Anne Maguire
Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, Ind.
From the moment she stepped onto Saint Mary's campus, Annie Maguire has inspired professors and peers alike with her passion for justice and working with social justice issues. As an ambassador with Catholic Relief Services, Annie works with peers on a weekly basis to contact their elected officials to advocate for the effects of climate change, human trafficking, and migration. Annie is also the founder of the Saint Mary's student club "Project S.H.E." (Spreading Hope through Education) which holds workshops for girls of Northern Indiana focusing on female empowerment and leadership in our community and around the world. The workshops also address women's rights to education while also giving young women a sense of their own potential. Annie's background includes activism within marginalized communities and working with nonprofits, facilitating community dialogues, and consulting on issues of anti-oppression, civic engagement, economic justice, racial justice, leadership development, collaboration, and movement building. Annie helps her peers find an equal chance to share their points of view and to have those points of view considered and discussed. Annie makes it a priority to build consensus among her peers and to debrief with them on shared experiences to become aware of key behaviors involved, so they can best work together to change the world for the better.
Personal Statement
I cannot recall a time when I didn't recognize the need for creating inclusive spaces and places wherein all people can feel supported and cared for. It seems that I have also felt the desire to include the most marginalized and this has led to a strong conviction towards advocacy and action. I have also found a personal calling to expose my peers - to issues that I am particularly passionate about.
My interests are varied but they all address social injustices, for example:
• Female empowerment
• Women's Rights to Education both nationally and globally
• Immigration Rights and Reforms
These have been primarily informed by my coursework in advocacy and my participation in the Catholic Relief Services Ambassador Program. These passions have led to activism and education opportunities such as hosting campus information sessions, coordinating weekly political call-ins on campus, and volunteering at community organizations to promote awareness and solidarity. I share information about social justice issues and social injustices and their relationship to faith and, in particular, the Catholic commitment to social teaching while also recruiting and coordinating my fellow students to advocacy and activism on local, national, and international issues.
