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Volume 56, Issue 69 | FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
Maggie Klaers and Ryan Vigilante | The Observer
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The observer | FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
ND plans for commencement ndsmcobserver.com P.O. Box 779, Notre Dame, IN 46556 024 South Dining Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556 Editor-in-Chief Alysa Guffey Managing Editor Aidan O’Malley Asst. Managing Editor: Mannion McGinley Asst. Managing Editor: Genevieve Coleman Asst. Managing Editor: Maggie Eastland Notre Dame News Editor: Saint Mary’s News Editor: Viewpoint Editor: Sports Editor: Scene Editor: Photo Editor: Graphics Editor: Social Media Editor: Advertising Manager: Ad Design Manager: Systems Administrator: Talent & Inclusion Manager:
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Lining the wa lls of the registrar’s office are boxes and boxes of diplomas, waiting to be handed out and hung on office wa lls. This weekend, the Universit y w ill confer 3,344 degrees to the Class of 2022 — including 2,066 undergraduate degrees, according to a press release. Universit y registrar Chuck Hurley said his office began planning for commencement weekend in Januar y. Most major departments on campus, from Universit y Events and Enterprises to the fire department and food ser v ices. On Sunday, the commencement ceremony w ill feature spea kers including Universit y President Fr. John Jenk ins, Uk rainian A rchbishop Bor ys Gudzia k, who w ill deliver the commencement address, Laetare Meda l recipient Sharon Lav igne, the va ledictorian and the sa lutatorian. Indiv idua l diplomas w ill be given out at separate College and department ceremonies. For the 13th year, the commencement ceremony w ill be held in Notre Dame Stadium, w ith the Joyce Center
ser v ing as the severe weather location. As in prior years before the pandemic, graduates have no limit on the number of guests they can bring to the ceremony in the Stadium. “Last year was an exception to that. Because of socia l distancing and the pandemic, students were limited on their tickets,” Hurley said. “But in ever y other year and this year, students have unlimited tickets to the Stadium. One year we had a student who brought 90 family members to the Stadium for commencement.” Hurley estimated that about 27,000 guests w ill descend upon Notre Dame for the weekend — close to ha lf of a home footba ll crowd. The stage at the ceremony w ill be located on the south side of the Stadium w ith the graduates lining the field in front. Hurley said the stage was moved to this end last year in order to create more room for guests to socia l distance and spread out. The Universit y kept the setup because it a llows for more of the Stadium to be used and both guests and graduates can see the spea kers on the v ideo screen above the stage.
Prior to the ceremony, graduates w ill gather by college around campus and then proceed dow n Librar y Law n and into the Stadium. There are about 27 other major commencement events over the weekend, w ith a number of sma ll celebrations. One of the most difficult cha llenges is planning for events to not overlap, Hurley said. “For example, we have families that have an older child graduating from Notre Dame Law School and the younger child graduating w ith an undergraduate degree, and so we have to ma ke sure that the law school ceremony isn’t at the same time as the undergraduate ceremony,” he said. Hurley noted that many people in his office either went to Notre Dame or have children at the Universit y and ta ke pride in continuing Notre Dame commencement traditions. “It’s not just something that we do. It’s a ver y, ver y big dea l to us, and I’m sure students appreciate that because I can see it on their faces that weekend,” he said. Contact Alysa Guffey at aguffey@nd.edu
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Today’s Staff
Ukrainian archbishop to speak Observer Staff Report Editor’s Note: A version of this story appeared in the print edition of The Observer on March 25. Ukrainian Archbishop Borys Gudziak will deliver Notre Dame’s 2022 commencement address, the University announced in a press release Wednesday. Gudziak, the highest-ranking Ukrainian Catholic prelate in the United States and president and former rector of the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) in Lviv, will receive an honorary degree at the commencement ceremony on May 15 at Notre Dame Stadium. Gudziak was previously the recipient of the Notre Dame Award in 2019. University President Fr. John Jenkins said in the release the University wfurther supports him as he speaks out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “The students, faculty and staff at Notre Dame have demonstrated continuing
Courtesy of Matt Cashore/University of Notre Dame
Borys Gudziak, the highest-ranking Ukrainian Catholic prelate in the U.S., will deliver the commencement speech to the class of 2022 and receive an honorary degree Sunday. solidarity with Ukraine over this past month, and I know that they will benefit from and appreciate hearing the words of Archbishop Gudziak at our graduation celebration in May,” Jenkins said. Gudziak currently serves as the Metropolitan-Archbishop of the
Lavigne awarded Laetare Medal Observer Staff Report
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Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy in Philadelphia. Gudziak was raised in Syracuse, New York, and his parents were Ukrainian refugees, according to the release. Gudziak moved back to Ukraine after his education and later helped to found UCU.
Editor’s Note: A version of this story appeared in the print edition of The Observer on March 28. Environmental justice activist Sharon Lavigne will receive Notre Dame’s 2022 Laetare Medal, according to a press release. The Laetare Medal — established by Notre Dame in 1883 — is the oldest and most prestigious honor awarded to American Catholics and is awarded each year at Notre Dame’s commencement ceremony. Lavigne is the founder and director of the faith-based grassroots organization Rise St. James. The organization fights for environmental justice in St. James Parish, Louisiana. St. James Parish is located in an area known as “Cancer Alley,” an 85-mile
Courtesy of Barbara Johnston /University of Notre Dame
Activist Sharon Lavigne was named the recipient of the 2022 Laetare Medal. region along the Mississippi River that is home to more than 150 petrochemical plants and refineries, according to the
release. Rise St. James campaigns against the addition and expansion of more facilities in the region, which has cancer rates about 700 times that of the rest of the U.S., according to the release. The release said the group is currently attempting to stop the construction of a $9.4 billion Formosa plastics chemical plant. Lavigne won the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2021 and was named to the 2021 Forbes “50 over 50” impact list. The Laetare Medal recipient is named every year on Laetare Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Lent. The recipient each year is a Catholic “whose genius has ennobled the arts and sciences, illustrated the ideals of the Church and enriched the heritage of humanity,” according to the Laetare Medal webpage.
News
ndsmcobserver.com | FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2022 | The Observer
Devin Diggs named valedictorian By BELLA LAUFENBERG Associate News Editor
Dev in Diggs, a neuroscience and behav ior major, has been selected as Notre Dame’s class of 2022 va ledictorian. Diggs w ill deliver the va ledictor y address during the commencement ceremony Sunday. Diggs hails from Olathe, Kansas, and lived in Dunne Ha ll on campus. In addition to his neuroscience major, Diggs completed a minor in education, schooling and societ y (ESS). He said the minor helped him to connect education w ith other subjects and a llowed him to concentrate on a subject outside of his primar y studies in STEM. “I k new that w ith medica l school in my future, my undergraduate time at Notre Dame would probably be one of the only opportunities to study something outside of science which is rea lly important to me,” he said. “The ESS minor is awesome in that it’s focused on the topic of education but v iewed through so many different lenses: literature, English, histor y, economics, psycholog y.”
Diggs said he hopes to continue his education by attending medica l school w ith the ultimate goa l of work ing as a psychiatric pediatrician. He plans to ta ke a gap year before going to medica l school. His neuroscience background has stimulated his interest in the developing brain, he explained. “My time at Notre Dame has definitely made me interested in pediatrics. I think one of my favorite topics that I’ve been able to explore at Notre Dame is developmenta l neuroscience and how the brain develops,” he said. “I’ve just loved neuroscience so much, I’m hav ing a hard time seeing myself leav ing it behind.” Diggs a lso participated in the neuroscience senior leadership committee. W hile on the committee, he said he mentored underclassmen, connected students and professors for research opportunities and started a neuroscience and societ y fellows program. A longside his academic focuses, Diggs was an active participant in many clubs and groups on campus, including ser v ing as a teaching fellow
for the popular introductor y philosophy course, “God and the Good Life,” ser v ing on class council and volunteering at loca l elementar y schools and hospita ls. His favorite extracurricular activ it y was contributing to The Shirt project. Beginning in 1990, The Shirt is an annua l fundraising tradition for the Notre Dame communit y. Students spend a year designing, marketing and producing The Shirt, which is then sold at the bookstore w ith the proceeds going directly toward improv ing the student experience. Diggs was involved w ith The Shirt committee a ll four years and ser ved as the president during the 2020-2021 school year. “[The Shirt] is just such an awesome cause, and it’s a lso just a fun creative outlet to be able to throw out cra zy ideas about what we could do,” he said. “I just am rea lly grateful I’ve been able to ta ke part in that tradition these past four years.” Diggs believes his focus on understanding the materia l in his classes led to his recognition as va ledictorian. “Ever y semester, I just tried
to set up a rea lly high standard for myself and a lways tr y ing to do my best. I’m a lways tr y ing to ma ke sure I rea lly understand the materia l on my coursework because I think there’s a sharp difference bet ween k now ing materia l versus rea lly understanding,” he said. Diggs said he a lways gave himself room for mista kes but never stopped aiming to put his best foot for ward. He added that he faced many difficulties in his academic career, especia lly in finding a school-life ba lance. “I think that especia lly earlier on in my academic career, it was rea lly hard to ba lance ever y thing that I was a part of and wanted to do,” he said. “I think for me I needed to rea lize that I may have to consolidate my interests, and it’s okay to say no to opportunities.” Dur ing commencement, Diggs w i l l deliver t he va ledictor y address to his fel low classmates. W hi le ref lecting on his speech, Diggs focused on t he responsibi lit ies t hat come w it h a Not re see DIGGS PAGE 21
Saint Mary’s announces speaker Observer Staff Report Editor’s Note: A version of this story appeared in the print edition of The Observer on April 20. Theologian M. Shawn Copeland will deliver the commencement address for the Saint Mary’s class of 2022, the College announced Thursday. Copeland is professor emerita of systematic theology in the Department of Theology and the program in African
and African Diaspora Studies at Boston College. She was the first African American and first African American woman to serve as president of the Catholic Theological Society of America and has spoken at Saint Mary’s before as the 2007 Madeleva Lecturer. College President Katie Conboy praised Copeland’s work as remarkable. “As a Catholic theologian, she has influenced generations of students, lay people, and clergy
across the world,” Conboy said in the release. Copeland will receive an honorary degree from the College alongside class of ‘85 alumna Mary L. Burke, who has been on the Board of Trustees for 16 years. “Her strong bonds and profound love for this institution and for a Holy Cross education has made Burke one of the College’s strongest advocates and most faithful servants,” the release said. In addition, Burke has served
on the Madeleva Society Steering Committee, Belles Varsity Club and the Mother Pauline Society. Also at the commencement ceremony, the President’s Medal will be presented to Kathyrn Schneider, the recently retired director of St. Margaret’s House in South Bend. The release noted that Schneider has helped create a decadeslong partnership between the College and St. Margaret’s House.
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HCC to award degrees Observer Staff Report Holy Cross will award three honorary degrees to David Wantz, John Nally and Barbara O’Connor at its 55th Commencement on Saturday, according to the commencement webpage. The three recipients will be honored in addition to the class of 2022 valedictorian, Miles Folsom, and the salutatorians for the natural and quantitative sciences, humanities and social sciences departments, Allison Hano, Dane Litchfield and Mireya Robles, respectively. Wantz, who will deliver the commencement address, is the president and chief executive officer of the non-profit organization Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI). The organization aids in fundraising, advocacy and development for Indiana’s 29 private, non-profit, regionally accredited colleges and universities. At his position, Wantz “advocates on behalf of Indiana’s students at the Indiana State House and Washington, D.C., and works to strengthen relationships with people and organizations who can assist the ICI institutions,” the announcement said. Nally is the director of education at the Indiana Department of Correction and has taught in adult and juvenile correctional facilities throughout his career, according to the announcement. O’Connor, a trustee at the College since 2014, is chair of the Academic Affairs Committee and was recognized in the commencement announcement as “the leading benefactor of the College in the last fifteen years.” The event will be held on Holy Cross’s campus at 2 p.m. Saturday, the announcement said. It will be live-streamed for those who are unable to attend in person.
University to confer three honorary degrees Observer Staff Report Editor’s Note: A version of this story appeared in the print edition of The Observer on March 28.
