Class of 2027
Note: Prior to Fall 2025, the FUSE Program was known as the Sorin Scholars Honors Program.
Luke Alvarez is a Finance major from Lake Wales, Florida, currently living in Baumer Hall. His primary research interest lies in the mass production of affordable housing and the positive impact it can have on sustainability. His involvement in Student International Business Council and Investment Club have helped prepare him to pursue these interests by developing his understanding of economic trends and facets that govern the housing industry. This past year, he was also a part of the First Undergraduate Experience in Leadership cohort, where he was able to work on initiatives with Notre Dame’s Department of Disability Advocacy. In his free time, Luke enjoys spending time outside, doing anything from playing football with friends to hunting and fishing back home in Florida.
Sydney Anel is majoring in Neuroscience and Behavior in the College of Science with a minor in Patient Advocacy. She is fascinated by neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases, and she is also interested in studying the interaction between neural control and prosthetic devices. Currently, she does research in Dr. Jessica Payne's Sleep, Stress, and Memory (SAM) Lab where she intends to study the impact of quality of sleep with the development of Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Additionally, she serves as the Vice Head of the Social Committee for the 2027 Class Council, planning events for her classmates. She is also involved in the Notre Dame Swim Club, Biotech Club, and the American Medical Women's Association. After graduation, she plans to pursue an MD-PhD to continue her passions in medicine and research.
Joe Balto is an Aerospace Engineering major pursuing a minor in Theology. His interest in hypersonic flight motivated him to pursue research opportunities at the intersection of aerodynamics, optics, and advanced manufacturing. He spent the summer after his junior year at CACI International Inc. working on the System Replications Team performing duties related to systems engineering, test engineering, controls/avionics, flight dynamics, and aerodynamic models. Joe is excited to learn more about the defense industry and improving the development of aerospace technologies. In addition, Joe has served as the Head Technical Editor and Structures/Manufacturing Sub-lead for Notre Dame's Design Build Fly club. Outside the classroom, Joe is a Resident Assistant and former President of Stanford Hall. When he's not working, he loves watching the Baltimore Orioles, playing chess, and spending time with his friends in Stanford.
Aiden Gilroy is a Senior majoring in Political Science and Philosophy and minoring in Theology. His current research area is related to reformed protestant political theory and its influence on the founding of the United States. At the moment, he is involved as a writer for Notre Dame’s New AI project, which produces monthly updates on the development of AI around the globe. Outside of academics, he is passionate about spreading the gospel and is the president of the Collegiate Gospel Group on campus. Additionally, he loves to read, rock climb, and spend time outside. His goal is to pursue law school after graduating from Notre Dame.
Catherine Judson is majoring in mechanical engineering with a concentration in aerospace engineering and a minor in philosophy. She is involved in the Domer Rover design team, where she contributes to the design of a prototype of a Mars rover on both the science subteam and the mechanical subteam. Furthermore, she is interested in astrophysics and is currently involved in research primarily focused on primordial black holes and their growth into supermassive black holes. This is to find a model of the universe that aligns with how space currently behaves. Around campus, she enjoys club swim and playing piano for dorm masses in Johnson Family Hall. After graduation, she hopes to enter the aerospace engineering industry for a couple of years and then attend graduate school to study the intersection of astrophysics and mechanical engineering to further her knowledge of how the universe works.
Kevin Kelley is an undergraduate student at the University of Notre Dame studying Neuroscience and Behavior with a pre-med concentration and a minor in Health, Humanities, and Society. His academic interests lie at the intersection of clinical care, research, and public health, with a particular focus on pediatric populations. Kevin has gained experience through clinical volunteering in hospital settings, physician shadowing, and research in both physiological data analysis and cognitive psychology. His work has included projects examining physiologic responses in children with complex medical conditions, as well as research on memory and perception.
Through these experiences, Kevin has developed a strong interest in patient-centered care and the role of prevention in improving long-term health outcomes. He is especially drawn to pediatric medicine and is interested in how early interventions and system-level approaches can reduce the need for more invasive treatments later in life.
