Undergraduate Student Perspective: Jake Williams

Empowering Change: My Experience with the Powerful Means Initiative

For Jake Williams, a 2025 Management Consulting major with a minor in Impact Consulting, Notre Dame has been defined by experiences that blend academic rigor with a commitment to service and impact. From pursuing a minor in impact consulting to traveling to Uganda with the Powerful Means Initiative, Jake has learned business can be a powerful force for good. Through courses, clubs, and hands-on experiences, he has not only developed professional skills but also a deep understanding of how to create meaningful change. Read the Q&A from Jake for a glimpse into how Notre Dame and the Mendoza College of Business has the power to foster transformative growth in students during their time at Notre Dame.

Q: Why did you choose Notre Dame for your undergraduate studies?

Ever since I could remember, Notre Dame played a significant role in my life. Growing up, my family was a huge Notre Dame football family. I would say the area that I grew up in along the Jersey Shore also had a significant Notre Dame presence. It’s not uncommon to see a Notre Dame magnet as you’re driving, or a flag outside of someone’s house. I guess, what’s always been special about Notre Dame for me was the enthusiasm that people had for the school, the football program, and mission that the university looks to pursue.With all of this in the back of my mind, when it came time to apply for college, Notre Dame was always on the list. I wouldn’t say it was always my #1 but as I continued to research the school from the academic side, it quickly moved to the top of my list. Other than the University’s academic rigor and excellence, Notre Dame’s mission and culture is what drove me to accept my offer of admission on April 12, 2021 from my hotel room at the Morris Inn. I have absolutely zero regrets about choosing Notre Dame because it has had an immeasurable impact on my life.

Q: How has Notre Dame helped you grow personally and professionally?

I’m currently taking a class, Strategic HR Management within the Management and Organization department of Mendoza taught by Micki Kidder, VP of Undergraduate Admissions. I would say that in almost every class, Micki reminds us that the University of Notre Dame’s goal isn’t to provide a world class education, but to “invest in the hearts and minds” of its students. While I’m sure every university says the same, what is unique about Notre Dame is that they follow-through on their promise.

This follow-through has created an environment and culture that allows students to thrive in whatever area they find passion. Whether it has been with the support of my professors or my classmates, I’ve grown immensely. I’ve been able to pursue areas of study that interest me,  learning from elite faculty, all while becoming a more thoughtful, well-rounded individual. Beyond academics, Notre Dame has also afforded me so many incredible opportunities to learn by doing. I spent a semester in Washington D.C. through the Notre Dame Washington Program while interning on Capitol Hill. I’ve also been able to travel to Thailand, Puerto Rico, Uganda, and Italy, without participating in the typical semester-abroad programs. Through all of these experiences, I’ve grown both professionally and personally, while remaining grounded in the mission that Notre Dame provides us. Without Notre Dame, I certainly wouldn’t be the person that I am today.

Q: What makes Mendoza a unique place to study business?

The thing that makes Mendoza a unique place to study business is the college’s emphasis on its mission and expectation of its students. Rather than simply asking us how we can apply the hard skills that they learn in the classroom into our future careers, we’re challenged to think differently on how we can use our education and skills to be a “force for good.” Driving this vision is the people. Top tier faculty, dedicated staff/administration, and motivated students have created a collaborative environment that fuels our commitment, reinforces our beliefs, and challenges us to push forward towards the mission.

Rooted in our Catholic identity, we look at business through a different lens, learning to be transformative leaders in a global business world. More than just a call to think differently, Mendoza provides us with opportunities to act on this mission through a variety of clubs, extracurriculars, institutes, and courses.

Q: How did you become involved with the Saint Bakhita Vocational Training Center (SBVTC)?

I was first introduced to the work going on between Saint Bakhita and Notre Dame during my junior fall semester in Professor Wendy Angst and Emily Harris’ Innovation & Design Thinking course. This class introduced me to how design thinking and human centered design processes can be used as powerful tools to solve complex business problems. Over the course of the semester we worked with the Innovation Scholars at Saint Bakhita Vocational Training Center, an all girls vocational school in Northern Uganda.

