Bringing Purpose to Life
During this Inspiring Conversations session, we heard from three recent Notre Dame graduates about how they have made the conscious decision to move toward purpose, not just from a place of a career mindset, but in their life overall. This session is an opportunity to learn from individuals of different generations about their search and pursuit of bringing purpose to life with intention, despite societal pressures and expectations, and how they have pursued their passions, even when those passions don’t align with their career.
Meet the Moderator: Emily Turner
Emily Turner joined the ILI leadership team in 2019. In her role as the Associate Director for Prospect Development and Alumni Relations, she is responsible for engaging with potential candidates to the ILI and overseeing the recruiting and admissions process. Additionally, she is responsible for maintaining relationships with and developing meaningful engagement opportunities for the ILI alumni.
Prior to joining Notre Dame, Emily spent five years working for the City of Boulder in Colorado in the Department of Planning, Housing and Sustainability as an Administrative Supervisor. In that role she led a team of administrative professionals in supporting department and programmatic functions, with an emphasis on customer service and process improvement. Emily’s prior professional experience includes a variety of roles in program development, event planning, and project management in nonprofit and government agencies.
Emily earned a Bachelor’s of Arts in Political Science and Communication from Saint Louis University in 2009.
Meet the Speakers: Conal Fagan '21
Conal Fagan ’21, hailing from Derry, Northern Ireland, is an emerging leader in the disability sector, holding the current position of Fundraising Executive at Arthritis Ireland. As a Hesburgh-Yusko Scholar, he completed his B.A. in Political Science with a supplementary major in Peace Studies. Each summer, he was able to develop a wealth of global experience, spending time coaching soccer in the townships of Cape Town, South Africa, organizing the Wheelchair Rugby National Championships in Sydney, Australia, and with Special Olympics International on their Global Youth Engagement Team. Following graduation, Conal spent a year as a Volunteer Academic Specialist at St. Labre Indian School with Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest, before returning to Ireland to complete an M.Sc. Disability degree at University College Dublin. Prior to his current role, Conal was a Fellow for Global Athlete Leadership Development at Special Olympics International, where he organized the 2023 Global Athlete Congress in Berlin, Germany.
Meet the Speaker: Waleed Johnson '15
Waleed Johnson ’15 is an artist and software developer from Detroit, Michigan. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2015 with a BA in Studio Art and a BS in Computer Engineering. Waleed works as an iOS programmer for Libro.fm while also pursuing his passion as a painter. People, in particular people of color, and their stories are what inspires his artwork. His work ranges from oil paintings on canvas to large scale murals. His murals can be found in many cities throughout the state of Michigan and beyond such as Chicago and Charleston, WV. His work has been featured in group and solo exhibitions in cities throughout the Midwest, published in the National Review of African American Art, and can be found in various private collections.
Meet the Speaker: Renee Yaseen '22
Renee Yaseen ’22 is a writer and entrepreneur from Indiana. She currently writes The Washington Post’s Post Grad column, a weekly series dedicated to the experience of recent graduates and early career professionals. She graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2022 with her B.A. in Economics.
View the Event
Presented by Inspired Leadership Initiative
Tuesday, December 12, 2023 12:00 pm
How can one make a conscious decision to move toward purpose? During this Inspiring Conversations session, we hear from three recent Notre Dame graduates; Conal Fagan ’21, Waleed Johnson ‘15, and Renee Yaseen ‘22; about how they prioritize purpose, not just in their careers, but in life. This session is an opportunity to learn from individuals of different generations about their search and pursuit of bringing purpose to life with intention, despite societal pressures and expectations, and how they have pursued their passions, even when those passions don’t align with their career.
This episode of Leadership in Public Conversation is co-sponsored on ThinkND by YoungND.
The Domer Dozen
The Domer Dozen honors outstanding graduates ages 32 and younger for their significant contributions and extraordinary dedication to faith, service, learning and work — four areas in which the Notre Dame Alumni Association seeks to help alumni thrive. The program is a signature initiative of YoungND, the Alumni Association’s young alumni group. The 2023 honorees were selected for their incredible achievements in education, health care, international relations, religious life, entrepreneurship and public service, among other areas. They were chosen by a selection committee consisting of the YoungND board, University officials, and Alumni Association staff, who considered 182 nominees this summer and evaluated them based on a weighted ranking system and their contributions in their respective fields.
To meet the Domer Dozen, click here.