Notre Dame announced their honorary degree recipients and a recipient of the HesburghStephan Medal, according to statements released Thursday. The University announced former U.S. secretary of energy Ernest J. Moniz and current chief executive officer (CEO) and principal for Kinsale Management Consulting Kathleen McChesney will receive honorary degrees at the 2022 Commencement, according to a press release. Moniz and McChesney were supposed
to be recognized at the 2020 Commencement that was postponed due to the pandemic. Moniz, who will receive a doctor of science, currently serves as the CEO and co-chairman of the board of the Nuclear Threats Initiative and CEO of the Energy Futures Initiative. He is a long-time member of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) faculty, at one point serving as head of the department of physics. During his time as the U.S. secretary of energy from 2013 to 2017, he helped negotiate the Iran nuclear agreement, the release said. McChesney, who will receive a doctor of laws degree, previously had a 24-year career in t h e
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). According to the release, she led field offices in Chicago, Illinois, and Portland, Oregon before she was appointed executive assistant director of the bureau. From 2002 to 2005, she served as head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Office of Child Protection, helping ensure dioceses complied with laws and policies regarding the prevention, reporting and response of sexual abuse of minors, the release said. She also served as vice president for global security at the Walt Disney Company. The University awarded McChesney the Laetare Medal in 2020, recognized as the oldest and most prestigious honor
awarded to American Catholics. In addition to Moniz and McChesney, Notre Dame previously announced commencement speaker Ukrainian Archbishop Borys Gudziak will receive an honorary doctor of laws degree at the ceremony. Notre Dame also announced in a press release that trustee and alumnus John W. Jordan II “Jay” will be the second recipient of the Hesburgh-Stephan Medal. The medal, named after former University President Fr. Ted Hesburgh and the first chairman of the Board Edmund Stephan, was first awarded in 2016 to former Board of Trustees chairman Richard Notebaert. The medal is awarded to trustees who provide
“uncommon and exemplary contributions to the governance and mission of Notre Dame,” the release said. Jordan graduated from Notre Dame in 1969 before co-founding the Jordan Company, a private investment firm. He has served on the Board since 1993 and is the University’s most generous benefactor, with contributions upward of $150 million, according to the release. He led the Board’s Investment Committee for more than 20 years and led the “Boldy Notre Dame” capital campaign from 2004 to 2011, which raised $2 billion. The Class of 2022 Commencement is scheduled for May 15 at Notre Dame Stadium.
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The observer | FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
Former prisoner awarded HCC valedictorian By LIAM PRICE Associate News Editor
In his commencement speech, Miles Folsom plans to speak about willpower. Willpower, he said, can do and has done amazing things, including carrying him from maximum security prison to becoming this year’s Holy Cross College valedictorian. “If you try as hard as you can and you never stop trying, you will be amazed at how much you can get done and the things that you can get done,” Folsom said. “Willpower saved my life. It made me an artist. It allowed me to participate in creation.” Folsom was a student in the Moreau College Initiative, a collaboration between Notre Dame and Holy Cross providing college students incarcerated at Westville Correctional Facility the opportunity to work toward an associate of arts and eventually a bachelor of arts degree from Holy Cross. At the age of 15, Folsom was arrested and sentenced as an adult to 36 years in prison for
assaulting an acquaintance with a pistol during a drug deal with a prior crime of burglary also being used in the sentencing against him. “I was just some dumb kid who wanted to get high and sell drugs and live my life that way,” he said of his life before going to prison. “My mind was this very tiny black box, and I couldn’t see out of it.” For the first eight years of his sentence, Folsom was put in a maximum-security prison before transferring to Westville Correctional Facility, where he learned of and applied to the initiative. The application was rigorous and only 25 of 200 applicants were accepted to the program. “If you’re not on top of your game, if you don’t come prepared, you’re not going to get in. So those who do get in, they’re hungry, and you see it, and, man, I just loved seeing it,” Folsom said. Taking classes while in prison, Folsom said, was a unique challenge, and normalcy was hard to come by. “You’ve got to walk the
prison yard to get [to the Moreau College Initiative], you’ve got to walk past three or four guards, you don’t know if they’re going to put you on the wall and pat you down and harass you for con-
Courtesy of Miles Folsom
Miles Folsom was one of 25 applicants to be accepted to MCI.
traband that you never had,” Folsom said. With all the challenges, however, Folsom said he had more supporters than he could count along his journey. When he was 17, Folsom was featured in the documentary “Young Kids Hard Time” and
received letters and books from viewers around the world. “The kindness they showed me was instrumental to changing who I was. I sort of just dove into every book that I could find, in search of knowledge,” Folsom said. “And ultimately, I mean, instead of looking in books, I turned around and looked into myself, and I got down to my own problems, my own story.” Folsom also said the initiative was powerful in his development as a scholar. “The sense of community, the sense of brotherhood, the very intimate academic relations where a professor will really sit down with you and care about your ideas … I truly loved it, and I can see it blow almost every person that comes through the program away,” Folsom said. Graduating this spring with a cumulative GPA of 3.96, Folsom majored in the humanities and found growth as a scholar by reading and writing rigorous academic papers. Notre Dame professor of the
humanities Stephen Fallon, he said, was especially inf luential for him in two courses. While in Fallon’s “Shakespeare and Milton” course, Folsom wrote a thesis about the presence of acrostics in John Milton’s epic, “Paradise Lost.” That thesis led to Folsom becoming the first prisoner to ever be published in the Notre Dame Journal of Undergraduate Research in April 2019. In Fallon’s poetry course, Folsom explored the poetry of W.B. Yeats. Folsom’s 60page capstone paper, which he wrote for this course, attempts “to completely reframe the way that we interpret [Yeats’] poem ‘Leda and the Swan,’” he said. Upon graduation, Folsom plans to travel for a few months and then apply for a leadership position that maximizes his contribution to the common good. One project he hopes to carry out, he has previously said, is to one day build the “most humane prison in the world.” Contact Liam Price at lprice3@nd.edu
ND salutatorian discusses naval service By BELLA LAUFENBERG Associate News Editor
Morgan La Sala of Wayne, New Jersey, has been selected as Notre Dame’s class of 2022 salutatorian. La Sala majored in mechanical engineering and was a very active member of Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) during her time as an undergraduate. La Sala lived in Flaherty Hall for three years, serving as the Big-Little commissioner and as a member of the Welcome Weekend team for her dorm. Although ROTC became a defining characteristic of her time at Notre Dame, La Sala did not arrive on campus as a part of the program. She said she always felt drawn toward military duty because of her father’s time in active service but was not sure she was approaching the call for the right reasons. “My dad was in the military, I considered going to the Naval Academy, so I had some interest in the military, but thought I didn’t really want that. And then through these engineering explorations, I kind of realized I didn’t really want the typical job and that drew me back to the ROTC,” she said. After her first fall semester on campus, La Sala went to the Pasquerilla Center to enroll in NROTC. “I would see the people
walking around in their uniforms and that really inspired me, so I went over to Pasquerilla Center at the end of my first semester and just signed up,” she said. “It’s been a super awesome experience. I think it’s really helped define my role at Notre Dame.” La Sala said her time as a midshipman has helped her with her leadership skills and provided her with a support system of students with similar goals. “The people have just been amazing. You have this group of people that all have the same goal, that same desire to serve in the military, be part of something bigger than yourself. So you have that camaraderie which is really awesome,” she said. “You get a lot of different experiences, and it changes so rapidly. So, you really learn to be flexible, you learn to adapt, you learn how to make a new position your own.” La Sala will attend the trimilitary commissioning ceremony Saturday, where she will become a commissioned ensign. After graduation, she will head to Pensacola, Florida, and begin training to become a pilot. When La Sala first heard she was in the running for valedictorian and salutatorian, she said she was very surprised. “Coming in freshman year, I just wanted to do my best.
I really didn’t know where I would fall,” she said. “When I found out that I was in the running, I was actually pretty shocked just because every single person I run into at the school is crazy impressive ... you don’t really picture yourself as also being in that group.”
La Sala noted that she would not have been as successful as she is without her “incredible support systems.” “I know that I 100% wouldn’t be able to be here without my two parents, as well as my roommates,” La Sala said. “The people I’ve lived with have just made this experi-
Courtesy of Barbara Johnston/University of Notre Dame
Senior Morgan La Sala was named the 2022 Notre Dame salutatorian. She will offer the invocation at the commencement ceremony.
She expressed her deep gratitude for her fellow mechanical engineering majors and the challenges she faced as part of a difficult major. “The hardest part is that they push you out of your comfort zone, but it’s for the best because you come out stronger and you have something to be proud of after it,” she said.
ence so much easier and made it super fun. They’ve really allowed me to live the full Notre Dame experience.” As part of her selection, La Sala will offer the invocation prayer at the beginning of the commencement ceremony Sunday. La Sala said unlike the draft of her valedictory speech, writing the invocation came
easily to her. She explained that her prayer will contain three main sections: the journey to Notre Dame, the experience the class had while undergraduates and the call to continue being a force for good as they go out into the world. “In my prayer I really want to express a lot of gratitude for how we all got to Notre Dame,” she said. “Then, I want to express a lot of gratitude for while we were at Notre Dame, all those people that helped us out: roommates, professors that were an inspiration, hall staff that really supported us, families who were there from miles away on the phone or things like that … Then, looking forward, just asking for guidance to keep us on a path of doing good for others.” While reflecting on the lessons she learned at Notre Dame, La Sala said there were three main tools she believes will help her and all other graduates make a difference outside of the University. “I think three tools that can help guide us to make good decisions in the future are this community, this passion for service and the fighting spirit,” La Sala said. “You have the courage to do something difficult because the Fighting Irish showed you how to do that.” Contact Bella Laufenberg at ilaufenb@nd.edu
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ndsmcobserver.com | FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2022 | The Observer
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Saint Mary’s names six valedictorians By GENEVIEVE COLEMAN and MEGHAN LANGE Assistant Managing Editor, Saint Mary’s News Editor,
Six Saint Mary’s seniors will be recognized as valedictorians for the Class of 2022 at the College’s commencement ceremony May 14. The Observer spoke to the valedictorians about their journeys at Saint Mary’s and their hopes for the future.
Margaret Devitt Devitt, from La Grange, Illinois, is graduating with a degree in speech language pathology with minors in psychology and gerontology. After she was named valedictorian, she said she felt proud of the hard work that led to the honor. “I’m just so proud of myself for knowing everything that I’ve done to get to this point and where it has led me,” Devitt said. “It’s a phenomenal honor to receive.” Throughout her time at Saint Mary’s, Devitt participated in Student Government Association (SGA), more recently serving as chief of staff and secretary of internal affairs. She said she’s thankful for the perspective she gained from SGA. “That’s just been so great to be involved with campus life and [promoting] community activities and just honestly being able to check into the well being of students,” she said. “It just has really tied me into bigger picture things.” Devitt has also been a part of Dance Marathon all four years of college. Serving as vice president of merchandise on the executive board, Devitt has been a consistent fundraiser. “I’ve been top fundraiser all four years, which I was really excited about because my friends and family have been so supportive in donating,” she said. “I loved being on the other side of it, not just donating money but helping raise awareness and making this event happen, which was really important for me.” A capstone of Devitt’s speech language pathology degree was working with her own client in Saint Mary’s Judd Leighton Speech and Language Clinic last semester. Recalling her experience as a student clinician, Devitt said she was intimidated when she first started. “Last semester, I worked in the clinic and I had my own client, which was really intimidating at first because you’re like, ‘Wow, I’ve been learning how to be a speech language pathologist these past four years, but now I’m being asked to actually do it,’” she said. Still, Devitt credited the experience with teaching her how to become a better clinician. “It was the most affirming experience that I could ask for because it wasn’t easy. It was not easy at all,” she said. “But I got to work with this client from beginning to end and just see her progress and also see myself progress as a
future clinician and learn what it actually means to be a [speech language pathologist], not just from teachers providing information on the slides, but just like actually getting to do it.” When considering what advice to give to future students, Devitt recalled wanting to live up to her sisters’ academic standards while struggling with ADHD. She noted she eventually realized everyone’s college experience is an individual experience. “The most important part was learning how I can reach my full potential and not anyone else’s expectations,” she said. “It was really just learning what you want to achieve. Because whatever you want to achieve, it’s possible. You’re able to do it.” After her graduation from Saint Mary’s, Devitt will pursue her master’s in speech language pathology this fall at Rush University with the hope of eventually becoming a licensed practitioner.