As a FUSE Fellow, Kevin values the opportunity to be part of a community that emphasizes leadership, mentorship, and service. He hopes to continue growing as a researcher and future physician while contributing to a collaborative environment that supports both academic and personal development.
Grace Krane is majoring in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Integrative Biology and minor in Catholic Social Tradition (CST). She is currently conducting her honors thesis project for the Biological Sciences Honors program in Dr. Jennifer Tank's biogeochemsitry lab. There, she is using the Notre Dame Experimental Mesocosm Facility (ND-EMF) to explore how various environmental stressors dictate benthic biofilm communities in regards to antimicrobial resistance gene (ARG) transport in freshwater streams from agricultural runoff. This project is a novel expansion of the ARG-related data analysis she assisted with when she joined the Tank lab in spring of 2024, and environmental change projects she engaged with during her College of Science Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship in the summer of 2025. Grace studied abroad at the University of Galway in Ireland during the fall 2025 term, where she engaged in marine biology restoration research in Dr. Liam Morrison's Earth and Ocean Science lab, and enjoyed playing on the collegiate varsity team for the university. In the summer of 2026, Grace will participate in the Institute for Social Concerns' (ISC) Summer Fellowship program where she will spend 8-weeks at the Bethany Land Institute in Luweroo District, Uganda, learning various regenerative agricultural and integral ecology-related practices while engaging with the other caretakers of the land and nearby villages. On campus, she is engaged with various service programs through the ISC and Timmy Global Health program and enjoys volunteering with the ND Special Olympics club. Grace also enjoys finding ways to be outside, either running or playing pick-up games of sand volleyball with her friends. After graduation, Grace plans to pursue graduate school to continue her passion for environmental health research and science engagement with rural communities.
Vincent Micheli is majoring in history and finance, with a minor in constitutional studies. Highly involved with the history department on campus, he is the founder and editor-in-chief of the Notre Dame Historical Review, the university's undergraduate history journal. Vincent works as a research assistant to Rev. Stephen Koeth, C.S.C., and serves on the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History’s Undergraduate Advisory Council. His research focuses on American history and has been presented at the 2025 Texas A&M History Graduate Student Organization Conference and the 2026 ACC Meeting of the Minds Conference. His work has been published in American Catholic Studies and the Georgetown Journal of History. He has also written for broader audiences in outlets such as The Observer and the Kingsport Times-News. Vincent's honors history senior thesis, advised by Professor Rebecca Tinio McKenna and supported by a Franco American Dream Grant, examines Kemmerer, Wyoming coal miners' conceptions of self and work.
David Minogue is a double major in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Design. He serves as President of Spade Product Design and is an accomplished designer and entrepreneur, having developed dozens of patents and recently sold his company PullPal, a pet accessory device. David holds fellowships at both the University of Miami and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where his research focuses on AI-driven CAD and the future of design technology. He is actively involved in multiple startups and is passionate about the intersection of engineering and design.
Carmen Noe is a senior with majors in Chemical Engineering and Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics (ACMS). She has interned at Roche Diagnostics the past two summers in the Quality and Regulatory Affairs program. She is most interested in applying science to improve the lives of others, specifically in a medical or biological field. She enjoys collaboration and engaging directly with those she is working for, and that enthusiasm has led her to other team and service-oriented roles such as president of Engineering Leadership Council, Howard Hall Government, and a consulting internship for the Sisters of the Holy Cross, in which she has mentored the Students Consulting For Nonprofits teams serving the organization. Through that internship, the Earl Carter Fellowship, and funding from FUSE, Carmen was able to visit the sisters' clinic in Uganda, one of the most meaningful experiences she has had at Notre Dame. She is very grateful for opportunities like this and the continued support from the FUSE program.