For context, the average person makes less than $2 in this region in Uganda. We were tasked to work with a group of Innovation Scholars at SBVTC to develop a business plan for a business that would address an unmet need in the community. My group focused on addressing the accessibility of healthcare for women in northern Uganda. At the end of the semester, the ideas were pitched to key SBVTC stakeholders. At that point there were a number SBVTC Innovation Scholars that were retained by SBVTC as Innovation Fellows to launch these businesses at the school. Subsequently during this semester, I began working on the sales & marketing team of the Innovation for Impact Club which also works with SBVTC. It was during fall break of that semester, that I first traveled to Uganda, and really had developed an understanding of how business education can be a force for good.

The following semester, I took Professor Angst’s Applied Impact Consulting courses, working with the Innovation Fellows that were retained. Our primary focus was launching the honey and dried fruit businesses within the Kalongo community. This was a really exciting project, and I again had the opportunity to travel to Uganda over spring break to assist in the implementation of the businesses and receive community feedback. This past summer, I was part of a three-week fellowship at Saint Bakhita with the Powerful Means Initiative. During that time, I worked on incorporating resume and business workshops into their English literacy program, designing a menu and tracking system for the SBVTC Restaurant, and conducting stakeholder interviews for ND Learning. These subsequent visits have solidified a lifelong passion and commitment to Saint Bakhita and this type of work.

These experiences, along with my ongoing involvement in the Powerful Means Initiative, have shaped my Notre Dame experience and transformed my outlook on the world.

Q: How has your experience with the Powerful Means Initiative impacted you personally?

The last two years working with Saint Bakhita and the Powerful Means Initiative have definitely changed my outlook on the world. Not only has this project grounded me in a cause that is so much bigger than myself but it has allowed me to look at life through a different perspective. Many of the girls we work with at SBVTC are mothers, must walk miles each day just to access drinking water, lack basic healthcare, possess an education equivalent to third-grade, and would traditionally live off less than $2 USD per day. Despite these obstacles, these young women show up to Saint Bakhita with enthusiasm and pure joy. They all have the same goal of bettering their lives and circumstances through education.

During my fellowship this summer, we were instructing an English lesson with the students, and we asked the girls to define “education” on the board. The responses blew my mind.The one response that continues to stick with me is: “Education is gift of light.” It was during this moment that I realized that working on the SBVTC project was so much more than I had ever expected. We were changing lives. We were using what we often take for granted—our excellent business education—and providing the girls of Saint Bakhita with the opportunities to change the trajectories of their lives. If I can be part of a small change that improves the life of just one of the girls at Saint Bakhita, I would be happy. Though, I’m optimistic that we can change an entire community. After all, we are all so much more similar than different.

On a personal level, it has forced me to reflect on myself, and the legacy that I want to leave behind. We are often made to believe that business and doing good are contrary, but this work has shown me that they’re not. I’ve met so many incredible people that share what Wendy calls the “Bakhita Bug,” and have had so many doors open because of my commitment to this work. These experiences have not only helped shape my Notre Dame experience but they’ve shaped how I will move beyond Notre Dame.

Q: How can students get involved with the Powerful Means Initiative?

The Powerful Means Initiative is likely the one of most impactful and memorable experiences that a student could have during their time at Notre Dame. PMI is rooted in Father Sorin’s vision that Notre Dame would become “one of the most powerful means of doing good in this country,” giving students the opportunity to engage in hands-on learning while addressing some of the world’s most pressing issues.

There are a variety of ways for students to get involved with the Powerful Means Initiative. Professor Wendy Angst teaches a number of classes that focus on working with Saint Bakhita Vocational Training Center in the Mendoza College of Business. For students in Mendoza, there is also the Impact Consulting Minor which allows students the opportunity to work with SBVTC across numerous classes while gaining a stronger foundation and understanding in social impact. Outside of the classroom, the Innovation for Impact Club provides another chance to work on projects related to SBVTC. The club is open to students from across campus beyond Mendoza.

Personally, I’m involved in a number of capacities. Beyond my minor in impact consulting, I previously served Professor Angst’s Teaching Assistant for her Innovation & Design Thinking course, and am the current Teaching Assistant for her Applied Impact Consulting class. The students in the Applied Impact Consulting course are currently working on developing the impact fund and incubator programs which will fall under the Powerful Means Initiative. This program will enable Notre Dame students to make direct investments while providing personal and professional support to the individuals receiving those investments. This will equip Notre Dame students with the hands-on experience and transferable skills in the areas of social impact and impact investing, which can be carried into their careers and future endeavors. In addition, I also serve as the current President of the Innovation for Impact club.

I’m incredibly grateful and humbled to be part of a project and initiative that has a real impact – one that is so much bigger than myself.