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.

0:00 Meet Maria Fernanda Zamora

7:42 Meet Juan Sebastián Chamorro

25:38 Fleeing Nicaragua, finding Notre Dame

34:59 Notre Dame as a home, a place of faith, a community of support

39:43 Cultivating hope and overcoming fear