Allyson Emmett Emmett will leave Saint Mary’s with degrees in Spanish and global studies with a concentration in anthropology. She was selected by the College’s Academic Leadership Council to give the commencement speech on behalf of the rest of the valedictorians. Emmett, from Fort Wayne, Indiana, said she was honored to receive recognition for her work at Saint Mary’s. “It really makes me proud, but also it’s humbling that I get to represent my class in this way,” she said. Emmett said she is grateful to be able to give the commencement address to her peers after receiving support from them during her college experience. “It is truly an honor to speak for my class, which is made up of so many talented and inspiring individuals,” she said. “I would not be in this position without being supported and challenged by other Belles, so I want to point out the efforts they’ve been involved in to make Saint Mary’s a better, more just place.” Emmett credited the support systems she found as a first-generation college student, especially in the Saint Mary’s Belles Connect Program. “Also just my peers at Saint Mary’s too have definitely pushed me to see that I deserve to be here just as much as they do, and I can still contribute in class and can be just as hardworking and smart as my peers, even though I don’t have the same academic background as them,” she said. Coming to Saint Mary’s planning to major in chemistry, Emmett soon realized her true interests were Spanish and global studies, especially after her time studying abroad in Seville, Spain. “I think I also came into college thinking I have to take certain classes in order to prove to myself that I was deserving of being at college, but then I realized that what I actually think is that college
is about pursuing your interests and so I just started to do that with my two majors,” she said. Emmett has been involved with Saint Mary’s Office for the Common Good (OCG) since her first year, working primarily in the Beyond the Belle literacy program. She described how the organization broadened her horizons, especially outside the tri-campus. “It also really helped me connect with the South Bend community, and I think bridging the gap between our students here at the tri-campus community and the South Bend community is really important,” she said. “So I’m really grateful that the OCG allowed me to bridge that gap for myself and for other students too.” Recently named an alternate for an English Teaching Assistant Fulbright Award for Spain, Emmett discussed how she developed a love for teaching through the Beyond the Belle Program. “I‘d never worked with kids before the Beyond the Belle program,” she said. “I didn’t really think I was interested in that. But just developing relationships with kids and going in every day and you know them saying, ‘Hi Miss Ally’ [and] giving me a hug sometimes, just really showed that I can make an impact, and they also can make an impact on me and help me be a better person.” Reflecting on her experience, Emmett recommended future students learn to be patient with themselves in college. “First off, be patient with yourself, and know that you don’t have to be the smartest person in the room to be proud of your journey academically in all the ways that make you a person,” she said. “I definitely am not the smartest person in every room. Definitely not at all. But you know my journey, and you’re really the only person that does. You should be proud of yourself.”
Grace Floerchinger Floerchinger will earn degrees in economics and environmental studies when she graduates from Saint Mary’s this week. When asked what it means to be a valedictorian, Floerchinger acknowledged both her dedication to her academics and the support of her professors. “It’s a testament to the hard work and dedication that I have put in but then also formulating relationships with my professors along the way,” she said. Floerchinger, from Rockford, Michigan, specifically referenced College professors Ari Farshbaf, Sianne Vijay and Cassie Majetic as sources of her success. Serving as the co-chair of SGA’s sustainability committee and the student representative on the Going Green Committee was a formative part of Floerchinger’s time at the College, she said. Both groups asked for her input on matters of College sustainability. “It’s just been really cool to see what the College is doing and really trying to implement, and I
think that’s just been eye-opening for me too, because it really goes to show that within the realm of sustainability, there’s so much that goes into it,” she said. Considering College sustainability efforts after her graduation, Floerchinger expressed a hope that environmental clubs will continue to grow. “It’s so easy to say all of these things, but really, there’s so much, and it takes a whole team and it’s something that will require continued input and effort, and I’m glad that the College has these clubs,” she said. “I’m hoping that they can be strengthened even after I leave because there’s still so much more room and progress that needs to be made.” She said having her time studying abroad cut short due to the pandemic in spring 2020 was another formative experience, though a difficult one. “I really learned how to cope with hard emotions, but still be grateful for the opportunities that we had,” she said. “And even in college, I was still so grateful that my freshman and into sophomore year still had a sense of normalcy and then you know, the storm hit.” After graduation, Floerchinger will work at Fannie Mae as a business analyst in capital markets. Imparting advice, she encourages current and future students to form strong bonds with their professors. “I think that the biggest thing for me and what I would like to say to future students is that professors are there to help you, they want you to succeed,” she said. “They want to be a resource for you on campus.”
Lauren Honkamp Lauren Honkamp was not expecting to be one of the valedictorians for the Saint Mary’s class of 2022. “I never intended on being valedictorian, up until I got that email, I didn’t even think about it,” she said. “I’ve just been doing my thing. and I’ve done really well, and I’ve put every ounce of my energy into the work I’ve been doing,” Honkamp said. Honkamp, from Rockford, Illinois, is a social work major with minors in gerontology and sociology. She always knew she wanted to work with people, but she did not know in what capacity. “I love people, and I really wanted to help people, which sounds generic, but I genuinely just want to be a helping hand,” Honkamp said. “Freshman year, I took an intro to social work class, and I really liked it and said ‘Oh, this sounds perfect.’” During her time at Saint Mary’s, Honkamp was the fundraising chair for SMC for the Spectrum, the autism awareness club on campus. She was also the president of the Social Work Club and a founding member of the Baking Club. She said her time at Saint Mary‘s has been challenging yet rewarding.
“It’s definitely had its ups and downs. I love Saint Mary’s in the grand scheme of things, but it was definitely difficult at times. At the same time, I feel like I was totally meant to come here. I was almost set up to go to another school,” she said. “But then I came and did another tour … I was like, ‘Something feels like I should be here.’” She said she is grateful for the educational opportunities Saint Mary’s has provided her. “I felt like I’ve been able to speak up in class and really be an active part in my education, and I’ve never been afraid to make the most of that. I feel like Saint Mary’s is very authentic. Girls are allowed to be very authentic,” Honkamp said. Part of this authenticity meant she and her roommates proudly displayed a cutout of Harry Styles in their dorm window at Le Mans Hall. “It was just so fun. We claimed [Harry] as our fourth roommate. I would hear people out the window, saying ‘hey’ to Harry, and I feel like we were kind of a staple that year,” she said. Remembering memories like these is bittersweet for Honkamp. “I’m so happy that I’m so sad,” she said. Honkamp said the friendships she has formed at the College will last for the rest of her life. “I’m so lucky that I was able to form friendships like this,” she said. “Being with this group of people and being so authentic, I feel like I’ve never been more myself than I have been here at Saint Mary’s. I’ve really come into myself.” Honkamp will continue her education at Loyola University Chicago, pursuing a graduate degree in social work. She will participate in the Advanced Standing Master’s Social Work program. When asked what she will miss the most about Saint Mary’s, Honkamp spoke about the comforting home feeling of the college. “I never imagined coming in freshman year that I would think of this place as my home, but it’s so comfortable here. Just the idea of leaving a place that just brings me so much happiness and joy, just walking down the hall and hanging out with my friends,” she said. “Being so close to the people I love all the time, I’ve always said Saint Mary’s is one big four-year sleepover with your best friends.”
Katie O’Hara Saint Mary’s graduating senior and New Lenox, Illinois, native O’Hara is another one of the six valedictorians who will be recognized at the Saint Mary’s commencement ceremony. O’Hara is majoring in business administration with a concentration in finance. “I don’t know what made me choose business. I think it was my mom that inspired me because she’s also in business. I went through the prerequisites of the business major… and something see SENIORS PAGE 21
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The observer | FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
Njomo-Bisner administration reflects on year By BELLA LAUFENBERG Associate News Editor
Editor’s Note: A version of this story appeared in the print edition of The Observer on April 6.
Allan Njomo and Matthew Bisner were elected in early 2021 to serve as Notre Dame’s student body president and vice president, respectively, for the 2021-2022 term. Along with Alix Basden, their chief of staff, the three said they started their term not really knowing what they had gotten themselves into. By the end, they said they gained an appreciation for their school and each other and have shared an incredible experience that they are immensely grateful for.
“The most immersive, intense lab you will ever be a part of” On April 1, 2021, Njomo, Bisner and Basden started their term. They had a big win early on. The University announced that MLK day would now be observed with a full day off for students, faculty and staff. Basden explained a lot of the work surrounding the observance of MLK day had been done before the beginning of their term by 20202021 Johnson Family Hall senator Eliza Smith. She said that Cassidy Ferrell, director of student empowerment, adopted the resolution when the Njomo-Bisner administration took over. The Senate passed a resolution calling for the full observance of MLK day in late March 2021 at the end of the Ingal-Galbenski term. The resolution was passed to the faculty senate and subsequently tabled until the fall semester. However, when the senate reconvened in the fall, the decision had already been made by the academic council, which Njomo serves on. The Njomo-Bisner
administration also worked to make University sexual health resources more clear to students. The team worked with University Health Services (UHS) staff and University graphic designers to make posters that show students the sexual health resources UHS offers. The posters were distributed to rectors to post in the dorms. The team also made tremendous gains in University affordability, working with programs such as the Office of Student Enrichment (OSE) and the Transformational Leaders Program. They worked with the assistant provost for academic advising to make tutoring more accessible. They also collaborated with administrators about the opening of the new Center for Diversity and Inclusion. The center will be located on the second floor of LaFortune Student Center and will combine the Multicultural Student Programs and Services (MSPS), OSE and the Gender Relations Center (GRC). The administration was similarly focused on the implementation of Callisto across the tri-campus community. Basden explained that Callisto’s model is based on the statistic that most people who sexually assault victims are repeat offenders. Students from all three colleges can report incidences of sexual assault and, if the offender’s unique identifier (such as their NetID) has been entered before, the victim student gains access to 10 hours of free legal counsel. “It’s a service for survivors, and it is a service that hopefully attempts to eliminate the phenomenon of repeated sexual assault instances on campuses by the same person,” Basden explained. Other accomplishments that occurred during the Njomo-Bisner administration were the founding of the interfaith council and the push
to divest from fossil fuels. The interfaith council, Njomo said, is a council of many major religious groups on campus including the Muslim Student Association, the Jewish Club and the Ansari Institute. “[The interfaith council] creates a space for dialogue about how we address and collaborate on different issues of faith that we see on campus,” Njomo explained. The divestment of fossil fuels by the University was a push that came from the student senate. Njomo said that the project was headed by the social concerns director Aidan Creeron and sustainability director Avery Broughton. The groups came together to pass a resolution in the senate and organize marches. Bisner noted that their work with the divestment push was mostly reactionary following the University’s commitment to become carbon neutral by 2050, which was in line with the Laudato Si’ action platform.
Proudest moments The team said they were especially proud of the Pridefest celebration that student government put on near the end of their term March 24 - 26. Pridefest, Njomo explained, was meant to create a space for the celebration of LGBTQ+ students on campus. The focus was on celebrations and promoting happiness, Basden said, because a lot of the events surrounding LGBTQ+ students have negative undertones. “The three pillars of Pridefest were education, celebration and healing,” she said. “We really envisioned something that wasn’t all about difficulty and wasn’t all about hardship.” Basden, who is the sister of a wheelchair user, said her proudest accomplishment is the conversation the team facilitated surrounding
accessibility. “We worked with the University architects to open up a lot of conversations about potential accessibility improvements in the halls,” she explained. “The fact that we got to choose to pursue it in this way is really meaningful to me.” Bisner said the project he was most proud of was reassembling Back the Bend, a full-day service project that hundreds of students take part in. Back the Bend, which took place the first weekend of April, hadn’t been done since COVID-19 shut down the University in spring 2020. They credited Mary Elizabeth Stern and Erica Maggelet with having done a huge amount of work to pull together the event. Njomo expressed his pride in the entire team of people they worked with, including the senate and executive cabinet. “I’m just proud of how everyone came together and worked diligently on what they were passionate about,” he said. “It’s one thing to have members in a team and it’s another to have those people fully devoted to their work and be able to tangibly track progress along those lines.”
