Bernice Antoine is a junior from Trinidad and Tobago studying business analytics with minors in sustainability, social entrepreneurship, and the business honors program. Antoine is passionate about researching African identity and its evolution in the face of globalization, particularly within the Caribbean, America, and Africa. As an International Scholar at the Kellogg Institute for International Studies, Antoine collaborates with Reverend Professor Paul Kollman, CSC, on developing the Notre Dame course "Global Catholicism," which highlights underrepresented Christian experiences across Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean.
In addition to exploring African identities, Antoine is deeply committed to sustainability and environmental justice. In 2024, Antoine conducted research on sustainable waste management in Trinidad and Tobago as part of the McNeill Justice Fellowship, developing and prototyping "Planet Plate," a custom Chat-GPT application aimed at reducing food waste in culturally relevant ways for Trinbagonians. Antoine continues to refine this project as her capstone for her minor in social entrepreneurship and innovation. Antoine's passion for sustainable waste management began in Summer 2023 during time spent at Govardhan Ecovillage in India, where Antoine worked alongside Hare Krishna monks, focusing on composting, biogas cultivation, and rural transformation initiatives, exploring the circular economy's role in sustainable development.
Antoine's dedication to social and environmental justice earned the 2023 University of Notre Dame Library Research Award for the paper, "Ultra-Processed Foods through an Intersectional Lens." Guided by Africana Studies Librarian Leslie L. Morgan and Professor Whitney Lew James, Antoine used library resources to examine the invisible forces driving underprivileged communities toward the consumption of ultra-processed foods. This work reflects a deep commitment to centering underrepresented voices and applying the principles of design justice.