Kroc Forum » Student Profiles

A Q&A session with Peace Studies Graduate Minor Khawla Wakkaf. 

Home Country: Nigeria  Major: Political Science  Minors: Peace Studies and Art Studio What drew you to study peace at the Kroc Institute? Growing up in a small village in Northern Nigeria, I have witnessed gender-based inequality regarding education and I have experienced and survived violence at the hands of the...

Hometown: Butuan City, Philippines Program: Keough School Master of Global Affairs, International Peace Studies Concentration Research Interest: Adolescent and youth participation in governance, especially in post-conflict situations. You had been working in the fields of peace and development in Malaysia and the Philippines for almost a decade before you came...

Hometown: San Jose, California Major: Neuroscience and Behavior Minor: Peace Studies Somin Jo was interviewed by current peace studies undergraduate student Matthew Macke (‘21).  Matthew Macke: Why did you choose to pursue a minor peace studies? Somin Jo: I chose peace studies after attending a lecture given by former secretary-general...

Hometown: Nairobi, Kenya Program: Master’s in Global Affairs with International Peace Studies Concentration Research Interests: Migration, Refugee Policy, the Environment, and Women Bishara was interviewed by current peace studies undergraduate student Matthew Macke (‘21).  Matthew: You were a clinical psychologist prior to coming to Notre Dame. How did you end...

Hometown: Beijing, China Program: Ph.D. Peace Studies  and Theology (B.A. ‘18, Political Science and Theology Major with Minor in Philosophy, Religion, and Literature) Research Interests: Post-traumatic theology, decolonial and queer theologies, gender and sexuality studies, religion, and literature You went to Notre Dame for your undergraduate, then on to Harvard Divinity...

Hometown: Tabriz, Iran Degree and Year of Study: Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Graduate Minor in Peace Studies Research Interests: 3D Printing of thermoelectric generators for energy harvesting; energy-related conflict resolution Why did you choose to pursue a graduate minor in peace studies? My research is about developing high-performance thermoelectric generators...

Program:  Master’s in Global Affairs, International Peace Studies Concentration Research Interests: Armed Conflict and Memory, Transitional Justice Systems, Gender Issues, and Data Visualization Hometown: Planeta Rica, Córdoba, Colombia (Although much of the past 20 years has been in Medellín and Bogotá) What drew you to study peace?…

Hometown: San Salvador, El Salvador Research Interests: Immigration and Forced Migration What drew you to study peace as part of the Master of Global Affairs program? Well, I grew up in a country that experienced conflict--and a lot violence post-conflict--so what peace means and how to respond with peace is...

Majors: Sociology and Peace Studies Minor: Data Science Hometown: South Bend, Indiana  Why did you choose peace studies? I mean, what a fascinating subject. It’s a methodology for understanding the world. I study peace because it offers an ideology and a mindset that is vital for today and tomorrow. I have a specific...

Program: Ph.D. in Peace Studies and Sociology Hometown: Florence, Alabama Research Interests: Anti-blackness, education, systemic oppression What drew you to study peace at the Kroc Institute? One of my undergraduate mentors completed advanced studies at the University of Notre Dame, and they recommended that I look into the Kroc program. After graduation, I...

Majors: History and Peace Studies Minor: French Hometown: Lexington, Kentucky Why did you choose peace studies? I chose peace studies to gain a more global perspective. For my history major, I specialize in the American context, but my studies of the past are complemented by peace studies’ interdisciplinary view of contemporary international relations....