Elizabeth Stifel

Elizabeth Stifel is a rising senior at the University of Notre Dame studying Political Science and Global Affairs and minoring in Data Science. Elizabeth has called many places home, including Madagascar, Ethiopia, Senegal, Pennsylvania and now, the University of Notre Dame. Her experiences include a gap year with the U.S. Dept. of State YES Abroad program in Senegal, summer conservation work in Oregon with AmeriCorps, advocating for national environmental policy with Trout Unlimited in Washington, DC, and spending a semester in Denmark learning about sustainable development. Elizabeth is using her liberal arts and sciences coursework to inform her way of thinking about environmental policy. These foundational skills from various disciplines have helped in her current research, which studies the effect of trees on farms on household well-being in Ethiopia. On campus, Elizabeth serves as the student government Director of the Department of Sustainability. In her free time, Elizabeth enjoys being a member of the ND Women's Boxing Club, the Gaelic Athletic Association's hurling and Gaelic football teams, and the Notre Dame Chorale. Elizabeth will spend this summer interning in Ireland helping to create a scalable model to gather data on water quality. After graduation, she aspires to a federal service position where she can include voices from diverse community members to develop effective sustainable development policies.