Moving forward The three will head out on very different paths when their time at the University concludes in a few weeks. Basden will be a legal analyst at Goldman Sachs, an investment banking company. Bisner will be heading back to Mississippi to take a gap year before hopefully heading to law school. Njomo will be working as a consultant in the healthcare sector. They all explained that there are numerous lessons they will take with them into their respective careers. “I think what Notre Dame has taught me is patience,” Bisner said. “Patience either
to keep moving along with these multi-year projects or patience to deal with stuff as it comes up.” Bisner said he agreed with how one of his mentors had described the entire experience as an “immersive lab.” When asked if there’s anything else they’d like to add, the team, breaking down in tears, expressed their extreme gratitude to each other for the time they spent together and all that they accomplished. “I just want to continue expressing my gratitude for Matty and Alix. They carried me through this entire thing,” Njomo said. “Reflecting on our time, there’s no way I do this without them.” Bisner joked about the fateful conversation that started their entire journey. “Allan, I had a crazy idea, and I sat you down for lunch well over a year ago. I said, ‘Do you want to be president?’ and I thank God every day you said yes,” he said. Basden reflected on how the three became like a family over the year they shared together. “At the end of the day of the end of your time in college, it’s about where that time went, and so much of it went to these two goof balls. I’m just so happy, it’s been a privilege,” she said. She also noted how grateful she was for the passion her team exuded. “The strength of your team is your strength. Not only are Allan and Matty my biceps, my quads, my delts ... but also the whole team, the cabinet, everyone who was on their departments, the senate,” she said. “What you find is the strongest possible network of students who are passionate, who are involved and who are motivated, and that for me, it’s better than going to class.” Contact Bella Laufenberg at ilaufenb@nd.edu
College sees increase in graduates seeking jobs By LIAM PRICE Associate News Editor
Each year, the Career Crossings Office at Saint Mary’s administers the Graduate Destination Survey to examine post-graduation plans of its graduating class. The survey provides the College with information to compare with data collected later in the graduates’ careers, director of the Career Crossings Office Stacie Jeffirs said. “This is just a snapshot in time but then we do a one-year
survey where we collect data six months and one year out,” Jeffirs said. “Then we do a five-year survey just to see where they’ve progressed to after five years of graduating from Saint Mary’s.” Each year, the survey asks the same questions about activities after graduation and how graduates landed on their specific occupations. “Our questions are pretty standard. Every year we try to collect the same data,” Jeffirs said. Jeffirs said the survey also seeks to offer guidance for students.
“For those that might need additional guidance and assistance as they’re finishing up their last semester here at Saint Mary’s, we can reach out to those students as well,” she said. This year’s survey concluded that 70% of graduating seniors plan on entering the workforce, 20% plan to further their education in graduate or professional school, 5% will participate in service programs and 5% fell in the “other” category, indicating they plan on participating in post-grad internships and
fellowships or entering the military. Compared to last year’s class, the survey found a 5% bump in the workforce category, Jeffirs said. The bump, she explained, “makes sense because the job market is great right now so most people are probably going to want to go out and work.” Graduate school plans showed the same percentage as last year’s data, she said. It was plans for service, however, that dropped the most with the increase in students seeking employment.
Numbers from the survey generally remain consistent year after year, Jeffirs said, so the change is notable. However, with the current job market, Jeffirs and others foresaw the change. “Most of our years previous to this have been pretty steady in terms of numbers,” Jeffirs said. “It’s significant, but it’s not surprising. Given the job market I kind of already expected that this would happen earlier in the academic year.” Contact Liam Price at lprice3@nd.edu
News
ndsmcobserver.com | FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2022 | The Observer
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Senior ROTC cadets to receive commissions By REYNA LIM News Writer
After four years of spirited dedication to the balance of diligent training w ith academic courses at the Universit y, 45 senior cadets of the Reser ve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) w ill be receiv ing their commissions Saturday at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center (DPAC). For these graduating members of Notre Dame’s class of 2022, this w ill mark a pivotal transition in their careers, as they w ill be accepting their duties as officers in various branches of the US armed forces. Parker McDowell, senior cadet of Air Force ROTC and distinguished graduate, described commissioning as the culmination of years of extremely hard work. McDowell w ill be pursuing a career field which he described as the integration of Air Force leadership on airpower into the overall battle space. “Above all else, my classmates and I are seeking to be a force for good,“ he said in
an email. McDowell expressed how grateful he was for the students he under went his training w ith. “The friends I have made here are my second family, so I am not worried that we won’t make time to see each other again,” McDowell said. “We have helped build each other into our countr y’s future leaders, warriors, and defenders. I cannot wait to see my friends do what they have trained so hard to earn the priv ilege of doing.” Mitchell Kennedy, Army ROTC senior cadet and distinguished graduate, said that commissioning “ser ves as the perfect way” to end his time in the program. “It’s funny how the most difficult of circumstances can bring people together in such a special way, and that’s definitely been the case for me in ROTC,” he said. “To see all my hard work pay off in such an important moment in my militar y career, and to be able to share that moment w ith my friends, family and all those who’ve helped me along the way is something that means
the world to me.” After commissioning as a second lieutenant in the Army, Kennedy w ill be joining the Medical Ser v ice Corps branch of the Massachusetts National Guard while also attending medical school at the Universit y of Massachusetts. Kennedy noted the honor of being a distinguished militar y graduate, citing the “constant motivation and inspiration” from his instructors and peers as a critical part of his journey. “It has been my lifelong dream to be a doctor in the Army,” he said. “I can’t wait for the day when I’m able to treat soldiers and civ ilians alike around the world, and I know my time here at Notre Dame and in the Battalion has prepared me extremely well to do just that.” The tri-mil commissioning ceremony w ill be held in Leighton Hall in DPAC. This w ill be the ceremony’s official return to its traditional venue after t wo years of location adjustments caused by the pandemic. The guest speaker w ill be Lt. Gen. Kirk Pierce, of the
US Air Force, commander of First Air Force at Ty ndall Air Force Base in Florida. The graduating class of Air Force ROTC had three different commanders over their four years, which presented challenges as they led the Cadet Wing this academic year. Col. Car y Culbertson, commander of Air Force ROTC and professor of aerospace studies, said the cadets “rose to the challenge,” adapting to the change in training philosophy and strengthening the w ing. The core values of the Air Force read “Integrit y First, Ser v ice Before Self, Excellence In A ll We Do.” Culbertson said that the commissioning cadets “have instilled our Air Force core values and w ill continue to live by them.” Col. Nora Flott, commander of Army ROTC and professor of militar y science, noted that despite the unknow ns, the seniors “led w ith optimism.” “I’m impressed the most by the commitment our seniors have to the betterment of our Battalion,” she said.
The Army’s core values are “Loyalt y, Dut y, Respect, Self less Ser v ice, Honor, Integrit y, and Personal Courage.” Flott expressed her confidence in the preparation of the departing seniors. “I am 100% confident that these leaders are ready to lead our future Army, Nation and Communities,” Flott said. Capt. Lance Thompson, commanding officer of Nav y ROTC and professor of naval science, described this year’s seniors as “beyond resilient.” “They have overcome the challenges of balancing college and ROTC responsibilities, along w ith a pandemic,” he said. The core values of the Nav y are “Honor, Courage, and Commitment.” Thompson explained he believes the graduating class embodies these values. “They are driven leaders who have demonstrated outstanding potential as future Naval officers,” he said. Contact Reyna Lim at slim6@nd.edu
Seniors look ahead to vocations in religious life By PETER BREEN News Writer
W hile a large portion of the class of 2022 looks forward to the beginning of successful careers in the workforce upon graduation, at least eight Notre Dame seniors w ill be taking vows of povert y. Three seniors w ill be entering formation for religious life in the Congregation of Holy Cross, the order of priests and brothers who founded and continue to administer Notre Dame. Two men w ill join the St. Joseph Prov ince of the Dominicans and one other is planning to go the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. Two Notre Dame women be entering formation as well: one to the Sisters of Life and one to the Religious Sisters of Mercy. Fr. John DeRiso, the director of the office of vocations for the United States prov ince of Holy Cross, accompanies men between the ages of 16 and 34 who are considering a religious or priestly vocation. “Ever y year the Church is blessed to have Notre Dame seniors apply ing to formation in religious communities or in dioceses,” DeRiso said. Though Notre Dame is brimming w ith talented, creative, hard-working and lov ing students of diverse
backgrounds, it takes a special kind of person to discern God’s calling to a consecrated life, DeRiso said. “It’s about an encounter w ith the person Jesus and feeling and believ ing that one is called to follow the Lord Jesus in a particular way as a valid religious or as a priest,” he said. In addition to the Old College undergraduate seminar y, dubbed as “the smallest dorm on campus,” Notre Dame supports t wo discernment groups for men, an annual pilgrimage to Rome and backpacking missions. DeRiso explained that the “formation programs aim to assist men in answering God’s call and then to aid in forming them to be great ministersw for the people of God and also to be conformed to Christ more and more.” Jordan Chang, a physics in medicine major “for the fun of it” and a resident assistant (R A) in Stanford Hall, is one senior who has begun apply ing to the Congregation of Holy Cross. Chang, originally from Carmel, Indiana, is a member of the liturgical choir and w ill also graduate w ith a theolog y supplementar y major and philosophy minor. Despite this background, he says that it was not until the pandemic hit that the idea of entering religious life started to pop up
on his radar. As the son of doctors and coming from a large extended family full of medical professionals, Chang expected to go to medical school well into his sophomore year at Notre Dame. “The idea of ser v ice was impactful for me wanting to go into the medical field,” Chang said. In time, Chang remarked, the “love of physics drew me toward the beaut y of creation.” Chang said his aca-
“God has given me the gifts he’s given, set this vocation in my heart and has granted me the ability to carry it out.” Jordan Chang Senior
demic pursuits compelled him to contemplate the powerlessness of the self, realizing that there was something greater than him that he needed to depend on and have a personal relationship w ith. Over t he course of t he COV ID-19 lockdow n, Cha ng described hav ing more “t ime for prayer a nd t hin king about what I wa nt to do in my life. This desire [for relig ious life] kept g row ing a nd g row ing a nd a lot of it
connected w ith the idea of the complete giv ing of yourself to ser v ing people, to people of God and the Church.” Chang recalled that his experience w ith the Notre Dame communit y has included daily Mass, adoration and various methods of prayer such as the Lectio Div ina. He says these events have aided him in hearing God’s call. Singing during the Easter Triduum this year after being unable to do so the past t wo years due to the pandemic was one of Chang’s highlights of his time as an undergraduate. Hav ing not connected well w it h t he older priests at his midd le school, Cha nge has appreciated “being surrounded by young energet ic priests t hat a re relatable.” Fr. Pete McCormick, director of Ca mpus Minist r y a nd former priest-in-residence in Sta nford Ha l l, was cited as a n inspirat ion a nd a w it ness to t he joys of t he priest hood. For many, the most difficult part of swearing vows of povert y, chastit y and obedience is giv ing up the abilit y to start a family. Chang noted that he has found consolation in the fact that as a priest he w ill gain spiritual children and walk w ith people on their spiritual journey, helping them grow in ways he would have not been
other w ise able to do. “I found a lot of joy thinking about being free of worldly things to truly give your entire love to the communit y and the church so just that idea of the complete gift of self to ser ve God and the people stuck w ith me,” Chang said. Chang ref lected on how his experience as an R A made him realize his desire live in a communit y of brotherhood, obser v ing how dorm communities at Notre Dame are built off the Holy Cross communit y structure. “Each religious communit y has a particular charism and spiritualit y,” DeRiso said. “So, for Holy Cross, we would say our charism is to ser ve as educators in the faith and our priests are consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.” If Chang’s vocation is accepted by the Congregation of Holy Cross, he w ill enter Moreau Seminar y for formation in the fall, just a few skips from his current home in Stanford Hall. “A ll our journeys are just kind of tr y ing to accept God’s w ill in our lives,” Chang said. “God has given me the gifts he’s given, set this vocation in my heart and has granted me the abilit y to carr y it out.” Contact Peter Breen at pbreen2@nd.edu
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Notre Dame seniors enter changing workforce By ISA SHEIKH Associate News Editor
With almost 80% of graduating seniors reporting their postgraduation plans to the Meruelo Family Center for Career Development (CCD), early results indicate trends for the class of 2022 are similar to previous classes. According to data collected in a joint effort by the CCD and Office of Strategic Planning and Institutional Research (OSPIR), about two-thirds of students will pursue employment, onefifth of students will pursue higher education by attending law school, medical school or
other graduate programs and about 7% will engage in service. While these numbers are identical to data reported last year by the CCD, Ryan Willerton, associate vice president for career and professional development, stated in a media report sent to The Observer that seniors are entering a changing workforce following the COVID-19 pandemic. While two-thirds of students will begin their employment in person, approximately one third of students will have hybrid arrangements. Some — less than 5% of graduates — will have exclusively remote work. Willerton said graduates have
not been bound in their career options by their college or major. “Academic majors inform, but do not define, what direction our students take,” he said in the report. Employers hiring at least one student from three or more academic colleges include Deloitte, Pr icewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), KPMG, Epic Systems, Bank of America, Ernst & Young (EY), Boston Consulting Group, Amazon, Citi, Wells Fargo, McKinsey and Company, Oliver Wyman and FTI Consulting. Willerton highlighted graduates following strong pipelines already in place to select employers, naming Deloitte, PWC,
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About two-thirds of graduating seniors are pursuing employment upon graduation, similar to previous classes. The CCD and OSPIR work together each year to collect data on post-graduate plans for graduates.
