Sara Abdel-Rahim ’17

Senior Consultant, Booz Allen Hamilton

Co-Founder, Tables Without Borders

MAJORS: POLITICAL SCIENCE AND ARABIC

Sara Abdel-Rahim ’17 is the co-founder of Tables Without Borders, which provides opportunities for refugee chefs and those with interests in the culinary arts. In 2015, while living among Egyptian immigrants in northern Italy through a Notre Dame research grant, she studied how available services affected economic and educational integration outcomes. Later, as a Fulbright Fellow, she studied Greece’s approach to integrating young refugees into its preparatory educational system, finding that a lack of social ties between the refugees and policymakers had a negative impact on integration outcomes.

Abdel-Rahim and co-founder Sam Sgroi created Tables Without Borders as an answer to the systemic challenges of the resettlement process. The organization’s training program pairs refugee chefs with notable restaurants in Washington, D.C., where they are able to develop their culinary talents, build networks, and receive reliable pay. Tables Without Borders goes on to support these chefs by helping them find a job or open their own restaurant. Tables Without Borders seeks integration by celebrating each chef’s heritage and highlighting the traditions and tastes of their home countries.

Abdel-Rahim earned her Notre Dame degree in political science and served as president of the Muslim Student Association as a senior. She is currently an Associate at Booz Allen Hamilton in Washington, D.C.

Nate Alexander ’17

Head of Operations, Blade

MAJOR: FINANCE

Nate Alexander ’17 founded BLADE Medical Mobility Organ Procurement Program, which provides end-to-end organ transplant services via air and ground travel. After graduating from Notre Dame with a bachelor’s in finance and working in investment banking, Alexander left the financial industry to pursue his passion for aviation. In March 2018, he began work for BLADE Urban Air Mobility and then started his program the next year.

Expeditious transportation is critical for organ transplantation; for every hour an organ is outside of the human body, surgical success rates decrease materially. When every minute counts, Alexander uses his business and aviation knowledge to improve lives and give second chances. His organ procurement program has completed over 700 successful organ procurement flights, which not only saves lives but also reduces hospital costs by millions of dollars and cuts critical travel times down by one-third vs. traditional medevac providers. He continues to expand the life-saving transplant operations for BLADE and extend the reach of the program nationwide, with organ transplants being successfully delivered from donors throughout the United States.  

In 2019, Alexander also helped design the Urban Air Mobility New York City Airport Transfer Program, which moves more people in and out of the city centers than any air travel provider in the world.

Jessica Binzoni ’15 J.D.

Founder and Executive Director, HOPE + FUTURE International

NOTRE DAME LAW SCHOOL

In 2017, Jessica Binzoni ’15 J.D. founded HOPE + FUTURE International, a non-profit organization based in Northern Iraq that aims to equip displaced people with the necessary tools to thrive, not just survive.

The traditional response to existing and emerging displaced populations involves overcrowded displacement camps and the ongoing provision of emergency assistance, which prevents displaced people from rebuilding their lives. In response, HOPE + FUTURE International seeks to recognize and uphold the dignity of displaced people by empowering them to achieve long-term self-sustainability. They work together with program participants to identify their greatest obstacles to self-sufficiency and provide educational and economic development projects designed to address them holistically. 

Upon graduating from Notre Dame Law School, Binzoni received the Thomas L. Shaffer Fellowship and worked as an attorney for the National Immigrant Justice Center in Chicago where she represented asylum seekers in asylum interviews and before the immigration court.

Dr. Glynnis Garry ’11

Cardiology Fellow, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

MAJORS: PRE-PROFESSIONAL AND AMERICAN STUDIES

Dr. Glynnis Garry ’11 is a cardiovascular physician-scientist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center who is researching the regeneration of the injured heart, while treating patients suffering from heart disease. 

Heart failure is the leading cause of mortality, morbidity, and healthcare expenditure worldwide. Currently, the only cure for heart failure is heart transplantation, and as such, novel heart failure therapies are desperately needed. Garry studies a process called cardiac reprogramming, whereby scientists can force scar cells into functional heart cells in an attempt to therapeutically cure heart failure. Working in the laboratory of her mentor, Dr. Eric Olson, Garry discovered a protein that potently increases the conversion of human scar cells to functional heart cells. Her studies not only provide new understandings of the mechanisms regulating adult cardiac reprogramming, but provide the basis for development of a novel therapeutic factor for the treatment of heart disease. 

Beyond her work in the laboratory, Garry is committed to the advancement of women and minorities in STEM, promotion of medical trainees in science through the Sarnoff Cardiovascular Research Foundation, and support of local Catholic education through her work as outreach director for the Notre Dame Club of Dallas.

Katarina Goitz ’16, ’18 M.A.

