Notre Dame Summer Program Recognition 2025

Learning and networking for Notre Dame students doesn’t end in May! Many students attend state and national programs, conferences and mission trips over summer break. These programs are a great way for students to make valuable connections, bolster their resumes, serve others and enhance learning outside of the classroom.

Junior Matthew Allcock was a Flight Commander at the Missouri Wing Civil Air Patrol Encampment at Camp Crowder, a World War II U.S. Army base near Neosho, Missouri.

Senior Owen Blattel joined 30 other juniors and seniors from across the state at the Audrey Walton Youth Leadership Conference at the University of Missouri. Attendees of this conference, which is in conjunction with the Show-Me State Games, gain leadership skills they can take back to their schools and communities. 

Senior Sonnie Childress participated in the SEMO Electric Cooperative Youth Tour, which takes students from Missouri to Washington, D.C. to visit museums, monuments, meet elected officials, and learn about electric cooperatives. 

Seniors Lily Coy and Grayson Maurer both attended the United States Naval Academy Summer Seminar in Annapolis, Maryland. This seminar introduces attendees to life at the Naval Academy and allows students to participate in academic and leadership workshops. 

Senior Nicholas Dial and junior William Renaud both spent part of their summer at the University of Missouri. Dial attended the Mizzou Mini Medical School which gives students a glimpse of medical school life, courses and hands on medical learning. Renaud participated in the Missouri Scholars Academy, which is a prestigious summer learning program for gifted students, spanning three-weeks on Mizzou’s campus. 

Senior Alyssa Jurgens attended Missouri S&T’s I-STEM camp, and senior Harper Raffety was selected for the Missouri Rotary Youth Leadership Academy at the University of Central Missouri.

Junior Camila Keller spent her summer at Brown University participating in a six-week long pre-college program called Summer@Brown. Students get to choose from a wide variety of college courses to take while getting a taste of life as an Ivy League college student.

Junior Loralei Martin attended Southeast Missouri State University’s Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Seminar, developing leadership skills, community service, connection and innovation. 

Junior Jonah Patomson attended the Boy Scouts of America’s National Youth Leadership Training program, which is a six-day hands-on learning course focused on leadership, team building, vision-setting and more.

The following students attended Missouri Boys State at Lindenwood University: John Paul Alipala, Owen Blattel, Adam Cork, Cole Graham, Gabriel Jones, Jackson Jones and Jack Keck. Sonnie Childress, Vita Claire Galati, Adeline Gardner and Abby Martin attended Missouri Girls State. 

SADD Club members Maria Victoria Avila Henao, Hayden Beattie, Sydney Gaeta, Joanna Iwuchukwu, Claire Pfautsch, Harper Raffety and Kimberly Tran attended the MoDOT / Cape Girardeau Police Department TRACTION Conference. The TRACTION Program is designed to empower high school-age youth to take an active role in preventing traffic crashes. Student teams develop leadership skills and explore knowledge, attitudes and behavior related to the cause and effect of traffic crashes. Faculty members Angela Schaefer and Ann Whistler were in attendance with students.

Twenty-three current ND students and recent graduates, along with seven faculty members, traveled to San Antonio, Texas, for the Joan Strohmeyer Notre Dame Mission Trip.  Students and grads included the following: Maria Victoria Avila Henao, Hannah Bledsoe, Joseph Dodson, Michael Eftink, Caleb Heisserer, Alyssa Jurgens, Camila Keller, Lyla Martin, Kayla Niedbalski, Sam Pletcher, Isaac Renick, Elena Ripperda, Lucy Ripperda, Xavier Ripperda, Kate Rowland, Abigail Spooler, Lydia Strohmeyer, Alex Stuckey, Kaitlyn Sullivan, Teresa Taylor, Anna Turner, Elle West and Haley Wissinger. Faculty included Kirk Boeller, Meridith Brinkmeyer, Matt Rowland, Angela Schaefer, Mallory Siebert, Sarah Strohmeyer and Ann Whistler.