KPMG, Epic Systems, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs and Microsoft, all of whom hired more than 10 seniors. “We are very proud to see the many ways our students have taken the first step to pursuing meaningful careers. While career success is not defined by the first destination, these first steps provide opportunities for students to leverage their Notre Dame education to serve others in many ways,” Willerton wrote. He referenced the effect the CCD had on internships students secured during their undergraduate careers. About half of students who have secured employment are returning to employers where they completed a summer internship. “Our team of career counselors has been supporting students needing assistance with securing their first destination after earning their degrees, and we will walk along every student who needs help,” Willerton said. Notre Dame graduates in the class of 2022 will be arriving in destinations “coast-to-coast and around the world,” Willerton said in the report. “Our graduating seniors have secured outcomes from coastto-coast and around the world. From New Orleans to Detroit, New York City to Kansas City, Atlanta, Chicago, and Los Angeles, our graduating seniors will find fellow Domers in the cities where they are starting their careers.” Seniors pursuing further education have accepted offers to dentistry programs at Harvard, Michigan and Pennsylvania;
advanced engineering programs at Purdue, Stanford and Penn State; advanced degrees in sciences at Cambridge, Duke and Ohio State; medical programs at Indiana, LSU and Northwestern; and law degrees at the University of Chicago, Cincinnati, Illinois, Pittsburgh, UCLA and Wisconsin. The Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) continues to be the most popular opportunity for graduates who complete post-graduate service. Willerton said the variety of post-graduation outcomes is a success. “We encourage our students to pursue a career that aligns with their values, interests, and skills. Based on survey data, we are seeing this.” He attributed graduate professional outcomes to the strong presence various members of the Notre Dame community have on each other. “None of this would be possible without admissions counselors, financial aid staff, healthcare professionals, rectors, academic advisors, professors, deans, Student Affairs staff, dining hall workers, custodians, landscape staff, ND alumni clubs, benefactors, and many, many more,” Willerton said. “We talk a lot about community at Notre Dame, and it is humbling to think about how many people have made a Notre Dame experience possible for our seniors to take the next steps in their professional careers.” Contact Isa Sheikh at isheikh@nd.edu
Senior Week draws record participation By GABBY BEECHERT News Writer
Editor’s Note: A version of this story appeared in the print edition of The Observer on April 25.
Senior Week for the class of 2022 begins Sunday, May 8, and a record number of students have signed up for this year’s events, senior class council president Timmy Gallagher said. Because the class of 2022 missed out on many traditions throughout the past few years due to the pandemic, Gallagher said the senior class council (SCC) and the senior week committee wanted to update events and improve the student experience. “We kind of doubled down on the really big traditional ones and then kind of went a newer route with the other ones that weren’t as popular,” Gallagher said. The week will kick off with a class Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, followed
by food, music and games on Librar y Lawn. This is the first year a Senior Week event has been planned for a Sunday, Gallagher said. Seniors will then have the opportunity to spend Monday in Chicago for the “Roars and Scores” event. The afternoon will be spent at Lincoln Park where students can access the Lincoln Park Zoo and then spend the night at the Chicago Sports Museum. About 700 students will spend the day in Chicago said Adam Bisignani, a member of the senior week committee. Seniors usually spend the Tuesday of Senior Week at a Chicago Cubs game. Last year, however, the class of 2021 was unable to travel to Chicago because of COV ID-19 restrictions, so they went to a South Bend Cubs game instead. Gallagher said this event was a great success, so the committee and the SCC decided to stay in South Bend for the baseball game again
this year. Not only is a South Bend Cubs game closer and cheaper than a Chicago Cubs game, but it is more accessible to students, Gallagher said. The game will also be more Notre Dame-centric. “They kind of customize the stadium with Notre Dame logos, they play the fight song. I think they’re going to do the alma mater at the end,” Gallagher said. “They’re going to bring down like Notre Dame students for the in-between games, so we really do V IP stuff.” The Commencement Ball will take place Wednesday at the Centur y Center in downtown South Bend. The ball is the most highly anticipated and talked about event among students, Bisignani said. Because many seniors were unable to attend the 86 days dance due to capacity limits of the Dahnke Ballroom, Gallagher said he wanted to make the Commencement Ball a memorable experience.
“We really want to make it really special, really good, really hype it up, get people excited, and I think it worked,” Gallagher said. “Talking to SAO workers and advisors ... I think we’re expecting like 2,000 people to be there.” Thursday includes a class picnic and then a Grotto trip. For many seniors, Gallagher said, the class trip to the Grotto is a ver y full-circle moment, as many students ref lect on their first class trip to the Grotto during Welcome Weekend their first year. “You go to the Grotto one last time with your class, with your friends and ever yone,” Gallagher said. “Fr. Pete will be there to say some words, say a prayer, stuff like that. And it’s kind of like a final send off.” This Grotto trip marks the end of Senior Week as the University commencement weekend begins Friday, Gallagher said.
Because planning the week is an elaborate process, the committee began planning at the beginning of the school year. Each member of the committee planned one day, and the SCC took on an advisor y role, Gallagher said. For bigger events like the Commencement Ball, multiple members of the committee were assigned to plan the event. Bisignani, who helped plan the events on Monday and Tuesday, said he is not only looking for ward to the events, but also to the student response. “It’s been ver y gratif ying just to see that people are excited, that people are talking about it and looking forward to the events that we’ve planned just because it is a whole year’s work that’s gone into it,” Bisignani said. “It will be exciting to see people enjoying the events and being a part of it.” Contact Gabby Beechert at gbeecher@nd.edu
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ACE fellows discuss plans for service By KATHRYN MUCHNICK News Writer
A lthough many students decide to enter the workforce or pursue advanced degrees after graduation, some Notre Dame graduates choose to spend their next t wo years in ser v ice. For Nora Maus, a senior joining the A lliance for Catholic Education (ACE) program this summer, there is no better time to dedicate herself to giv ing back. Maus is one of the 38 graduating seniors from Notre Dame and Holy Cross who w ill join the 29th cohort of ACE Teaching Fellows. ACE is a t wo-year fellowship program in which graduates teach in under-resourced Catholic schools across the countr y while earning a master’s degree in education from Notre Dame. After receiv ing her degree in neuroscience and behav ior, Maus w ill teach 2nd grade at St. Mar y’s Academy in New Orleans. She described being excited for “displacement” w ith her ACE teaching location. “One of the main reasons I was excited about ACE was that I didn’t know where I was gonna go, and it wasn’t really up to me,” Maus said.
“It’s up to the program and wherever they think I’ll best ser ve the communit y.” ACE interns or seniors apply ing on the fall timeline commit to joining the program w ithout know ing their placement location, said senior Julia French. The pastoral team at ACE, which is responsible for the personal and spiritual well-being of fellows, intentionally places students based on how they w ill fit w ith the school. French, who studied philosophy and education,
“The idea of giving yourself in an act of service to a community that needs you is something I find very appealing, very humbling Patrick Ryan ACE Intern
schooling and societ y w ith a minor in theolog y, ser ved as an intern for ACE. Interns work w ith the ACE team and help w ith internal planning and logistics. French has long held a passion for teaching and applied to be an intern after
realizing that she wanted to pursue teaching after graduation. “I think teaching is particularly what I’m gifted in and what I enjoy doing,” French said. “It’s the most effective and beautiful way that I’m called to give back to someone else.” Similarly, mechanical engineering major Patrick Ryan, also an ACE intern, discussed the process of choosing to teach instead of joining the industr y. “I knew I would regret it if I didn’t tr y teaching,” he said. “The idea of giv ing yourself in an act of ser v ice to a communit y that needs you is something I find ver y appealing, ver y humbling.” ACE fellows spend their summers in communit y as a cohort. For the first half of the summer, fellows take classes for their master’s of education, learning classroom management strategies and how to w rite lesson plans. For the second half of the summer, fellows work in South Bend public schools w ith another South Bend teacher. This is part of a practicum to give them experience before mov ing to their placement location. “[The placement locations] are all communities
that need teachers, and more importantly, they need great teachers,” Ryan said. “ACE does a good job of preparing you to teach and show ing you the work that you need to put in to teach well.” The summer programming also prov ides fellows an opportunit y to get to know their cohort members. Once the next semester begins, fellows live and teach in groups of five or six in their placement location. Ryan described the excitement surrounding the first retreat for the 29th cohort of ACE. “It was really a wonderful moment realizing that these [people] are my family for the next t wo years,” he said. “ACE really promotes communit y and promotes intentional time spent w ith good people.” Not all ACE fellows continue to teach after the completion of their t woyear program. For example, ACE intern Ror y Jasper, who majored in political science w ith a minor in gender studies, plans to pursue a career in education policy after completing the ACE program. “ACE’s mission is not for you to be a teacher for the next 30 years,” he said. “It’s
kind of a pilot program where they elevate you for that next endeavor in your life.” Jasper applied to ACE so that he can have classroom experience to inform his work in politics. He w ill be teaching middle school social studies and religion at the Academy of St. Benedict the African in Chicago. Like many ACE fellows, Jasper was inspired by his former teachers. “I thought me going to school was just a number for the government until I had a teacher that stood in the trenches w ith me to ensure that I was given the best opportunities,” he said. Jasper said his seventhgrade teacher, a Notre Dame graduate who participated in the ACE program, motivated him to pursue teaching. “Hav ing a teacher that wasn’t just a teacher but someone that stood in solidarit y and kinship w ith me . . . really cr ystallized the ACE program for me,” Jasper said. “I’m excited to help my students live up to t heir God-given potentia l,” he added. Contact Kathryn Muchnick at kmuchnic@nd.edu
Graduates receive competitive fellowships By RYAN PETERS Notre Dame News Editor
More than 30 graduating seniors have won competitive fellowships and scholarships to participate in post-graduate programs in a variety of fields this year. Among the awardees, 19 received a Fulbright award, six received a National Science Foundation (NSF) fellowship and two received a Yenching fellowship. Notre Dame was named one of the top producers of Fulbright Program students for the eighth consecutive year, according to a press release. With 26 total Fulbright recipients, Notre Dame finished second overall among U.S. institutions. The Fulbright Program is an educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government. Fulbright students can study, conduct research or teach English abroad. Alena Coleman is one of the graduating seniors who received a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in 2021-2022. Coleman, a Spanish major who lives in Lewis Hall and is originally from Evansville, Indiana, plans to travel to Uruguay in 2023 to teach English.
Coleman’s program will last nine months. She will start teaching English in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, before she is placed in one of the more rural provinces in the countr y. Coleman decided to go to Uruguay after learning about the literature produced in the region and the culture. She said she was also drawn to the strong education system. “I thought it’d be really great to learn from those teachers and kind of see how their system works because they also teach foreign education or like foreign language from really early [on],” Coleman said. In Uruguay’s education system, students are expected to display competence in three languages by the time they graduate high school, she said. “It’s a new goal they have, so I wanted to be part of that and I thought that would be just interesting to learn how they teach language there,” Coleman said. Coleman received a Gilman Scholarship last year to participate in an internship in Chile helping Chilean students apply to American universities. Due
to the pandemic, Coleman’s internship was virtual. Jeffrey Thibert, the director of the Flatley Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement (CUSE), said the fellowships and grants students can apply for with the help of CUSE allow them to apply their education to the real world. “I think the kinds of opportunities that we support are the kinds of opportunities that give students a real chance to start enacting their mission in life outside of the classroom,” Thibert said. Thibert said students should view the funding opportunities as a means to an end to discover and begin working toward their goals in life. “So for us, these fellowships, I think are always a means to an end, you should never apply just to get the award or just to get the recognition, you should apply because they’re going to help you get to a place that allows you to achieve what you want to achieve in the world,” Thibert said. Senior Robbie Frei, a mechanical engineering major who lives in Keenan Hall, will use his NSF graduate
research fellowship to pursue a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at Stanford University. Frei is minoring in design and hopes to dis-
lot of fulfillment out of seeing what I work on out in the real world,” Frei said. “And that connection is less tangible for academic research,
“I think the kinds of opportunities that we support are the kinds of opportunities that give students a real chance to start enacting their mission in life outside of the classroom.” Jeffrey Thibert CUSE Director
cern a career path that allows him to balance the more artistic and human-centered side of design with the mathintensive side of robotics. Frei serves as president of Enable ND, a club that creates 3D-printed prostheses. He said he hopes to work on a research project that involves improving surgical interfaces for people. “Because there you have a ver y technical robotics challenge that’s also mirrored with a level of human understanding, and I’m looking for ward to some of that work,” he said. Eventually, he wants to work in research and development for a company. “Just from my design classes and Enable, I find I get a
especially in robotics.” Five seniors finished as finalists for the Rhodes Scholarship. None of them won the award; however, one alumnus received the Rhodes Scholarship this year. In addition to enabling students to get out into the real world, Thibert said these fellowships and scholarships ref lect well on the University. “Having students from Notre Dame get this kind of recognition says a lot about the University,” he said. “It does a lot to, I think, enhance the University’s reputation even above where it already is.” Contact Ryan Peters at rpeters5@nd.edu
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College presents Outstanding Senior Award By GENEVIEVE COLEMAN Assistant Managing Editor
At the annual Alumnae Association Board of Directors’ Champagne Brunch on Monday, Sophia Sanchez was presented with the 2022 Outstanding Senior Award. Sanchez was presented the 2022 Outstanding Senior Award on Monday for her work in establishing the College’s LGBTQ+ Center and creating a more equitable campus. Sanchez is graduating with a double major in gender and women’s studies and sociology with a concentration in criminology and minors in intercultural studies and U.S. history. In a press release, the College described the characteristics it seeks in award winners. “The recipient of the Outstanding Senior Award exemplifies the spirit and values of her school and is distinguished by scholarship, leadership, and outstanding dedication to Saint Mary’s through participation in both curricular and extracurricular activities,” the press release said. “As the valedictorian represents the mind, and the Lumen Christi recipient reflects the soul, the Outstanding Senior embodies the heart of Saint Mary’s.” Sanchez noted her pride in receiving the honor, despite that she did not expect to receive it. “It is such an honor to be named
Outstanding Senior,” Sanchez said. “It definitely gives me the feeling of imposter syndrome. I was not expecting it since I waited until my senior year to be involved on campus.” Sanchez said she was honored to receive the award, especially as a student of color at a predominantly white institution. “It is a privilege to receive this
Courtesy of Saint Mary’s College
Sophia Sanchez won the 2022 Oustanding Senior Award.
