Nora Sweeney ’24 grew up in Washington, D.C., attending a “peace camp” every summer called Little Friends for Peace.

“It was a day camp where you would do activities like arts, games, crafts, dance, but it had this specific eye on nonviolence,” says Sweeney. “So, any time there was some kind of scuffle between campers, you'd sit at the ‘peace table’ and you would talk it out.”

At camp, she developed an interest in questions like, “How do you teach and educate toward peace?” and “How can you discover the root causes of conflict?” Her pursuit of those answers led her to majoring in peace & conflict studies at Swarthmore. 

Transforming Intractable Conflict, taught by Professor of Peace & Conflict Studies Lee Smithey, sparked an interest in studying Northern Ireland. 

“[The class] was about protracted, identity-based conflicts that are destructive and resistant to reform,” says Sweeney. Not only was Northern Ireland the case study for the class, but Sweeney’s family stories about living in the North in the 1970s inspired her study-abroad semester in her junior year. She then received summer funding to work with Smithey on his mural-mapping project in Belfast, exploring how public art reflects local attitudes towards conflict.  

Of the study-abroad experience, Sweeney remarked, “​​My overwhelming sentiment was actually these countries are not so different after all.” However, she did notice one important difference.

“What we would call ‘conflict’ in other countries, we call ‘social justice issues’ [in the U.S.],” says Sweeney. “The way we talk about things matters.” This observation drove her to focus her thesis on how language and framing affects conflict.

In addition to fulfilling all the requirements for her peace & conflict studies major and her two minors, sociology & anthropology and educational studies, Sweeney worked several jobs and held a number of leadership positions during her time at Swarthmore.

“I've worked for Admissions in every capacity that one can: summer intern, information session presenter, tour guide, senior fellow, head tour guide,” says Sweeney. 

She also worked at the Lang Center for Civic & Social Responsibility, as a teaching assistant, and as a green advisor. She served on the Student Life Committee and as a Senior Class Officer, and played ultimate frisbee all four years. 

It seems only fitting that such an accomplished young woman should serve as the Class of 2024 Commencement Speaker. She says she wants to use the opportunity not only to share her own Swarthmore experience, but to hold space for student experiences that were unlike hers. 

“Commencement is a big deal because you get to talk to parents, students, administrators, you get to talk to everyone,” says Sweeney. “It feels like a chance to say something that matters.”