As a senior at the University of Notre Dame who has been involved with LEO for over two years, I recently thought back to what initially inspired me to apply for LEO’s poverty research fellowship during my sophomore year. To revisit that moment, I reread the cover letter I wrote in the fall of 2023 to apply for the summer internship program, and I was struck by how clearly I had grasped LEO’s mission. In my opening paragraph, I wrote, “I admire LEO and its partners’ willingness to disrupt the status quo of accepted solutions to poverty.”
My time at LEO has confirmed that instinct. We are deeply committed to challenging “business as usual” approaches that have not produced meaningful, lasting change in the lives of those experiencing poverty. I have also come to understand that disrupting the status quo is not simply about identifying one nonprofit’s solution to poverty as effective. Rather, it is about creating a broader movement in which these effective, evidence-based solutions are shared, scaled, and championed. At the heart of this movement is LEO’s replication work.
I joined LEO’s Replication and Scale team in the fall of 2024—an especially exciting moment, as the team had just selected its first projects for replication. From the outset, I was entrusted with advancing the ambitious goal of expanding evidence-based programs across the United States. One of the projects I worked on was Catholic Charities of Fort Worth’s Padua program. Previous LEO research shows that this holistic program empowers participants to achieve lasting economic stability, and the goal was to bring these outcomes to more communities in need.
My work began with conducting market assessments of nearly 30 cities across the country to evaluate their potential need for a program
like Padua. I analyzed factors such as population size, poverty rates, housing costs, and mental health indicators to help determine where the program might be most impactful. As the list narrowed to South Bend, Indiana, and Chicago, Illinois, I conducted deeper research into each city’s specific challenges, existing resources, and key stakeholders. I then had the opportunity to present my findings directly to Catholic Charities of Fort Worth, an experience that made me feel truly invested in the replication process.
Even while studying abroad in London during the spring semester of my junior year, I remained committed to continuing this work and seeing the Padua replication project through. After completing our city analyses, we began the extensive process of identifying potential partner organizations in Chicago and South Bend.
I quickly learned that successful replication is not easy. It requires more than interest; it depends on alignment in mission, strong leadership, and the infrastructure necessary to implement an evidence-based program effectively.
We began this process broadly, compiling information on nearly 700 nonprofit organizations in the Chicago area and about 100 in South Bend. I was responsible for researching each of these organizations to assess their potential as partners. This work required many hours, but it was also deeply inspiring. As I learned about each organization’s vision and commitment to its community, I was moved by the dedication of so many individuals working to improve the lives of their neighbors.
In the later stages of the project, I supported outreach efforts by helping organize meetings, develop agendas, and prepare materials for conversations with potential partner organizations. These meetings, bringing together LEO, Catholic Charities Fort Worth, and prospective partners, were essential in determining whether organizations had both the capacity and the commitment to implement the Padua model effectively. Ultimately, this process led to the selection of one partner organization in Chicago and one in South Bend to move forward with replicating the Padua Program.
Looking back, one of the most rewarding parts of this experience was the opportunity to see a project evolve from its earliest stages into something real and impactful. What began as research and spreadsheets gradually became partnerships, plans, and the foundation for change in two communities. It was incredibly exciting to witness that progression firsthand and to know that my work contributed to that momentum. Being part of a team that is not only studying poverty but actively working to implement solutions at scale has been inspiring. As these replication sites begin their journeys, I feel a deep sense of anticipation and hope—eager to see how the Padua Program takes root in new communities and continues to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.