Special Thanksgiving Edition E-Newsletter | November 2022
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Greetings from the Founding Director |
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Dear Friends of the Inspired Leadership Initiative,
The month of November carries with it a spirit of gratitude, capped by a time for us to gather and celebrate Thanksgiving.
In today’s Insights, one of our ILI alumnae, Mary Ellen Woods, shares the writing on gratitude she wrote for the campus newspaper, The Observer, earlier this year. It is a beautiful piece.
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I am grateful for those who have agreed to join us in our two speaker series this academic year. This year's Inspiring Conversations series, Kinship, is inspired by Fr. Greg Boyle who leads the Homeboy Industries, an organization focused on transforming gang members through kinship and accompaniment. Our first installment of Kinship featured Dave MacLennan, the CEO of Cargill, who discussed The Value of Kinship in Leadership. New this year, Creating Your Inspired Journey, will provide an opportunity to be intentional about discovering, discerning, and designing a life with purpose. Our first installment, led by Fr. Kevin Sandberg, C.S.C., P.h.D. and Margaret Higgins, P.h.D. discussed The Search for an Inspiring Life - How to Measure What Matters Most.
I am also thankful for the team here at the ILI which is wonderfully evolving. Chris Stevens continues to be a force for good as our Co-Director, Ashley Baranowski serves amazingly as our Program Director, and we have now added Fr. Kevin Sandberg to our team. Fr. Kevin is a marvelous addition overseeing pedagogical reflection, curricular development, and spiritual enrichment in addition to teaching in our core course. We are also thrilled to announce that Emily Turner is now our Associate Director for Prospect Development and Alumni Relations. Emily will be directing her bountiful energy and capability to ensuring we continue to attract the right individuals to the ILI, and providing them with generative points of engagement after their year here is complete. We are also excited to welcome Jessica Seat to our ILI Leadership Team as the Program Manager. Jessica began her new role in mid-November and will work closely with Ashley and the rest of the team to support our fellows throughout their program year.
This spirit of kinship and gratitude is one we work to foster as part of the ILI program. If you are interested in learning more about ILI please reach out to me or Emily at eturner7@nd.edu or 574-631-1922.
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As mentioned above, we are excited to be continuing our Inspiring Conversations digital series this academic year focusing on the theme of Kinship. Our new digital series, Creating Your Inspired Journey provides the opportunity to have meaningful discussions about the essential ingredients of building a life and a legacy. If you'd like to watch the first installments of both series, or to register to get updates about either series, you can find the details on the ThinkND website at the links below.
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"With Gratitude" by Mary Ellen Woods, '80, ILI Cohort 3 Alumnus |
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Mary Ellen Woods, a Notre Dame alum (1980) and ILI alum (cohort 3, 2021-2022) wrote for The Observer (the University of Notre Dame student newspaper) throughout her time as an ILI Fellow.
The following piece, "With Gratitude," was originally published in The Observer on Thursday, April 14, 2022. The piece is a wonderfully written representation of the experience of an ILI fellow. Writing was a goal that Mary Ellen realized as an ILI fellow, and something she continues to be engaged in after her time in the ILI.
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One of the areas we explored in the Fellows Class of the Inspired Leadership Initiative (ILI) Fellows is the concept of gratitude. Our discussion focused on gratitude as a way of life – being truly appreciative of the joys in life, both small and large. As my time in ILI and on campus draws to a close, I must explore the many things for which I am grateful. This, therefore, is my thank you to you.
My interest in Notre Dame started as a young child. My godfather and cousin, Dan McGinnis was ND ’61. I adored Dan and aspired to be like him in many ways. So certainly, when asked, I said that I wanted to attend ND like Dan. Why not? Well, back in my youth, some well-meaning adult, told me emphatically that I could not. Women could not attend the college of my dreams. Legend has it that I announced that I would be among the first girls to attend Our Lady’s University. Notre Dame has played a central role in developing me as a person. I came here for my formative undergraduate education. I made life-long friends and I serve my alma mater as Class Secretary and in a leadership role with the Chicago Club’s Scholarship Foundation. I have also been fortunate to be admitted to the ILI program and have relished in spending this academic year back on campus. For all these reasons and more, I thank Fr. Hesburgh for his leadership in bringing women to Our Lady’s University.
ND provided the educational foundation that has informed my career. First when I studied at the Harris School at the University of Chicago and then as I assumed leadership roles in Information Technology and as a CIO. My career has been both challenging and rewarding – a good combination, no doubt.
I am grateful for whom I have become. I thank my close and extended family and friends. You sustain me. I may not say that as often as I should. Being grateful can be a way of living, but it is even more powerful when one stops for a moment to reflect and acknowledge those to whom we owe so much. I am very grateful for all the gifts that I have. I have been given much. May I make the best of those gifts. It is presumptuous not to recognize my good health. We have taken that for granted far too long.
I am especially thankful at this moment for this past year. Returning to ND as an ILI Fellow has been wonderful. I have stretched my mind again and studied new things. I am joined by a cohort of new friends and their spouses. It is a rare treat to spend a year of learning and reflection. I still have work to do, but hope to make a new contribution enabling talented young people to thrive in their college and university educations.
While on campus, I have relished the arts in DPAC. Note to self – one cannot achieve balance in life without a focus on the arts. Voices raised in song are pure joy.
Beyond measure, however, writing these columns has been both a challenge and an inspiration. I did not write outside the classroom as a student and a corporate career only makes one accomplished at dashing off emails. So, I have found my voice in the 14 columns I have penned for The Observer this year. When I look back on the topics I have selected, I am pleased by the range I have explored and the responses I have received. I have considered racism and anti-racism, mentorship, diversity and the class of 2025 and the responsibilities of saying goodbye to dear friends. My “MEWsings” have been a gift to me. I am conscious that they are not only a responsibility but also a call to action. How should I be a force for good? I can celebrate the arts, the act of writing and even my ILI experience, but in writing and reflecting, I know that my work is not finished. To be in this place and to learn with my fellow students, it is clear to me that there is more work to do. I am enlivened and inspired to develop further my own talents and to invest them wisely. So, if my future is not clear, my challenge is. I must make full use of this time and learning to leave this world better tomorrow than it is today.
I would be remiss if I were not to express my deep thanks to my ILI Fellows and spouses and the tremendous staff and founders who have created an extraordinary experience. My experience was enhanced by the guidance provided by my academic advisor. And a big thank you to all the students, staff and faculty that make this such a special place.
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Learn more about ILI Today |
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| Applications for our 5th cohort (which begins August 2023) are now being accepted! The application can be found on our website at ili.nd.edu/admissions. Admissions will happen on a rolling basis, and we expect our application window to go no later than mid-March.
If you are ready to explore more about the ILI, connect with us today.
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