Roots and Branches: Reflections on a Journey from St. Olaf through Public Health, Community, and Family

Nicole Novak ’08 will return to campus to reflect on the path her life and work have taken since graduation. In this personal talk, she will share some of the moments that shaped her journey after leaving The Hill, from working at mobile clinics serving migrant agricultural workers in Iowa in the aftermath of the largest worksite immigration raid in U.S. history, to (re)connecting with the Catholic Worker movement while studying at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.

Novak will discuss how these experiences informed her doctoral research in social epidemiology, including documenting the public health fallout of immigration enforcement, and how living in a Catholic Worker house during her doctoral studies kept her from getting buried too deep “in the books”. Later, she returned to her hometown in Iowa to conduct research alongside community organizations and leaders working for immigrant rights, worker justice, and community health.

Lastly, Novak will reflect on her experience becoming a parent to two children, including one with disabilities and medical complexities. This experience has deepened her understanding of care, interdependence, and the urgency of disability justice, and is spurring another evolution in her life, family, and vocation.

Through these stories, Novak will reflect on the joys and challenges of following a path that hasn’t always been linear, and on her effort to honor the values of community, justice, and care as she moves through the seasons of life.