recognition since there are so many other seniors who have contributed so much to the Saint Mary’s community,” she said. Describing how she originally heard about Saint Mary’s, Sanchez said she learned about the College from people in her hometown. “When I was a junior in [high school], I had first heard of Saint Mary’s,” she said. “Some people
from my city, San Antonio, had attended Saint Mary’s, and I really didn’t know much about it. I visited my senior year on a whim and fell in love with the campus. I had no idea what kind of college it was or what it specialized in, but I felt a connection as soon as I stepped on campus.” Coming to Saint Mary’s as a first-generation student, Sanchez described the persistence she needed to attend college. “Being a first-generation student means rolling with the punches,” Sanchez said. “I didn’t even know what it meant to be first gen until my second year of college.” Sanchez said she had to learn college readiness skills by herself until the Office for Student Equity was established. “Since my parents did not attend college, I really just didn’t know what to expect,” she said. “I had to just learn on the go for the most part. No one teaches you how to study or how to budget, but the Office for Student Equity does a great job on educating students here.” After using the resources found in the Office for Student Equity and the LGBTQ+ Center, Sanchez described how she felt a sense of belonging on campus. “I had no idea that it was created for students like me,” she said. “After it opened, I realized how much of a positive impact it would have on the Saint Mary’s community. When I first came to
Saint Mary’s I felt like I didn’t belong, and I think it was because we did not have a place for me. The Office for Student Equity and the LGBTQ+ Center were spaces created for me.” Sanchez discussed what the LGBTQ+ Center means to the Saint Mary’s community. “One of the most impactful things that I have been involved in is opening the LGBTQ+ Center,” she said. “It really was such a monumental moment in the Saint Mary’s community. It touched so many people including faculty, staff and alums. It was not only a healing moment for alums but a pivotal point for the Saint Mary’s community as a whole.” Recalling when vice president for equity and inclusion Redgina Hill asked her to join the center’s planning committee, Sanchez said she did not realize it would be completed before she graduated. “When [Hill] asked me to be the only student on the planning committee, I was really honored,” Sanchez said. “I did not think something like this would happen while I was at Saint Mary’s. As a student on the planning committee I was able to help conceptualize the center itself and plan the Sense of Belonging celebration. It really was a moving moment in SMC history that will always be in my heart.” Sanchez also hosted a transgender inclusivity workshop last semester.
“Creating the transgender inclusivity workshop was just another extension of me bringing discussions of inclusion and equity to campus,” she said. “I just wanted to bring visibility to a group of people who are often overlooked at an all-female campus. I hope Saint Mary’s will continue to uplift voices that are underrepresented and belong to minority groups. I have no doubt that they will continue to transgress boundaries and create positive change.” Speaking to future students, Sanchez gave the simple reminder that they belong at Saint Mary’s. “My advice for future students is that you belong here,” she said. “There is no student who is not worthy of being here. As a firstgeneration student I would always suggest to follow your own dreams. Try not to let others, even your parents, dictate your decisions in college.” Sanchez emphasized the need for all students to feel visible while they are in college. “Once I found my place on campus, it was easy for activism and change making to follow. I really just want future students like me to feel like they belong. I want students to be able to just be visible while here,” she said. “College is not easy and having spaces and people to support you will hopefully make it that much easier.” Contact Genevieve Coleman at gcoleman01@saintmarys.edu
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University awards nine student leaders By EMMA DUFFY News Writer
Among all of the high achieving students graduating from the University this year, nine were selected to receive senior leadership awards. Interim director of Student Activities Office (SAO) Maureen Doyle explained these students demonstrated commitment to their areas of expertise and have gone through a nomination process to be bestowed with this award. “Annually, the Student Leadership Awards recognize undergraduate students who best exemplify the spirit of Notre Dame in social, recreational, residential, service and religious activities that promote the welfare of the University and its extended communities,” Doyle said in an email. “Selection of the recipients of Student Leadership Awards is based on outstanding service on or off campus through participation in voluntary, selected and/or elected co-curricular activities with an emphasis on quality of participation.” One of recipients was Amaya Medeiros. During her time at Notre Dame, she was involved in student government, serving as the director of diversity and inclusion during the NjomoBisner administration in the 2021-2022 term. While working in student government, she was a part of the group advocating for the University to fully observer Martin Luther King Jr. Day, planning the 2021 Race Relations week, bringing ethnic hair products to The Huddle, working with the University Counseling Center
(UCC) to create a students of color support group and campaigning for Notre Dame to fly the Potawatomi flag. Medeiros said she did all of her work in an attempt to make the University a better and more inclusive place for the students. “I feel like when you’re stepping into any sort of leadership role on campus, that everyone has this goal of trying to enhance or better the school climate,” Medeiros said. Neila Gross is another senior that received this leadership award. She said she also expressed that the work she did was not for her benefit, but as a way to help those around her. Gross’s work was not centered on campus but during her time abroad. Gross had studied in Rwanda — a time she said was very transformative for her. While abroad, she taught students from grades five through seven. While she was teaching, she said she found out her students didn’t have any access to the internet. Gross said she started a GoFundMe, where she was able to raise enough money to almost buy the school a new computer lab. “When I got the award, I started crying,” Gross said. “I’ve spent years volunteering in Africa, and I never do it for myself.” Alix Basden was also chosen for the award. Basden has spent all four years of her undergraduate work involved in student government working in FUEL, as a part of the executive cabinet and as a field director. Along with this, Basden took part in the Junior Class Council and acted as president of Howard Hall. Despite
having an extensive resume, Basden said she recognizes this is not what she was chosen for. “What felt the most valuable about [the award] was that a lot of what they read off about me was more about how I like to get to know people and less about those concrete achievements metrics — GPA, involvement, jobs, internships,” Badsen said. Álvaro Carrillo Marcano, another recipient of the leadership award, undertook his work with a similar mindset when co-founding the Puerto Rican Student Association. The club has created a place for Puerto Rican students to come together; as a group, they raise money to help after natural disasters, order authentic Puerto Rician food, host informational panels and more. Carrillo Marcano said he is happy to be able to leave a lasting impact on Notre Dame “I was more grateful that we’re creating something here that’s gonna last,” Carrillo Marcano said. “We put in the time, and we put in the effort and it was something that really helped us.” The other co-founder of the Puerto Rican Student Association, Adolfo Serbia Ortiz, was also recognized with the award. For Serbia Ortiz, he said just wanted to bring awareness of the Puerto Rican community to Notre Dame. Along the way, he said this club benefited him just as much as the Notre Dame community. “I enjoy spending time with members of the Puerto Rican community, and it helps me feel closer to home — especially here in South Bend,
where it’s way too cold for my taste,” Serbia Ortiz said in an email. Marty Kennedy was another student recipient of this award. He expressed his intentions to create an inclusive community and let the mission of Stanford Hall and Irish Gardens be known across the University, not just to a select few. Kennedy has been the general manager of Irish Gardens and an resident assistant (RA) in Stanford Hall this year. He was also involved in Stanford Hall government in the past. “[My goal was] to make sure that whoever walks in the doors of Irish Gardens — employee or customer — and whoever walks into Stanford Hall, being a resident or a friend of a resident or a family member of a resident or a random person, [to ensure] we are showing them that same love that we show to others and that so many people showered to me,“ Kennedy said. Andre Wilson is another recipient of the award and he said is grateful for the group around him. His main leadership role was acting as president of Wabruda. This club provides a safe space for Black men on campus, and Wilson encourages those who are interested to attend meetings on Sundays. He said he is thankful for the club and all the people within it that gave him guidance along the way. “It wasn’t just me doing stuff, so I sent something to my board saying thank you to them, even thank you to all of the group, because without any of them I wouldn’t have gotten the award,” Wilson said.
Aysha Gibson was also given a student leadership award for her work. This work included being the president of the Notre Dame Medical Observers, working with Self Healing Communities, work with the Center for Social Concerns, interning for the Covenant House New Orleans and being active in the Balfour-Hesburgh Scholars program. Her work is extensive, and she said Notre Dame is the reason she had the ability to go down all of these avenues. “I’m passionate about a lot of things,” Gibson said. “I really just try to dip my toes into as many things as possible, and Notre Dame has provided so many opportunities for me to follow these passions.” The last award recipient, Anthony Reo, has been recognized with the award after working as the station manager for NDTV. Along with this, he also was involved in the Swing Club and served as an RA in Baumer Hall. Reo recognized it was a very special feeling to be bestowed with this award. It was never something that he actively sought out, when coming to college he explained that he tried to expand his horizons past the small options he had in high school. Besides this reaction, Reo said was most surprised at the people who came together to nominate him for this award. “I think the biggest thing is just how touched I was about the amount of people that worked together on this nomination,” Reo said. Contact Emma Duffy at eduffy5@nd.edu
Hanson looks back on term as SGA president By MEGHAN LANGE Saint Mary’s News Editor
Seniors Eleanor Hanson and Adriana Salgado served as the SGA student body president and vice president, respectively, for the 2021-2022 school year. The now graduating seniors ref lected on their time leading the Saint Mary’s community. Hanson and Salgado will both receive a Bachelor of Arts in communications and minors in public relations and advertising. When asked what they had planned coming into the 2021-2022 school year and what they hoped to achieve this year, Hanson responded by email, saying her administration wanted to create more opportunities for the students and maintain The College’s values post-pandemic. “We wanted to continue the Saint Mary’s values by
creating more opportunities for students by engaging with students,” Hanson said. “We also wanted to give students the opportunity to use their voice in comparison to years past. We have also worked closely with the new president, President Katie Conboy, to make [the] overall student experience better as we have transitioned from the pandemic.” In their first few months of the school year, the duo focused efforts on promoting the inauguration of Saint Mary’s College President Katie Conboy, which took place in October. They then placed focus on supporting committees. “We knew we [would] plan and promote the inauguration of our 14th President Katie Conboy,” Hanson said in the email. “However, our main goal was to help our committees with the
planning of their events and become more involved with the tri-campus community and our big boards on campus,” Hanson said. When asked what they thought their biggest accomplishment was this year, Hanson responded that the pair believed it to be the inauguration. “We were so blessed to play such an active role in the planning process, and it was a once in a lifetime experience,” Hanson said. However, the duo did not get to do everything they set out to do. “We wanted to put on a Pride fest event, but it was too last minute, so we hope the next president and vice president can put together an event like that to show our school support and representation,” Hanson said. When asked if they had any advice for the new SGA
student body president and vice president, Hanson said she would advise the new term to work as a team and stay organized. “Learn to lean on each other and your team. This is not a job that you can do alone,” she said. “Make sure to stay organized and openly communicate with everyone involved in planning events and initiatives. Make sure to cherish your last year here and enjoy every minute.” Hanson also spoke on how Saint Mary’s impacted the pair over the years. “Saint Mary’s helped us find our voices and passions,” she said. “Our experience at Saint Mary’s has prepared us for the real world and we will never forget the people and memories we are leaving behind.” Hanson said she will miss Saint Mary’s as a whole but will also miss the small
things about the school, such as “the small moments of enjoying time with friends such as going on walks down the [Avenue], going to late night breakfast and movie nights — overall being a part of such a supportive community.” After graduation, Hanson will be working as the Marketing Communications Coordinator for Notre Dame’s Alumni Association. Salgado will go on to continue her education by pursuing a master’s degree in non-profit administration at the University of Notre Dame. Hanson had a few final words for the Saint Mary’s community: “Thank you for your continual support. You have made our time as Saint Mary’s [SGA] president and vice president worthwhile. Thank you for every minute.” Contact Meghan Lange at mlange03@saintmarys.edu
News
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Maggie Klaers | The Observer
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Seniors Continued from page 5
about finance stuck with me,” O’Hara said. As a first-year, O’Hara was a member of the Residence Hall Association (RHA) and served on the events committee. She also participated in Future Business Leaders of Saint Mary’s and was on the financial council for student government. O’Hara also served as a Resident Advisor (RA) for the past three years, in Le Mans Hall for two years and Opus Hall for her senior year. O’Hara said she chose Saint Mary’s after her mom introduced her to the College. “Initially when I was looking at schools, I was looking at big schools like Indiana University, just a fish in the sea type schools,” she said. “My mom introduced to me to Saint Mary’s because she had three Saint Mary’s alumnae in her office, including her boss. So, she was like ‘I’m surrounded by smart, powerful women and I think this would
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be a good fit for you.’” O’Hara recalled the Smick Rally as one of the defining moments of her time in college. “There was just something about it that made me feel like it made our community grow stronger, and reclaiming that word, that name that has been used to degrade our intelligence or discredit our choice in attending an all-women’s school, really stood out to me,” she said. “I’m proud to call myself a smick, there’s a pride in saying it now.” She said the Saint Mary’s community had a major impact on her development throughout college. “The professors just want to see us go further than just going to class or completing assignments, they want us to do good. They want to set us up with jobs, they want to do anything that they can to prepare us to do better,” she said. “It sets the foundation for Saint Mary’s as such a strong community, and you see it through your peers and your friends supporting you.” O’Hara said she was shocked
when she found out she was going to be one of the valedictorians for the class of 2022, giving the honor to those who supported her along the way. “It makes me really proud that I have kept the 4.0 [grade point average] throughout my time at Saint Mary’s, but I think it’s just a testament to the support system that I’ve had and everybody who has helped me push to keep my grades as they are,” O’Hara said. “That’s what Saint Mary’s is though. If you were to go up to somebody and say you need help, if they can’t help you, they will find somebody who can. It’s just amazing to have a network of people who are working together to support us and to see us become the best versions of ourselves,” O’Hara said. After graduation, O’Hara will work in Chicago as an associate analyst in United Airlines’ financial planning and analysis division.
