The 2024 Notre Dame Student Peace Conference disrupted more than just dualities; in many ways it broke barriers in terms of number of submissions and attendees, bringing together students from around the world to share their passion for peace studies.
The conference, a signature event of the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, is an annual gathering organized by students and for students. Its mission is to provide space for undergraduate and graduate students to dialogue about peacebuilding, social justice and conflict transformation.
“This year’s event was one of our strongest in terms of content, numbers, calibur of speakers, and overall engagement,” said Anna Van Overberghe, assistant director of Academic Administration and Undergraduate Studies at the Kroc Institute, who advises the student organizers.
The 2024 conference took place April 12-13 and brought nearly 135 participants to campus (as well as another 45 students virtually), from 42 colleges and universities representing 30 countries around the world. The event was organized by co-chairs Garrett Pacholl, Lina Abdellatif, and Mia Moran, all seniors who recently graduated, and its theme was ““Peace by Piece: Disrupting Dualities in Peacebuilding.”
“It was really cool to finally meet our participants in person after so many months of working with them virtually or reading their names on email,” said Moran.
Added Pacholl, “The planning for the conference was so long in the making, that I had to remind myself to enjoy the conference itself while it took place; everything onsite moved so quickly. I needed to take time to have fun and enjoy what we had created. That was important.”
The organization of the annual event is led by student co-chairs, with support from Kroc Institute administration. Together, the co-chairs coordinate all logistics, from the call for proposals, to registration, to catering, to the session schedule and confirmation of the keynote address.
“There is so much to creating and running an event of this size,” said Abdellatif. “I learned a lot of practical, lifelong skills working on this project – the importance of being organized, having a back-up plan, and staying calm throughout.”
Garrett FitzGerald, who earned his Ph.D. from the Kroc Institute and now serves on the Kroc Institute Advisory Board and teaches in the Peace and Justice Studies department at Pace University, brought several of his students to the conference. Each had been accepted to present their work as part of various sessions.
“Seeing this engagement – an alum bringing his students back to where he studied, to participate in an academic conference – was incredibly fulfilling,” said Van Overberghe. “It's a continuum of support, encouragement, and growth that we aim to nurture in the years to come.”