New Frontiers

Experience the Episode

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Have you ever felt the weight of potential meeting the warmth of home? You belong in a space where legacy transcends a mere title; it remains a promise of enduring support. This conversation reveals how decades of mentorship shape leaders navigating frontiers, inviting you to inhabit the Balfour-Hesburgh scholars’ transformative evolution.

Since 1986, the Balfour-Hesburgh Scholars Program has served as a cornerstone of many students’ university experiences, guiding them through the critical transition from high school to campus life and beyond. The Program, built on three core pillars of leadership, intellectual engagement, and commitment service, has been more than just a summer program; it is a lifelong community committed to making a positive difference in the world. We invite you to hear stories of struggles and successes that have shaped Balfour Scholars’ journey over forty years.

Want more Dialogues Across the Decades: Conversations with Balfour-Hesburgh Scholars Program Alumni? Click here to check out the full series.

Meet the Speaker: Armani Carreon ‘25

Armani Carreon ‘25 is a Texas native and 2025 graduate of the University of Notre Dame, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering with a minor in Theology. Armani was actively involved in the Balfour Hesburgh Scholars Program throughout her time at Notre Dame, serving on the Balfour Student Board for three years, including two years as Co-President.

After graduating, Armani returned to Texas and began her career with Freese and Nichols, Inc. She currently serves as an Engineer II in the firm’s Water Transmission and Utilities Department, where she works on water infrastructure projects.

Meet the Moderator: Charlie Ortega Guifarro '20

Charlie Ortega Guifarro ’20 was the first Balfour alumnus to serve as a full-time staff member for the program. Between 2020 and 2024, he held roles as Media Intern, Program Assistant, and Assistant Director. Throughout his time as both a student and staff member, Charlie helped drive significant program growth – contributing to the creation of the Balfour Student Board, an expanded annual alumni networking series, the acquisition of greater resources for Balfour scholars, and the launch of the Homestead-Miami Summer Service Immersion, which brought Balfour scholars to Florida as youth mentors for three summers.

As a student, Charlie served as one of the inaugural cohort representatives on the Balfour Student Board, attended alumni networking trips in cities from Austin to Chicago, and fondly recalls his 2016 Balfour summer – from learning calculus from everyone’s favorite Greek professor to having a blast at Cedar Point.

“My Notre Dame experience was great because of the Balfour family, and I am forever grateful for that,” Charlie shares. Following his time with Balfour, he directed programming at a nonprofit in Homestead, Florida. He currently serves as the Assistant Director for Program Administration at DePaul University in Chicago.

Meet the Speaker: Nicholas Crookston ‘23

Nicholas Crookston ‘23 was born and raised in Muncie, Indiana, the proud son of a Colombian immigrant and a blended, multicultural village of found family and friends. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame, studying political science, global affairs, and Latino studies, with a concentration in civil and human rights.

At Notre Dame, Nicholas led immigrant justice and civic empowerment efforts as the founding director of UndocuAlly ND, co-creator of the Hesburgh Democracy Fellows, and president of the Latino Student Alliance. He interned with Senator Patty Murray and the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee, worked with the United Farm Workers Foundation, and served as a student assistant at the Rooney Center for the Study of American Democracy and the Klau Institute for Civil & Human Rights.

Post-graduation, Nicholas joined Voto Latino, most recently serving as Manager of Partnerships & Advocacy. There, he created and led Voto Latino (VL) On-Campus, a nationwide campaign building civic leadership pipelines among first-generation Latino youth. Since April 2024, this initiative has built a network of over 300 leaders across 35 states, representing Greek-letter organizations, cultural and affinity groups, immigrant advocates, and beyond. These leaders have organized hundreds of voter registration drives, town halls, and outreach initiatives, and their efforts have generated thousands of digital impressions and resulted in over 270,000 peer-to-peer text messages sent to young Latino voters nationwide. These leaders’ impact was so profound that Vice President Kamala Harris recognized VL On-Campus on National Voter Registration Day in 2024.

Nicholas is grateful to join the Penn Carey Law community as a Toll Scholar. Alongside his peers, he aspires to grow into a skilled litigator and advocate for voting rights, ballot access, and political representation for Latinos, communities of color, first-generation voters, and other underrepresented communities.

Meet the Speaker: Shahad Al Wuhaili ‘26

Shahad Al Wuhaili ’26 graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a B.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and a minor in Bioengineering. Originally from Iraq and now based in Cleveland, Ohio, she is spending her gap year working at Cleveland Clinic’s Cole Eye Institute as an Image Analyst, where she conducts quantitative analysis of optical coherence tomography (OCT) images to investigate imaging biomarkers in retinal diseases such as diabetic macular edema and age-related macular degeneration. 

Research has been a central part of Shahad’s undergraduate experience. At Notre Dame’s Del Valle Lab, she studied tauopathies and minimalist seed-competent tau proteomimetics, testing more than 80 synthesized macrocyclic proteins through biosensor seeding assays and cell-based experiments. She also conducted research on targeted liposomal delivery of PI3K-inhibiting prodrugs for breast cancer in the Bilgicer Lab and studied inflammatory responses in cardiac macrophages through the Colorado Undergraduate Summer Research Program. 

Beyond research, Shahad has been deeply involved in building and supporting the Notre Dame Muslim community. As Vice President of the Muslim Student Association, she helped grow the organization from 10 to more than 100 members through programming and community-building initiatives. She also helped secure increased funding for the organization, and co-establish long-term financial plans through an endowment to support future programming and the continued growth of the association.

Shahad has also prioritized mentorship throughout her time at Notre Dame. As a resident assistant for the Balfour Hesburgh Scholars, she mentored incoming first-year students as they navigated their transition to college, helping them explore majors, plan their coursework, and build community. She additionally served as a Lead Coach for the Galvin Scholars Program, mentoring incoming scholars in mathematics while providing academic and career guidance. Together, her experiences in research, leadership, and mentorship have shaped her interest in pursuing opportunities at the intersection of engineering, biomedical research, and patient care.

Meet the Speaker: Billy Micard '24

Billy Micard ’24 is a 2024 Notre Dame graduate who majored in finance with a minor in real estate. Born in Haiti, he moved to the United States at seven years old and grew up in his hometown of Fort Myers, Florida. He currently lives in Boston, Massachusetts, where he works as a commercial real estate analyst.