Rebekah Go, the program and communication manager for the Ansari Institute within the Keough School of Global Affairs, has served within nonprofit administration over the last decade. Go’s passion for combating socio-economic disparities extends beyond the University of Notre Dame and has encouraged her to serve on boards of several local nonprofits.
“I think it is really important that everybody assesses where they are, looks honestly at the current state of their bandwidth, and sees how much ability they have to give to a community in need,” said Go. “I think people should look to get involved in what interests them.”
Go's journey began in her hometown of South Bend, where she developed a strong sense of community and a passion for making a difference. Her father, a native of Indonesia, formerly attended the University of Notre Dame, where Go would end up attending for both undergrad and her master’s program. Go obtained her bachelor’s degree in communications and theatre before earning her master’s in nonprofit business administration.
“I did a few years of service after my undergraduate degree through a program called Holy Cross Associates, founded by the Congregation of Holy Cross at Notre Dame,” said Go. “Within the industry of helping others, I found there are a lot of people who have really good hearts but not necessarily the background in how to run things. I myself was one of those people, so I decided to go back to get my master’s and pursue the industry.”
While working for Holy Cross Associates, Go experienced first-hand the poverty and misfortunes that exist within our communities. Her first year of service sent her to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, where she would meet with clients and help negotiate with utility providers to turn the utilities back on for people. She also helped residents come up with a budget plan to maintain their services. Retaining an interest in utility assistance, Go ended up in a second year of service, which situated her back in the South Bend area.
“The program did not have a similar opportunity to work in South Bend, but I was informed about an opportunity to open a new center at Notre Dame called the Community Learning Center,” said Go. “They wanted to put me on this project for the first three months to help open the center. Once we opened in January, my job was to be one of the first, founding staff members. By February, it was named the Robinson Community Learning Center. I was only 23, so it was crazy.”
Her role would transpire into her current role at the Ansari Institute within University of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs. Though working for an organization with a widespread mission of interfaith collaboration, Go also embraces a vocation of serving those in her local communities.
“Looking back, there was a thread forming that deeply rooted me to serve my local community,” said Go. “I wanted to connect with the people and stories of my local community, so I decided to continue pursuing work in some way or capacity under the shadow of the Dome.”
Go’s active involvement in several local nonprofits helps to alleviate intercommunity inequities. Go is a board member of Near Northwest Neighborhood, Inc. (NNN), which aims to rehabilitate homes for low-to-moderate income homeowners and build new, affordable homes. She is the volunteer coordinator for NNN’s biggest annual event, Arts Café. She is also on the board in the New Day Intake Center, founded by Our Lady of the Road, which serves as South Bend’s only housing-first homeless center. Their mission is to help provide housing for those chronically homeless, such as those with sobriety or addiction issues.
“I am very committed to that work because it is really hard work,” said Go. “I experience really, really tragic stories but also powerful stories that nobody wants to talk about because there is nothing cute or pretty about it. I resonate with the center’s mission, which draws from the messages of Dorothy Day and the corporal works of mercy in the Catholic faith.”
In light of her faith, Go previously felt inspired to join a group currently called Faith in Indiana (which will be renamed We Make Indiana), a vehicle for congregations, clergy, and people of faith to act collectively for racial and economic justice in Indiana. Their work on the intersection of mental heath and incarceration became a catalyst in Go joining an executive committee for St. Joseph County CARES (SJC CARES). The OakLawn collaborative group aims to identify issues and resolutions for the mental health crisis plaguing youth and families in the area.
“SJC CARES makes sure people who interact within youth mental health in our schools, criminal justice and health systems, and foster care are talking with each other,” said Go. “I do not work for these systems, but I felt called to help after one of my kids had a mental health crisis. I serve on the Behavioral Health Partnership Working Group, which is looking monthly at the data and operations of our new youth mobile team. I’m just a mom on the group, but they seem to value my perspective because that’s an important aspect to to consider. We are looking to support a mobile team to respond to youth mental health crises within St. Joseph and Elkhart counties.”
Go recently ended up in Beacon Community Impact’s Equity Champion Working Group, which will be looking for more ways to improve community health this fall. Her group aims to inform the process of the required federal three year community health needs assessment.
“We do have nonprofits doing amazing work in our community,” said Go. “I think for young professionals, in particular, there is a lot of capacity for continued service work. If you focus on your degree and your talents, you can contribute wonderful gifts to nonprofits. Even if it is something once a month, you can do so much that it does not require a lot of brainpower.”
As Go reflects on the people who have helped get her to where she is today, she is incredibly thankful for the strong and inspiring presence of those who have embraced religious life.
“The priests, brothers and sisters who founded Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s, Holy Cross College and a bunch of the parishes and schools in the community have been consistent in my life from childhood to adulthood,” said Go. “I went to Holy Cross Grade School and Parish. I worked for the priests for five years. I worked at Saint Mary’s for six years. Now that I have worked at Notre Dame (again) for a combined four years, it is safe to say that Holy Cross has formed me, educated me, employed me and made me who I am today.”
Go’s commitment to community engagement stems from her belief in the power of collaboration and her desire to create a more equitable and just society. As she continues to delegate her time to work and non-profit missions, she also loves to spend time with her family, including her two kids, aged 13 and 16. Her favorite pastime with them is to go to Weko Beach and watch the sunset.