In 1986, Nicgorski was the first Catholic nun to make the cover of Ms. Magazine as "Woman of the Year." Her journey to that title was a dramatic one. In 1966 she felt a strong call to service, and became a Catholic nun. She first worked in rural Mississippi, and then in 1980 went on to work with a Guatemalan community. Her life-changing experiences there led her to work with various interfaith task forces to respond to the growing influx of Central Americans who were arriving at church doorsteps along the border.

Nicgorski's work with the Sanctuary Movement of the 1980s led to her indictment and conviction by the U.S. government, and she faced a possible 25-year sentence. After much reflection, Darlene left the School Sisters of St. Francis in 1988. Today she continues to share her story and inspire others with her commitment to service and social activism as an active member of The United Church of Christ in Chapel Hill and as Human Resources Director for Piedmont Health Services which provides quality healthcare in community settings to all who are in need regardless of medical insurance coverage.

Darlene has spoken in many cities in the U.S., including ninety engagements the year after her conviction, and preached in the Waterford Cathedral in Ireland and at a conference of the Church of Canada in Toronto. Her audiences include students, religious organizations, immigration activists, Central American Advocacy Groups and legal and civil libertarian groups. She has appeared on TV many times, including The Phil Donahue Show and Late Night America. Her personal story was written up in The Chicago Tribune (January 1985) and The New Yorker (June 10, 1986).

Dr. Betsy Alden, who teaches the Women as Leaders course in Public Policy, says, "Throughout her life, Darlene has shown tremendous courage in speaking truth to power despite the consequences. When she has spoken in my classes, students have experienced her life story, and her passion for helping oppressed people, as an inspiring example for exploring their own vocations."

The "Finding Your Own Path" lecture series is made possible by a prestigious grant by the Lilly Endowment, Inc. Other speakers include: Fr. Francis Kline, O.C.S.O., Abbot of Mepkin Abbey, SC; Fleet Maull, Buddhist founder of both the Prison Dharma Network, and the National Prison Hospice Society; William Willimon, renowned author and Dean of Duke Chapel; and August Turak, prominent software entrepreneur and board chair of the Self Knowledge Symposium Foundation. Duke's Interfaith Dialogue Project, an initiative which fosters understanding and respect for religious pluralism and diversity, is a cosponsor of "Finding Your Own Path." Ed Cheely, Trinity '00 graduate and SKSF Director of Development, will also help coordinate the series.

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The Duke Chapel Pathways Program (www.dukeservantleader.org) nurtures and equips undergraduate students who seek to serve as leaders of congregations or other religious institutions that are engaged in ongoing service to humanity. It assists students in understanding their future work in light of their faith commitments while bringing faith into vocation, culture into communities, theological reflection into academia and worship into everyday living.

The Duke Interfaith Dialogue Project (kenan.ethics.duke.edu/links6.asp), an initiative which fosters understanding and respect for religious pluralism and diversity, is co-sponsored by the Kenan Institute for Ethics and Duke Chapel. It has sponsored special programs as well as a student-run course, "Religious Diversity in America," which examines several major faiths, and promotes respectful understanding of how Duke students express their different spiritual traditions on campus.

The Freeman Center for Jewish Life (fcjl.studentaffairs.duke.edu) provides opportunities for Jewish students to explore and celebrate their Jewish identity. The Freeman Center actively engages Jewish students by providing them with opportunities to do Jewish activities that are meaningful and appealing to them. FCJL maintains a pluralistic approach to Judaism through social, educational, religious, cultural, and outreach activities.

The Kenan Institute for Ethics (kenan.ethics.duke.edu) is a university-wide initiative at Duke University that supports the study and teaching of ethics and promotes moral reflection and commitment in personal, professional, community, and civic life. Their work is guided by the conviction that universities have a responsibility to prepare students for lives of personal integrity and reflective citizenship by nurturing their capacities for critical thinking, compassion, courage, and their concern for justice.

The Newman Catholic Student Center (www.duke.edu/web/catholic) fosters unity within the Catholic community on campus and in the surrounding area. Through prayer, worship, sacraments, and education, the CSC strengthens its communion with God; through service and fellowship, it strengthens its communion with all people.

The Self Knowledge Symposium Foundation (www.selfknowledge.org) is a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit organization that encourages people to consciously develop their own personal, moral and spiritual values and to live according to them. The SKSF creates experiential learning programs and social contexts within which people can explore the deeper questions in life, developing intellectual understanding and personal character in a quest for the life worth living.