DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

     My name is Samantha Lessen.  I am a senior at the University of Notre Dame, and my hometown is Alexandria, Louisiana.  As a life-long learner, I possess a wide variety of interests, and I am always exploring new activities.  A few of my hobbies include reading, writing, and art--particularly sketching and doodling, graphic design, painting, and using oil pastels.  One of my favorite things to do is to design t-shirts for various organizations and events.  I simply adore music--one of my recent discoveries is the band The Piano Guys, who give classical music a contemporary twist.  Other artists I love are Michael Buble', Frank Sinatra, and Norbert Leo Butz.  I love all things imaginative, so I have a soft spot for anything Disney-related; Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King are among my favorite movies of all time.  Some of my favorite books include the Harry Potter series, A Tale of Two Cities, Brave New World, and almost any fantasy novel.  In an attempt to take full advantage of the vibrant world around me, I involve myself in a number of organizations across Notre Dame's campus.  I am a writer and designer (now in the role of Design Editor) for the student-produced magazine Scholastic. During my sophomore year, I fell in love with swing dancing and remain an active member of the Notre Dame Swing Club. Because faith and service are important parts of my llife, I am a member of Four:7 Catholic Fellowship and Literacy Awareness Notre Dame (LAND), an organization which works to promote the importance of education in the South Bend community. I also attended an Appalachia seminar in the spring of 2012, immersing myself in a week of service in West Virginia. Last summer, I had one of the most amazing experiences of my life serving as a Mentor-In-Faith for a program called Notre Dame Vision. Working alongside sixty–five other undergraduate mentors, I helped lead and direct over 1,300 high school students throughout the summer at a program that took place on Notre Dame's campus. Additionally, I worked with a series of small groups, discussing challenges of vocation and discipleship. I saw in a new way the uniqueness of every individual and learned an incredible amount about myself. I look forward to working in the Notre Dame Vision program again this summer as a Master Mentor. This past summer, I took part in a research program in Tuscany, Italy, performing research on Dante's Divine Comedy and its relationship with Renaissance art. I challenge myself every day to take advantage of opportunities that present themselves in my life, because I believe that in this way I can continue to grow and expand into a more creative, open-minded, and productive member of the world community.

 

 

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.