In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the Notre Dame Alumni Association looks back at some of our outstanding Asian/Pacific Islander alumni who have dedicated their professional and personal lives towards being a force for good in the world.
We Are ND Asian American and Pacific Islander Alumni Collection
Saris to Suits by Renee Peggs '04 MTS
Patti Tripathi ’88 developed a tenacity that allowed her to achieve impressive professional success, becoming a news anchor for CNN. But her personal journey is even more remarkable. After navigating the fallout from a traditional Indian marriage, she has made an impact worldwide by using her voice to advocate for women and girls whose voices have systematically been silenced.
Weaving Tradition, Empowering Women by Josh Stowe '01
Mai Ni Ni Aung '03 M.A. earned a master’s degree in peace studies through the Kroc Institute and honed her entrepreneurial skills during her award-winning performance in the McCloskey Business Plan Competition. Her effort has grown into Sone-Tu Chin Weavings, a sustainable social enterprise that now employs almost 300 women who have learned life-changing professional skills that enable them to help provide for their families.
She Embraced a Family Tradition of Adoption by Maura Sullivan Hill '11
For Annie (Manuszak) Johnson ’01, adoption runs in the family. She and her three siblings were adopted, and her husband, Rick Johnson ’99, has two siblings who were adopted. So when the couple talked about growing their own family, adoption seemed like a natural choice.
Helping Immigrants Overcome Obstacles to Healthcare by Maura Sullivan Hill '11
Jane Lee '09 earned a Ph.D. in social work at New York University, and today, as an assistant professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Washington, she studies the role of migration in shaping the health and well-being of immigrant populations and works with immigrant groups to improve their access to and experience with health care.
Creating Digital Space for Meaningful Dialogue by Meg Pryor '22
Following the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in early 2019, members of the Notre Dame Club of Pittsburgh visited local houses of worship in an effort to build bridges and learn about other religions. Then, after the killing of George Floyd in May 2020, another nerve was struck, leading club vice president Dan Yu ’90, ‘92 M.B.A. to spearhead efforts to foster meaningful discussion. What began as a film watch and conversation led to a series of virtual talk shows entitled “Racial and Social Justice Beyond the Dome,” of which Yu was the host.
