L. Felipe Nino is a junior (’27) majoring in Political Science and Spanish with a minor in Latino Studies at the University of Notre Dame. A transfer from Vanderbilt University, Nino previously worked as a Research Assistant at the Center for Global Democracy and the Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) Lab, where he collaborated with USAID on the AmericasBarometer survey, analyzing democratic attitudes, governance, and public opinion across Latin America and the Caribbean. His research interests lie in democratization, armed conflict, and public opinion in Latin America, particularly Colombia and Mexico.
At Notre Dame, Nino works as a Research Assistant for Kellogg Fellow Dr. Joel Herrera on the project “Drugs, State-Building, and the Making of Criminal Power in Mexico,” which investigates the rise of drug trafficking networks and their impact on governance and civil society. Beyond research, Nino is an Army ROTC cadet and volunteers with the Veterans Law Clinic at Notre Dame Law School, as well as serving as a U.S. citizenship teacher at One More Citizen in South Bend. He previously interned at the Veterans Law and Disability Benefits Clinic of Harvard Law School, where he advocated for veterans seeking discharge upgrades and appealing VA eligibility determinations.
After Notre Dame, Nino hopes to attend law school and serve as a military lawyer in the U.S. Army, where he can apply his interests in international law, armed conflict, and military justice.
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