Emily Tobias After graduating from Saint Mary’s in December with a
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bachelor’s degree in statistical and actuarial mathematics and a minor in computer science, Emily Tobias was announced as one of the class of 2022 valedictorians. During her time at Saint Mary’s, Tobias, from Wheatfield, Indiana, was an active member in the math and computer science club. She served as both secretary and later vice president of the club. Tobias also took part in two different choirs at Saint Mary’s. She was an alto in the Chapel Choir and a second soprano in the Women’s Choir. Tobias said she ended up going down the statistical and actuarial mathematics route after her high school choir introduced her to the career path. Although she does not plan on pursuing a career as an actuary, Tobias said she is grateful she completed the major. “[My teacher] stopped me in the hallway one day and told me that I should consider choosing actuary science. She said I would be perfect for that kind of career because I’m very analytical. Although I no
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longer wish to be an actuary, I’m still glad I went down this route,” she said in an email. Tobias spent her summers during her undergraduate years completing research for Michigan State University and interning at the Naval Surface Warfare Center for the U.S. Navy as a civil servant, according to a press release. She said being named one of the valedictorians was a surprise. “Becoming valedictorian wasn’t one of my goals … I had no ideas that I was ever on that track to become valedictorian,” Tobias said in the email. After graduating this winter, Tobias started a full-time job at Epic, a privately held healthcare software company located in Wisconsin. Tobias will be one of the five valedictorians whose speeches will be pre-recorded and posted online. Due to the large number of valedictorians, only one, Emmett, will give a speech at the May 14 commencement ceremony. Contact Meghan Lange at mlange03@saintmarys.edu and Genevieve Coleman at gcoleman1@saintmarys.edu
Diggs Continued from page 3
Dame education. “With our Notre Dame degree, there comes a responsibility to stand up for what is right and to amplif y the voices of others that may not be heard,” he said. “It’s also important to make sure we don’t let our relationships slip with each other and with our families because those are what sustain us through the hard times.” Diggs said the two main lessons he will take away from his time at Notre Dame are the importance of discerning passions and building relationships. “W hen you have the luxur y of choosing, making sure that you’re passionate about what you’re doing. I know that that’s not always a decision we’re in the position to be making, but when you do have that choice, I feel that it really makes a world of a difference,” he said. “Making sure to recognize people as people is something I really tr y to make a part of my ever yday life.” Diggs also expressed his gratitude toward the people who helped him reach his highest potential. “I definitely never would have been here without the support of so many people; my professors for getting me interested in the topics that I want to pursue after graduation, my friends for listening to me externally process ever ything and just all the different mentors and supervisors [that] I’ve had through the different student activities,” Diggs said. Contact Bella Laufenberg at ilaufenb @nd.edu
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Deck the halls Adriana Perez Editor-in-Chief Emeritus
“Soon they’ll have the nerve to deck the halls / that we once walked through.” With graduation on the horizon, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this line in Taylor Swift’s “champagne problems.” I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the impermanence, the evanescence of our stay here on campus. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the passage of time, evidenced only by chips on the walls in dorm rooms, by the addition of post-its and newspaper copies to The Observer’s office walls, by eerily quiet hallways during Senior Week that scream of uncertainty and the future. Ever since I stepped foot on campus in 2018, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about how this place has seen so many people come and go. And every time I think about it, it’s like someone is squeezing my heart dry. It’s the feeling that something so mine is slipping through my fingers all the time (like the ABBA song). But it’s part of the whole college thing, I guess. How painfully bittersweet it is to have found something so wonderful that makes saying goodbye so hard. But I’m going to try. This is my goodbye column, after all. And I do have some wishes for the people coming here after I graduate — the ones who will deck the halls I once walked through. To the future residents of 303 Farley Hall: I hope you find your own Abby and Isabel to hold you during your darkest times and to share your most unreserved laughs with. To the next people to have a Chipotle picnic on Irish Green: I hope you find your own Dane to crack open Mexican Coca-Colas and endless inside jokes with. To the next people to share a pew at Milkshake Mass: I hope you find your own Sarah and Theresa to see flourish as they take on the world. To the next person doing the noon to 2
p.m. Irish Gardens shift on Wednesdays: I hope you find your own jovial Marty and your own little family in the basement of LaFun. To the next people to frantically sign up for classes at 7:30 a.m. (because you will always get that registration time, for some reason): I hope you find your own Professors Jones, St. Martin, Cajka, Cortez, Kelly, Reifenberg, O’Malley and Temple and their kindness, wisdom and boundless passion for teaching. Of course, The Observer herself has borne witness to countless generations of tri-campus students coming and going. She has seen scores of talented student journalists learn and grow and leave on to bigger things. She has forged friendships, unbreakable bonds of trust and love that are so hard to explain to others. On a corner of the bulletin board next to the Observer Editor-in-Chief’s office, a yellow tack holds a white sheet of paper. A cursory glance over the wall may miss the nugget of hard-won wisdom the piece of paper offers. “You stay up until three or four or five in the morning until everything gets done, and that was a really important training ground for me, to be wholly responsible for something every day and seeing it through to the end and having people in the newsroom be your best friends and totally trusting them — and that’s what we had to do.” This is working at The Observer, in the words of former Editor-in-Chief Michelle Krupa. And, honestly, I couldn’t put it better myself, even if I tried. To the next generations of Observer staff that get to stay up until ungodly hours in the surely haunted basement of South Dining Hall: I hope you find in this endeavor that you are part of something greater than yourself. I hope you find your own Alysa, Aidan, Manni, Gen, Allison, Abby, Maggie, Siobhan, Claire and Veronica to lead you gracefully and with love. To the next generations of Observer editors that get to take mid-shift naps on the old, old couch in the Editor-in-Chief’s
office: I hope you get fortunate enough to meet your best friends in this perfect little corner of campus, like I did. (Also, don’t lift the cushions. Believe me, you don’t want to see what’s there). I hope you find your own Evan, Colin, Issy and Nelisha to continually raise the bar for dedicated, fair and quality journalism at The Observer. To lead by your side and in your absence, to report alongside you, to have a way-too-personal “question of the day” ready before every Editorial Board meeting. To never fail to offer you thoughtful advice, a warm hug, a reprieve from a long night of editing. To trust wholeheartedly with difficult tasks that you don’t even trust yourself with. I hope you find your own Evan, Colin, Issy and Nelisha to be unhealthily codependent with. To drop first and last names with at the local Salsa’s. To make you cackle with glee at their quips and jokes (I don’t normally do belly laughs, but they sure can get one out of me). To love you unconditionally, even when you’re too mean or too annoying or you feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders. To never judge you for your faults but show you, kindly and gently, that these are lovable too. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would find any of this. But I did. And I hope you find it, too. Adriana Perez, Adri to her friends, is graduating from Notre Dame with a degree in political science and a minor in Journalism, Ethics and Democracy. She’ll be in Chicago over the next six months working as a reporting intern at the Chicago Tribune. Please send pizza recommendations, your favorite John Mulaney quote or your thoughts on the most recent Taylor Swift re-recordings to adrianamperezromero@gmail.com or @adrianamperezr on Twitter. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Thanks for the rainbows Evan McKenna Managing Editor Emeritus
I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder last month. I start with that not for the shock factor or for the sympathy, but because I can’t imagine another way to begin. Whether I like it or not, my experience with mental illness has colored my college experience in innumerable ways. This was especially true my senior year. Before I sought out support and treatment, my untreated depression was almost debilitating. I was failing classes. I stopped participating in clubs and extracurriculars. I failed to communicate with friends and family for months, choosing to spend most of my days alone in bed. At some point this past semester, I can confidently say I was at the lowest point in my life. I know my experience isn’t unique — in fact, there are probably hundreds of students walking across the Commencement stage this weekend that can relate to my experience. And I’m proud of every single one of us. My personal hero and confirmation saint Dolly Parton said it best: “If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.” Everything you’ve read thus far has just been describing the rain — now let me tell you about the rainbow. Although I didn’t join The Observer until my sophomore year and didn’t become truly involved until my junior year, I can say with full confidence that this newspaper was the single best part of my college experience. When I felt alone, The Observer’s sizable and ever-talented staff reminded me of all the people that will always have my back. When I felt disillusioned with the college experience and the Notre Dame community, my friends’ stellar and inspiring reporting reminded me of all the good on our campus. When I felt useless, my own stories in the paper helped me to remember that my words have an impact. It’s embarrassing to say, but at the worst of my depression, I had a number of “nothing weeks.” All week, for multiple weeks, I would skip all my classes. I wouldn’t get any schoolwork done. My interactions with friends were close to nonexistent.
