“I was so passionate about protecting human rights that I chose Notre Dame because of its motto, ‘Be a force for good.’ I wanted to attend a university that could teach me the intellectual framework to guide me in that pursuit.”
For Elizabeth Gonzalez ’24, a first-generation college student from Crown Point, Indiana, attending Notre Dame was an unprecedented opportunity to pursue her passion of defending human dignity and rights.
Her journey to Notre Dame began in eighth grade, when an anonymous donor from her parish paid for her to attend a week-long camp on campus.
Four years later, she chose to attend Notre Dame as a political science and global affairs major with a minor in Latino Studies because she wanted to learn more about how to be a force for good for others.
A force for good for others
“When I arrived here, I just wanted to hit the ground running. I wanted to seize every opportunity that came my way. But quickly I realized that I wanted to pursue activities or clubs that had a substantial impact on communities.”
While she had started out trying a large variety of clubs, Elizabeth began to narrow her scope, seeking out opportunities that would specifically allow her to impact others through her passions in human rights and dignity.
Protecting human rights in Venezuela
The summer before her junior year, Notre Dame professor Dr. Diane A. Desierto helped Elizabeth earn an internship with the Clooney Foundation for Justice, where she was responsible for translating and transcribing 13 victim accounts from individuals detained by the Venezuelan government arbitrarily. These individuals, who were detained for suspected political opposition, were subjected to crimes against humanity that included torture and sexual abuse.
“I was the first undergrad ever hired as an intern, and it was because of Notre Dame that I could occupy spaces that undergrads hadn't customarily been a part of. My colleagues that summer were Harvard and Yale law students.”
With her team, Elizabeth helped the Clooney Foundation for Justice gather evidence to support the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, asking for a formal investigation into the actions of security forces in Venezuela. Through their efforts, the case has now received international recognition, and the abuse has been greatly diminished.
“It was an incredible honor. Though it was immensely difficult to deal with such horrific details of human rights abuses, I felt so privileged at only 19 years old to be able to have some contribution to bringing these 13 victims’ stories to the international stage. Their treatment in these detention facilities has greatly improved because the names of the perpetrators are public, and there is now accountability within the international community.”
Researching for change
Elizabeth was interested in Latin American migration to the United States, but when she studied abroad in the spring of her junior year, she found surprisingly similar patterns throughout London, England.
At first, she wondered why Latin Americans chose to migrate to London in particular and spent time researching and gathering information through interviews. As she immersed herself in London’s Latin American community, she came across an organization called Latin Elephant, which advocates for Latin Americans within the city.
Through Latin Elephant, she found that Latinos were consistently discriminated against and had almost no political or social representation.
Because of this, London’s Latino community was experiencing the effects of extreme gentrification. In 2018, their community received a notice that a popular shopping center where hundreds of Latino migrants sold wares would be closed down and replaced by a rental complex, which they were misled to believe would be affordable housing. This keystone of their community, which they had built up for the past 40 years, was suddenly nearly uninhabitable for them as rent prices in the area surged by 70%.
Elizabeth’s research became her senior thesis. In it, she grappled with issues of gentrification and how the community rose to fight for proper representation.
At the end of the semester, Elizabeth presented her research at Durham University and had opportunities to discuss the issue of gentrification with Cambridge University professors. Her study-abroad group then traveled to Rome to explore libraries and archives. She then met with the U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See at that time, Joe Donnelly, a Notre Dame alum.
“My experience in London was enriched immensely by the Notre Dame community—all of these opportunities that I might not have ventured to pursue on my own. Notre Dame played an instrumental role in making my study abroad experience both unforgettable and extraordinary, allowing me to go beyond the traditional study abroad experience. I was able to immerse myself in the community and the greater surrounding areas because of the support from Notre Dame.”
Preventing medical hate crimes for migrants
The next summer, Elizabeth spent her time as the first undergraduate student to intern with the office of the Attorney General of New York State in the Civil Rights Division, which investigates and prosecutes discrimination. There, Elizabeth helped prove a case of medical neglect for individuals in a detention center in Orange County, New York, to alleviate them from their dire situation.
While it was evident to the members of her office, it was difficult to legally prove that migrants were experiencing hate crimes. She used detainee interviews to find ample evidence of hate crimes. Elizabeth then helped the team check through medical records, where they discovered a pattern of neglect in which migrants were refused health care for weeks at a time, often causing health issues to significantly worsen despite a law stating that detention centers must provide a doctor within 24 hours.
As a legal assistant intern, Elizabeth not only learned more about protecting human rights legally through hands-on experience but also saw what occurs when these rights are not safeguarded.
Learning through action
A future of good
Throughout her time as a student, Elizabeth enjoyed many enriching experiences and is extremely grateful that Notre Dame was a place where she could find opportunities to learn and grow, flourish as a young academic, and become the person she is today.
“The University of Notre Dame allows you to transcend your greatest visions and find a way to make them a reality. Notre Dame is more than I could have ever asked for or imagined, and I'm so grateful for that.”
Now, Elizabeth is continuing her caseload for the Global Human Rights Clinic at Notre Dame, where she is getting ready to pursue a year of service before attending law school.
“Thank you for giving me the opportunity to become a version of myself that I am confident that now, having graduated from the University of Notre Dame, I have all the tools and confidence necessary to be a force for good in the world. And when the time comes for me to give back one day to the University of Notre Dame, I will be incredibly honored to do so.”
Thank you for your loyalty to For Good and the students of Notre Dame. Because of your generosity, students and alumni like Elizabeth continue to shape Notre Dame and the world for good. To read, listen to, or watch more stories, visit givemonthly.nd.edu.