Gabrielle "Gabi" Souza graduated this May from Notre Dame with a major in Chemistry and a minor in Constitutional Studies. This fall, she will begin attending George Washington University Law School as a recipient of a named endowment.
Hailing from Garden City, Idaho, Souza did not initially want to attend Notre Dame. However, after being convinced to tour Notre Dame’s campus, she fell in love and applied. “Everything I hated about other schools I loved about Notre Dame,” Souza explained, “because Notre Dame is very community centric, and they care about developing the whole person.”
Souza decided to major in Chemistry because she had always enjoyed the subject in high school. “I think that many people have a misunderstanding of chemistry, that they view it as only being a means to an end, but it’s actually a really beautiful way of understanding the world and its natural beauty,” Souza said.
Outside of her study of Chemistry, Souza pursued a minor in Constitutional Studies. Her interest in the subject was piqued by Professor Patrick Deneen’s course on political theory, which she took as a junior. In order to earn extra credit in the course, Souza attended a lecture by Harvey Mansfield, where she heard Professor Munoz talk about the CCCG and the Tocqueville Fellowship. “I liked that the Tocqueville Fellowship is a place where rigorous civil discourse occurs among young adults,” Souza said, “and I wanted to participate in that to develop a different intellectual side of myself.”
Souza participated in the Tocqueville Fellowship both semesters of her senior year. Reflecting on her time in the Fellowship, Souza recalled John Yoo’s lecture, “Trump’s Legal Troubles,” as being one of her favorite memories. “Yoo’s lecture was a really good example of how to be intelligent and strong in your beliefs while still appealing to all people and communicating your ideas effectively,” Souza remarked. Outside of academics, Souza particularly enjoyed the CCCG tailgates during the football season.
This fall, Souza will attend George Washington University Law School as a recipient of a named endowment. “Finding a law school with a substantial financial aid package was really important to me,” Souza explained, “because I believe that being a mother and a wife is an important vocation, and I don't want the burden of student loans to prevent me from pursuing it one day.”
At George Washington, Souza intends to focus on constitutional law and patent law, in particular, with the goal of becoming a patent attorney in mind. Souza believes that patent law will allow her to utilize her understanding of chemistry over the course of her career in law.
Although she is excited to graduate and begin the next stage of her education, Souza hopes to stay in contact with her friends from Notre Dame. In particular, she is excited to join the community of Tocqueville Fellowship alumni who are also working or studying in Washington, DC.