned blazer is shown in a grainy halftone style. On the right, Father Theodore Hesburgh, C.S.C., in a clerical collar, looks thoughtfully to the left.

    Article

    The press vs. the power

    Observer founder Robert Sam Anson had a contentious yet strong relationship with ND President Father Hesburgh.

  5. A woman with short dark hair smiles slightly while looking off-camera. She wears a brown, fleece-lined winter jacket. In the background, snow rests on dried plants in front of a tan brick wall.

    Podcast

    Cold plunges and unicorns

    Anthropologist Cara Ocobock reveals what extreme cold reveals about our bodies and human resilience, and why hunting a “unicorn” is harder than it looks.

  6. A snow-covered parking lot at the University of Notre Dame. Dozens of cars are buried under thick mounds of white snow, with one yellow Jeep featuring an ND logo on the spare tire cover visible amidst the winter landscape.

    Photo Essay

    Plunging into winter

    The month in photos, January 2026

  7. A wooden mannequin is manipulated like a marionette by two large, silhouetted hands from above. The background is divided vertically down the center into solid blue and red sections, symbolizing themes of control and political polarization.

    Article

    Are we social media's puppets?

    Peacebuilder Lisa Schirch believes better tech platforms can bolster democracy.

  8. Aerial view of the University of Notre Dame campus covered in snow at sunset. The Golden Dome and Basilica of the Sacred Heart spire stand against a vibrant orange sky above snow-dusted rooftops and a central quad with intersecting walkways.

    Article

    Sustainers of hope: How Notre Dame pursued breakthroughs for a world in need in 2025

    The year in review.

  9. A bright lightning bolt flashes down behind the dark spire of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart and the illuminated Golden Dome of Notre Dame's Main Building under a grey, stormy sky.

    Photo Essay

    25 images of 2025

    From the changing built environment to the changing seasons, every one of the 365 days of 2025 looked different.