Daniela Fabrega

What is your favorite campus tradition?
Singing the Alma Mater after every home game. The view of the whole stadium wearing navy and gold, hugging each other as a family, and singing together makes me feel the luckiest girl in the world.

What is your favorite spot on campus?
Notre Dame Ave. Every time I enter the university I am amazed by the view of the Golden Dome.

What is your best Notre Dame memory?
I cannot choose! My ND memories go from little things such as the long dinning hall meals and jogs around the lake, to my first crowd pushups and my first snowball fight. I have countless memories with my friends that I will treasure forever.

What is your favorite Dining Hall Meal?
Freshly Baked Snickerdoodle Cookies!!!

What is your favorite thing about dorm life?
All the different traditions that bring the community together! My favorite tradition is called Big-Little, in which every freshmen is assigned an upperclassman that takes the role of a big sister. I was lucky to build a strong relationship with my Big Sis. Of course, I also enjoy all of the building-community activities that involve food.

What clubs/activities are you involved in?
I am currently an active member in SIBC, ISAB, and ALPFA. I volunteer at El Campito, a local childcare, and I work as a Student-Athlete Spanish tutor.

What made you choose Notre Dame?
I wanted to have the whole college experience. For me, this means receiving an excellent education while growing as a person with spiritual values, and creating relationships with people that would help through this process of growth. With its great academics based on the Holy Cross Education along with its special community, Notre Dame was the one that stood out the most. Notre Dame encourages its students to stay true to their beliefs, while still having an open mind towards what is happening outside of one’s comfort zone. In addition, I knew that I wanted to surround myself with people like the Notre Dame Family, individuals with dreams and passions, who strive to accomplish their goals.

What is your favorite part about being an international student at Notre Dame?
As an international student, I have found a community inside a community. I am part of the Notre Dame Family, and also part of the Latino Family, which allows me to have a piece of home. I am able to experience a different cultures and learn from them, while influencing others with my different perspective and background. Being an international student automatically makes you an interesting person. People are interested on listening to your different perspective and background. Also, sharing my experience, allows me to appreciate my culture even more.

How did you adjust to life on campus?
People here made this transition extremely easy, since they were all welcoming and willing to get out of their way to help me. Through my friends, members of my dorm like my rector, and faculty staff, I felt I had a support group. Just after a few days of being here, I felt at home.

How do you celebrate your culture/heritage at ND?
My friends from Panama and I make sure to gather to celebrate national holidays. For example, last year, it was the first time Panama classified to the World Cup. We all wore the soccer team’s shirt and gathered to celebrate this accomplishment!

What advice do you have for international students?
Take advantage of what ND has to offer! Be open-minded and willing to challenge yourself and get out of your comfort zone. Make friends outside of your culture; you will learn from their different perspectives and it will make you grow as a person. I promise, you will find your place in the Notre Dame Family.