Finding Hope Amid Exile

For Maria Fernanda Zamora ’25 and Kellogg Institute visiting fellow Juan Sebastián Chamorro, free speech is both a danger and a source of power—one that has allowed them to shine a light on the injustices they’ve experienced and witnessed firsthand.

Their lives—separately shaped by the same oppressive regime in Nicaragua—are united by a shared belief in the importance of using the power of their voices to write, to teach, and to protest. Both Maria and Juan paid a steep price for refusing to remain silent. Yet, both found in Notre Dame a safe refuge and a community of support where they could speak out in the name of freedom, justice, and human dignity.

In this episode of For Good, Maria and Juan share their powerful stories of forced exile, unimaginable courage, unwavering faith, and relentless hope.

Join us for a Notre Dame story unlike any other.

New episodes of For Good: Stories from Notre Dame drop on select weekdays at giving.nd.edu/stories and the ND Loyal YouTube channel. You can also listen to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

A sincere thank you to the Notre Dame Family for making stories like these possible! It’s because of you that Notre Dame is such a powerful force for good in the world.