Posthumous Recognition

MAJOR: CHINESE; MASTER OF ARTS IN THEOLOGY (ECHO GRADUATE SERVICE PROGRAM)

After receiving her masters in theology from Notre Dame’s Echo program, Katarina Goitz ’16, ’18 M.A. worked as a youth minister for six churches in Galveston, Texas, for 10 months, before she was tragically killed by a hit and run driver while leaving Notre Dame after an Echo reunion in June 2019. Although humble, her acts of compassion — such as giving the shoes on her feet to a homeless woman — moved many throughout her life. Father Jude Ezuma of Galveston said “she infused vigor in the program through her gentleness, piety, kindness, hard work, dedication, and love of God.” One of her 16-year-old confirmation candidates wrote, “Her grace was like a burning flame. She passed it along to everyone she met, and her kindness and gentleness inspired those she touched to spread it further.” She turned a failing program into one with a wait list. 

Her virtues of speaking gently, living humbly, giving freely, and greeting the world with joy began long before attending Notre Dame and remained with her until her last breath. Her last act of kindness was to put a letter of encouragement under the door of every Echo student while they were sleeping on the morning of her accident. 

Her work continues in the form of a blog, Katarina Lives On, which includes daily Bible readings, and through a nonprofit foundation, the Katarina Goitz Foundation for Youth and Young Adult Ministry, to support the work and education of youth ministers.

Maria Hinson Tobin ’14 M.S.

Director of Development, CARE

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN GLOBAL HEALTH

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from the University of Tennessee, Maria Hinson Tobin ’14 M.S. chose to focus her education on population health and inequity, earning a master’s in global health from Notre Dame. As part of this degree, she interned in Uganda with The Carter Center’s River Blindness Elimination Program, assisting with the development and testing of a model used to evaluate the program’s effectiveness and improve ongoing programming.

In 2015, Tobin joined CARE, an international humanitarian organization committed to saving lives, defeating poverty, and advancing social justice. At CARE, she applied her analytic and program management skills within the international development sector, managing and providing technical expertise for food security, nutrition, and health programs. She supported marginalized, disenfranchised, and impoverished agricultural communities, including but not limited to, Côte d’Ivoire, Guatemala, and Indonesia. At the center of this work, Tobin oversaw the implementation quality of an initiative committed to transforming the lives of women farmers, empowering them with the resources, skills, and knowledge to lift themselves and their families out of poverty.

Since 2019, Tobin has also spearheaded fundraising efforts, raising more than $12 million for humanitarian aid to address crises around the world. In 2020, she was honored for her leadership in the nonprofit sector with the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Atlanta’s 30 Under 30 Award. Tobin is currently a Director of Development at CARE while also pursuing her doctorate in public health at the University of Georgia.

Terrell Hunt ’19 MBA

U.S. Foreign Service Officer, U.S. Department of State

MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

Terrell Hunt ’19 MBA currently serves as Vice Consul at the Consulate General of the United States in Shanghai, China. As a career member of the U.S. Foreign Service, he works to strengthen global security, protect American citizens, and promote values that advance peace and universal human rights.

Dedicated to public service, Hunt works to not only strengthen U.S. diplomatic relations, but is an advocate for constructive dissent, servant leadership, and diversity within the U.S. Diplomatic Corps. At the conclusion of his orientation into the Foreign Service, he earned the Glenn Munro Award, presented to the new foreign service officer who best exemplifies the values and leadership principles of America’s diplomatic service.

His current diplomatic assignment is informed by nearly a decade of experience in international affairs and corporate social responsibility roles. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Hunt was a senior consultant in Booz Allen Hamilton’s Defense and Intelligence practice, specialist on Nike’s global community impact team, and foreign policy advisor at the United States Congress. Notre Dame’s first Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Graduate Fellow, he proudly became a Domer in 2017 and earned his MBA in 2019.

Ashley Kalinauskas ’13 M.S.

Chief Executive Officer, Torigen Pharmaceuticals

ENGINEERING, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY ENTREPRENEURSHIP EXCELLENCE MASTERS PROGRAM (ESTEEM)

Ashley Kalinauskas ’13 M.S. is the founder and CEO of Torigen Pharmaceuticals, a startup that resulted from her graduate thesis project at Notre Dame. Kalinauskas graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2012 with an undergraduate degree in pathobiology and chose to continue her education in South Bend, earning a master’s in engineering, science, and technology entrepreneurship (ESTEEM). Torigen and its first product, VetiVax, are based upon the research of former Notre Dame professor Dr. Mark Suckow. 

Through her work with Torigen — located at the Technology Incubation Program at the University of Connecticut — Kalinauskas focuses on providing veterinary cancer care solutions for companion animals. Torigen’s first product, VetiVax, is an autologous cancer immunotherapy that uses the patient’s own tumor cells to create a personalized treatment to fight the cancer. With over 50 percent of companion animals over the age of 10 dying from cancer and with other treatment modalities being both expensive and potentially having negative side effects, VetiVax is an innovative new treatment that is quickly gaining traction with veterinarians across the country.