Emma Walson is triple-majoring in Anthropology (concentration in Business), Psychology, & French and Francophone studies. She is interested in studying the intersection of language, culture, and politics, with an emphasis on how language is used by politicians and to describe political stances today. She will write her senior thesis with the Anthropology department, conducting a cultural ethnography of AI & the supernatural. On campus, she is involved in two research labs, the psychology department’s Memory Lab and anthropology’s Hormones, Health, and Human Behavior Lab. Emma is also a Blood Drive Coordinator for the Notre Dame American Red Cross Club. In her free time, she does improv with Notre Dame’s Humor Artists.
Connor Whalen is a Biological Sciences major with a minor in classics on the pre-med track in the College of Science. He currently conducts research at the Harper Cancer Research Institute studying pulmonary hypertension and lung development in premature babies. He previously conducted research on hepatic ischaemia reperfusion injury and ferroptosis in liver transplant surgery at St. Louis University. On campus, he is a member of the biology club and the Society of Catholic Scientists. Following his time at Notre Dame, Connor plans to pursue an MD.
Leo Winters is a third year architecture student minoring in Linguistics from Cumberland, Indiana. Visiting many cities and towns throughout the United States and Europe, Leo is passionate about the development of residential vernacular architecture in the U.S. During his time studying abroad, Leo has been a part of the School of Architecture’s social media team in Rome and has worked for an architectural firm based in Germany. He hopes to return to Germany for the Berlin Studio in the summer where he would draft a proposal to repurpose a centuries-old cloister into a new high school.
Giselle Henry is an Architecture major with an intended Poverty Studies Interdisciplinary Minor. She is interested in researching the root causes of extreme poverty and homelessness in American cities in order to find sustainable solutions. She plans to combine this research with her Architecture and Poverty Studies curricula, using urban planning in the built landscape to the benefit of those in need. In the coming years, Giselle aims to participate in the School of Architecture Dean's Charrette as a way to practice sustainable urban planning in a real world environment. If she's not in the studio, Giselle can be found reading, watching Star Wars, or running to The Huddle for ice cream. Giselle is honored and excited to be a Sorin Scholar!
Not Pictured: Sophia Baquerizo
FUSE Fellow 2024-2025, 2025 - 2026
Erin King is a chemical engineering major with a strong passion for energy and pharmaceuticals. She is currently pursuing these interests as an undergraduate researcher in the Bohn group, where she focuses on electrochemical approaches to scientific questions. Her projects include multiplex sensing of cytokines, electrochemically fabricating Molecularly Imprinted Poymers (MIPs) in nanopores, and detecting Nitrosamines in solution via Self-Assembled Monolayers (SAMs). Outside of the lab, Erin is a part of several student organizations, including the Engineering Leadership Council, Student Government, ChemE Car, and the Notre Dame Climbing Club. In fact, when she is not in lab or class, Erin can most likely be found at the climbing wall, working as a RecSports employee, or simply having a good time. On the off-chance that the climbing wall is closed, she will be outside, enjoying the sunset, climbing rocks and trees, or, in the best-case scenario, doing both at the same time.
FUSE Fellow 2024-2025, 2025 - 2026
Andre Rainville is double majoring in History and Political Science in the School of Arts and Letters with an intended minor in business economics. He is also an undergraduate fellow at the Notre Dame International Security Center. Possessing an intense interest in the world of military history, international security, and foreign policy, Andre hopes to use his knowledge to preserve national security and democracy. He is currently researching the relationship between the Cuban military, intelligence networks and the proliferation of communism in the Caribbean and Central America. On campus, Andre is the Chair of Operations for EuroSec, an active member and volunteer with the Knights of Columbus and Notre Dame Right to Life, and he is a Sorin Fellow. He also works as an ND Listens caller. In his free time, in addition to participating in Siegfried Hall events, Andre enjoys playing strategy games, reading, and collecting militaria. After graduation, Andre hopes to pursue a PhD in War Studies and/or attend law school. year.
FUSE Fellow 2024-2025, 2025 - 2026