Arwen Oliva is the quintessential Notre Dame student. Driven, focused, with a quiet intensity one might expect from a graduate bound for medical school—the Texas native has never set a goal she hasn’t met.
She attended a Catholic K-8 school in her hometown of El Paso, knew she wanted to be a doctor as early as first grade, and had her sights set on the University of Notre Dame by fifth grade. She is the first in her family to attend the University.
Fascinated by the particulars of drug pathways and how drugs affect and metabolize in the brain, she chose to major in biological sciences. She’ll attend the Texas A&M College of Medicine in the fall, where she’ll continue pursuing her goal of becoming an anesthesiologist.
Built for the academic rigor and scholarship of a global Catholic research institution, Oliva was drawn to the University by something deeper.
“What appealed to me was how everyone here regards each other as family,” she said. “I wanted to experience that.”
Growing up, Oliva would watch the Fighting Irish play football on Saturdays with her dad—and found herself growing more interested in the University’s academic offerings and Catholic social teaching.
“Religion plays a huge role in my life and I think growing up, going to a Catholic K-8 school, it just taught me how to regard my peers as equals,” Oliva said. “Everyone is created equal in God’s eye. I carry that with me every day. You come to regard everyone as your brother and sister at Notre Dame. Taking what I learned then (during K-8) and applying it here, it’s grown phenomenally through classes and interactions with professors and friends. I think Notre Dame is the perfect environment to cultivate that respect for others that I don’t think any other university could replicate.”
During her first year, Oliva began working with the Notre Dame chapter of Global Medical Brigades, an international program that brings students and medical professionals together to help under-resourced communities in Panama, Ghana, Nicaragua, and Honduras. She has been the chapter’s president for the last two years and said it has been her most meaningful experience.
“We send about 40 student volunteers every year over spring break to rural west Panama, setting up health care clinics and working alongside local doctors,” Oliva said. The students triage patients, shadow doctors, work in pharmacies, and educate patients on prevalent health issues.
“That has honestly been my most meaningful experience,” she said. “You’re able to interact with a culture other than your own, and while, yes, you’re providing a great service to those less fortunate who don’t have equal access to health care, I think just being able to speak with the patients and understand their story, where they’re coming from, you really put yourself into a perspective other than your own, and that’s what I appreciated most.”
Through her work with Global Medical Brigades, Oliva has helped an estimated 800 patients in Panama, and the Notre Dame chapter has raised more than $860,000 for its work in those communities.
“You learn to just talk to people and to listen,” Oliva said. “I think a huge component of becoming a physician is being able to listen. They stress that communication is key, but people often forget that it is also about listening. Being able to listen and understand where the patient is coming from and not be dismissive. It’s all a huge part of becoming a physician. And for them (the patients) … I think it speaks volumes that even though most volunteers didn’t speak Spanish, the fact that we (Americans) were there helping them, wanting to serve, it broke cultural and language barriers. You could tell through their expressions of gratitude, the smile on their faces, that they were really appreciative of what we were doing.”
Oliva often comes back to experiences of connecting with others when looking back on her Notre Dame experience.
In 2023, she spent a semester abroad at Notre Dame London, where she took courses in biochemistry, physiology, cognitive development, and a philosophy course on the history of medicine. While there, she connected with students she might not have seen or interacted with on campus who became some of her most treasured friends.
“I didn’t find my true, core group of friends until junior year,” Oliva said. “I feel like I found my people who I can be myself around, truly—and I think it’s important as a freshman to understand that you may not find your people right away. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. Those girls are my sisters, and hopefully, I’ll carry those bonds into the next chapter of my life.”
Closing the book on this chapter, Oliva has much to be proud of. In addition to her undergraduate studies and research, she completed two medical internships back home in El Paso and another helping children through a local charity while at Notre Dame London, and she was selected as a research fellow at the American College of Cardiology.
As commencement nears, Oliva was focused on another goal—maximizing the time she has left with those friends she’s made along the way.
“I want to spend as much time with my friends as possible, make the most meaning out of whatever little hangouts we have because, at the end of the day, I don’t know how often I’m going to see them post-graduation,” she said. “It breaks my heart that I’m not going to be able to see them every day. While academics are highly important, life is much more than just academics.”