William Kennedy ’17

Aerospace Systems Engineer, NASA/Booz Allen Hamilton

MAJOR: MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Bill Kennedy ’17 holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Notre Dame and a master’s in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University. He is a lead engineer for Booz Allen Hamilton and an employee of the NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. As a part of the NASA Artemis program, he manages the Configuration Analysis Modeling and Mass Properties team in the Systems Engineering and Integration Office for the Lunar Gateway space station program. An international effort between NASA and the European, Canadian, and Japanese space agencies, the Lunar Gateway will begin assembly in orbit around the moon in 2023 and serve as a staging point for the next crewed missions to land the first woman and next man on the moon and support a sustained human presence on the lunar surface. 

Previously, Kennedy served as a systems engineer for 11 expeditions to the International Space Station, having also worked on the ISS integration efforts of the SpaceX crewed Dragon and Falcon 9 mission that returned crewed launch capability to America for the first time since the retirement of the Space Shuttle. He received the NASA Avionic Systems Division award for his work on cis-lunar antenna line-of-sight communication optimization, published work through the International Astronautical Federation, is a board-licensed Professional Engineer, and an associate member of the Royal Aeronautical Society. He has mentored high school students in the Houston area through independent study mentorship programs, by serving as a judge at Houston science fairs, and as a catechist at St. Bernadette’s Catholic Church of Houston.

Alexandria Kristensen-Cabrera ’16

MD/PhD Student, University of Minnesota

MAJOR: SCIENCE BUSINESS

Alexandria Kristensen-Cabrera ’16 is a third-year medical student and health policy PhD student at the University of Minnesota. Her work is focused on reducing disparities, with a specific focus on the impact of racism, on maternal and infant birth outcomes.

She has dedicated her studies to understand how the intersections of class, immigration, disability, race, and ethnicity impact health outcomes. Her dissertation research follows her previous work on maternal and child health, including research on breastfeeding practices, medical education, and improving the safety and quality of perinatal care.

After becoming an executive board member of White Coats for Black Lives, Kristensen-Cabrera co-organized and spoke at the Twin Cities Health Care for Black Lives Protest, which was attended by over 1,000 health care workers. As part of the Medical Education Reform Student Coalition, she is helping to increase community involvement in the medical school, remove race-based medicine, and advocate for an anti-racist curriculum. She also serves on the Diversity and Inclusion Committee and mentors several pre-medical students to increase the number of physicians and physician-scientists from underrepresented backgrounds. Through the Minnesota Medical Association, she is a Suicide Prevention Training Instructor and is engaged in health policy advocacy as a Twin Cities Medical Association Public Health Advocacy Fellow.

Kara Strass ’11

Director of Miami Tribe Relations, Miami University

MAJOR: BIOLOGY

In 2016, Kara Strass ’11 joined the Myaamia Center as a graduate assistant while pursuing her master’s degree in Student Affairs in Higher Education (SAHE) at Miami University. After graduating in 2018, Kara joined the Myaamia Center staff. In January 2020, Strass formally transitioned into the role of Director of Miami Tribe Relations, where she is responsible for strengthening the relationship between the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and Miami University, as well as for providing advising and support to Myaamia students.

Originally from Huntington, Indiana, Strass attended the University of Notre Dame and graduated in 2011 with a bachelor’s in biological sciences. After graduation, she joined the Orr Fellowship, which places recent graduates in start-up companies in Indiana. In her time in the fellowship, she worked at BioConvergence (now Singota Solutions) as a Project Manager for clients working on pharmaceutical development.

Strass’ involvement in the Native American Student Association at Notre Dame impacted how she thought about support for Native American students on college campuses, eventually leading her to the SAHE program at Miami. Her graduate studies focused on Student Development Theory and how to apply these theories to make Myaamia students successful in their college endeavors. Her work at the Myaamia Center includes serving as a liaison between the Miami Tribe and Miami University, providing education and outreach to the broader Miami University community, and planning for programs including National Breath of Life Workshops and the Myaamiaki Conference.

Jasmin (Simmons) Tow ’11

Assistant Principal of Instruction TK-2, Aspire Public Schools

MAJORS: SPANISH AND PSYCHOLOGY

After graduating from Notre Dame summa cum laude with a double major in Spanish and psychology, Jasmin (Simmons) Tow ’11 joined Teach for America as a corps member and moved to California, where she has spent the majority of her career serving low-income, predominantly Black and Hispanic populations in East Oakland.

After four years as a TFA educator, she joined TFA staff as an Elementary Specialist for almost two years, working directly with teachers to improve outcomes for ESL students and their families across the San Francisco Bay Area. After stints in the REALITY Revolve program took her to classrooms in Israel, Tow returned to California, where she is an Assistant Principal of Instruction (and the only bilingual administrator) at Monarch Aspire Public School in East Oakland. 

She is frequently consulted by educators throughout California, and sometimes nationally, for her insight and knowledge of culturally relevant instruction, educating English learners and newcomers, interrupting the school-to-prison pipeline, dismantling systemic oppression in schools, and providing high-quality education during a pandemic. Tow was one of the first educators in the Aspire Public School system to recognize the need for a sustainable distance learning model during the pandemic and developed plans for educator and site leader training and collaboration.