Woman Wednesday: Liz Detwiler

For those who were not graced to live in Walsh Hall at Notre Dame, this is Liz. She was our rector...think head-RA BUT SO MUCH MORE! She is the reason why we won Hall of the Year even though it was her first year on campus. She is one of the biggest models of "Walsh Love" on campus and around the world. Here's what she has to say!

"At the end of the day, I am strong because I believe I'm not alone--and that's what carries me even when things are hard. I'm grateful for my Big, Messy, Catholic Family who doesn't need to understand me in order to love me; I'm grateful and aware of the particular community and context I was born into that helped me pursue my goals #privilege; I'm grateful for an #innercircle of forever friends who support me, challenge me and bring me back to who I am; I'm grateful for a community of young people across the nation (who were or are college students in my care) who have trusted me to lead them and love them; I'm grateful for the often surprising mentors on my spiritual journey who taught me to hope in a God who bleeds, to refuse to be defined by mistakes, and to acknowledge my wounds in order to grow in holiness and love.

For me, strength doesn't come from believing I can do it all on my own--that is daunting and frankly, just not true for me. Even if God is all I have left in this world, I'm still not alone. As a campus minister, a student affairs professional and as a Rector, it's a vocational call in my life to remind people that they, also, are not alone in this world, that they belong--I'm grateful to spend the rest of my life working towards that goal."