But it was never quite nothing. Every week, I had at least one shift as the head editor in The Observer’s office, facilitating the production of our tri-weekly print edition. Once a week, I was in charge of putting the paper together and sending it down to our printing company. Once a week, my absence would mean empty newsstands all across campus. So even in my nothing weeks, I went. And some weeks, those shifts were the only thing that got me out of bed. When I became The Observer’s Managing Editor in March of last year, I committed to something much larger than myself — and despite the intensity of the job, that commitment kept me going. I might have lost faith in myself this year, but The Observer never lost faith in me. It seems like hyperbole to say that spending one night a week in the dark basement of South Dining Hall saved my life this semester, but it might just be the truth. After a long night of production, seeing the paper in our newsstands was enough to help me keep pushing forward. But the heart of my Observer experience has always been the humans behind the paper. I could write a novel detailing my love for the dozens of writers and staffers I’ve had the honor of knowing during my time here, but I want to dedicate this column to four of my best friends and fellow graduates: our former Editor-in-Chief Adriana “Adri” Perez and our former Assistant Managing Editors Colin Capece, Nelisha Silva and Isabella “Issy” Volmert. It’s difficult to describe the scope of what these four have done for me over the last year, so I’ll just tell you all the reasons why I love each of them. Adri is probably the bravest person I know. She’s insanely smart and is never afraid to speak up when she needs to. She feels very deeply, and she uses this to her advantage. She is empathetic to her core. She remained a successful and dedicated leader throughout a turbulent news cycle, and she has a knack for making every single person in a room feel valued. She cares immensely about her friends. I can’t count the number of times she’s checked in on me during hard times and brightened some of my worst days. She taught me how to be a better journalist, a better friend and a better human being. Colin has one of the kindest hearts I’ve ever seen. He
doesn’t talk much at first, but that’s only because he cares deeply about saying the right things. He’s a spectacular listener. He’s incredibly patient, too — I can remember at least two very late nights in the office when he needed to wait on me to finish my work before he could leave, and not once did he complain or make me feel guilty. For all the stupid sports questions we’ve asked him, he’s never talked down to us. He’s always willing to share his encyclopedic knowledge with a smile. Nelisha is one of the most interesting people I know. She knows so much about so many things, and I could listen to her talk for hours. She has the most contagious laugh. She’s often the first person I go to when I find myself in a sticky situation, and in our faux-therapy sessions she always provides the perfect amounts of advice, affirmation and tough love. She’s really fun to dance with. Some people say she’s intimidating, but I think she’s one of the easiest people to talk to. As a result, I bare my soul to her on the regular — and never does she judge me (even when she probably should). Issy’s drive has inspired me from the very beginning. On top of The Observer, she worked a campus job and participated in band, all while excelling at academics and still managing to be a dedicated and dependable friend. She’s got an ever-caring heart and a strong will. She knows what she wants and isn’t to seek it out by any means necessary. She’s effortlessly funny. Her journalism is brave and bold. She’s incredibly emotionally intelligent, and she always knows the right thing to say. She knows how to have fun. She inspires me to be a better person. At the risk of running this metaphor to the ground, these four people have been a huge, beautiful rainbow in the midst of a year of rain. It would be disingenuous to dedicate this column to anyone else but them, because they are wholly responsible for making my senior year special. I truly can’t express the scope of my gratitude. Thanks for the rainbows, friends. I’m gonna miss you. Evan is graduating with degrees in English and psychology and plans to pursue a career in journalism. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
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ICYMI: editorials, news and goodbyes Isabella Volmert Assistant Managing Editor Emeritus
To those may be new to the commencement addition, every year, the graduating seniors of The Observer write these columns as our final farewell. For mine, I would like to highlight the work of this past year’s Editorial Board at The Observer, and a few other pieces as well. Every full week of class, the Observer’s Editorial Board writes an editorial on topics timely to the culture of our communities. Topics have ranged from COVID-19 protocols to thanking the staff on our campuses. Our ed board consists of the top five editors and all the department editors, roughly 16 people in the 2021-2022 term, who take turns drafting the editorials. In case you missed it, here are some of our editorials I’d like to revisit. We wrote many times in favor of increased inter-religious relations in the student body culture and in the administration. In April of 2021, we called on the students to take tangible action against antisemitism, including calling out antisemitic jokes and comments made by friends, classmates and peers and seeking education on microaggressions. As a primarily white and majority Catholic student body, it is up to the individual to be aware of their words, actions and attitudes. In January of 2022, we wrote on a similar topic in Meeting non-Catholic students where they are. In this research and interview driven editorial, we advocate for the University to create a better climate of inclusion and normalize religious practices that are not Catholic. We asked readers to hear and respond to the calls from Muslim and Jewish students to create more physical spaces of prayer for their spiritual needs. We asked the University to amplify the resources available for non Catholic students, such as halal meals in the dining halls, in more highly visible, proactive ways. We wrote these editorials to challenge the unfortunate “archetype” of the Notre Dame student: white and Catholic. Students of all races, ethnicities, religions and identities should be the picture of Notre Dame students. I hope in the years to come, there is a greater visibility of resources for non Catholic students and an environment that fosters a culture
of many religious perspectives at Notre Dame. On a similar topic, I’d like to also remember the Love Thee Love All editorial, in which we celebrated the presence of our LGBTQ+ students, faculty, staff and our staff at The Observer, all including those who are not out. Our campus is a rich and beautiful place because of you and your accomplishments. The University has taken commendable strides towards an equitable environment of support for LGBTQ+ students and other community members in recent years, such as the ability to now change preferred names on the campus ID cards and the establishment of the Alumni Rainbow Community (ARC ND), the official LGBTQ+ alumni association club. Of course, further change such as the addition of sexuality and gender identity to the University’s nondiscrimination clause would be welcome. However, we commend these efforts — because of the University’s Catholic identity and not in spite of it — to create a community that promotes the flourishing of its members. Additional editorials I’d like to remember were the various ones on support and resources for low-income students, community with the tri-campus, especially Saint Mary’s students in the face of misogyny, and standing up against sexual violence and misconduct on college campuses. Also in case you missed it, the newest ed board (2022-2023) just wrote an incredible editorial celebrating women of tricampus history and on the ways students can support local communities in South Bend. The Observer has done fantastic work over the last year, work I am proud and honored to be a part of. Many of our best stories can be found with Indiana Collegiate Press Awards attached to them — including our investigation into the culture of the now closed Zahm House, our coverage on Brian Kelly’s departure from Notre Dame and our coverage of Saint Mary’s students’ activism in face of Notre Dame elitism, not to mention some memorable graphic design, introspective Scene reviews on politics and pop culture, thrilling football photos and captivating stories from our Archives team. I’m so proud of each and every person who worked on these stories, photos and designs at every stage, from the copy editors to the writers to the layout workers to our social media team. Thank you for making The Observer and by extension, our campuses, what it is.
Thus concludes my ICYMI. And ICYMI, I will miss it — The Observer and its people. To the underclassmen at The Observer, the dedication and countless hours you have given are not unseen. I know you will take The Observer to great heights. To the new ed board — it’s already been such a good year. To watch you all grow over the past two years and now take leadership has never made me feel quite so much like a mother duck. To Alysa Guffey, The Observer’s new Editor-in-Chief — I will miss you! I’ll never forget nervously being trained, by you, to work the beginner’s production shift. You’ve been the most supportive work friend (and friend). Keep up the good work. To the old ed board — I will miss you guys. Student journalism, especially the independent work we do at The Observer, is so important to our community and all of you embodied its mission fearlessly. Thank you for the months and months of memories. To my fellow emeritus Assistant Managing Editors Colin Capece and Nelisha Silva, emeritus Managing Editor Evan McKenna, and emeritus Editor-in-Chief Adrianna Perez: I’ve seen all of your truly innumerable hours of effort put into running this newspaper. I’m inspired by you all every day, best of work friends and best of friends. Thank you for making The Observer a family for me. To Deb — thank you for keeping us going year after year and for keeping our office in South Dining Hall a home, I’ll never forget it. To think of all the students who will pass through it in the future warms my heart. TLDR: Long live independent student journalism, and long live The Observer. Isabella Volmert will be graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a major in English and minors in theology and the Gallivan Program in Journalism, Ethics and Democracy. A St. Louis area native, she will be working at the Dallas Morning News this summer as a local news reporting intern. Contact her at isabellavolmert@gmail.com after graduation with any tips and Dallas recommendations. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
It’s time Allison Thornton Photo Editor Emeritus
Where to even begin. To me, graduating from college was always something that I thought about, but I never really prepared myself for this moment. Now, I am forcing myself to face the inevitable. It seems like yesterday I was graduating from high school, and now I am graduating from college. Seriously, where did the time go? This will sound cliche, but I blinked and four years went by. What college has taught me is to appreciate the little moments in life, especially during senior year. I have tried my best to take in every last second of my volleyball career, Notre Dame football games, late-night chats with my roommate and my time at The Observer. As I was trying to figure out what I would write for my final column for The Observer, I remembered a common theme from Maeve Filbin’s, the Saint Mary’s News Editor in 2020 and the Assistant Managing Editor in 2021, commencement column. She wrote about how she never felt lonely at Saint Mary’s. While I was reading it, I couldn’t help but ask myself if I have ever felt lonely on the Saint Mary’s campus. And I couldn’t. What I will miss the most about college is the random chats with friends in between classes or the last-minute dinner in the dining hall where you end up sitting with friends till closing unplanned. Because of those moments, I have created friendships that will last a lifetime, and it is hard to think that when August rolls around, those people will be in a different place. There is a lot of emotion about graduation. I didn’t know how emotional it would be until it became a reality. You feel everything from excitement to fear. It is more of the latter for me because I’m not sure what the future holds. I believe that it is vital to express being scared or overwhelmed about
what happens next. It is normal, and most of all, everyone feels this way. They may not show it or may not even talk about it, but underneath they too are freaking out. And that is okay. It’s hard to know what you want to do for the rest of your life at 21 or 22. If anything, what I have learned the most about the last few weeks of school is that no one has it figured out, even if you think they do. Graduation is the same for everyone, and we should just be happy for one another for completing this chapter in our lives. Now, on to the sentimental portion of this column. I would like to first thank my family for their constant support throughout this time in my life. Mom, Dad, Talia and Alex: Thank you for always encouraging me to do what I enjoy and helping me become the young woman you have raised me to be. I would also like to thank my Grandma Thomas for encouraging my secondary education and helping me attend the college that I am so proud to be graduating from. Thank you. To all the professors, Dr. Majetic, Dr. Elder and Dr. Geislar, I thank you for pushing me outside my comfort zone to become the student and young woman I am today. I cannot express enough how much your mentorship and guidance has influenced me throughout my time here at Saint Mary’s. You all have been incredible role models of female representation in academia and shown me to follow my passions. Thank you. To my friends, where do I even begin! You guys will forever be in my life, and I can’t wait to see where the future takes you! I will forever be grateful to my first and secondyear roommates, Hannah and Grace, for our late nights of laughter and vent sessions. To Niamh, my first friend at Saint Mary’s, I am so glad we bonded at the pre-Domer fest Undertones concert because I don’t know what I would have done without your kind spirit throughout college. To Lauren, Catherine and Kaley, thank you for always being able to make me smile. I knew if I was having a bad day, I could
always come back to the room and laugh for hours with you guys. Finally, to Shannon, thank you for being the most supportive friend during our final year at Saint Mary’s. It has meant the world to me to see you at my volleyball games and watch our favorite period dramas together. I couldn’t have asked for a better roommate in our final year of college. Last but not least, thank you to Club 308 for always being excited to be featured in the photo poll. I knew I could always count on you for fun answers. Also, thank you for accepting me into your friend group; I have loved getting to know you. Snighty forever. Out of my four years of college, I have been fortunate to play volleyball at Saint Mary’s and be the Photo Editor at The Observer. Being a student athlete and a part of The Observer have been two of the biggest things I am most proud of during my college career. The people I have played and worked with helped me to understand who I am as a person. Whether it was coming back from a tournament drained and tired or leaving South Dining at two o’clock in the morning, I never once wished I was somewhere else. The people on the court and in The Observer office had quickly become my home during my time at Saint Mary’s. I will miss both dearly. I know the future is intimidating and it is coming faster than we have all expected. Living through a polar vortex, political division and a global pandemic during our four years of college will be great stories to tell our grandchildren one day. Congratulations to the Class of 2022. We did it. Allison Thornton will be graduating from Saint Mary’s College with a Bachelor of Arts in environmental studies and global studies. She will taking a gap year to work and apply for graduate school. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
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What you don’t see coming Nelisha Silva Assistant Managing Editor Emeritus
If you told me three years ago I’d be writing a commencement column for The Observer, I would have laughed in your face. Me, writing for public consumption? Being perceived by the general public? Absolutely not! Yet, here we are — the last place I imagined myself finding a home at Notre Dame, and now, my hardest goodbye. As a general rule of thumb, I like to know what to expect in life, and I like to know what’s coming my way. I’m an anxious person, and I always want to know what’s in my future. But life doesn’t always give you a heads up when things are happening, and three years ago, I didn’t see The Observer coming. I joined The Observer as a copyeditor for Viewpoint, looking to join a low-commitment activity that had a small paycheck. That “low-commitment activity” lasted all of one semester before I threw myself into this organization head first and never looked back. I joined the 2020-2021 Editorial Board as a nervous sophomore who had no journalistic experience and one semester of copyediting experience. I felt deeply out of my depth, and was scared that the rest of the board would soon realize I was a fraud who somehow ended up leading a department. Instead, I found a group of journalists and leaders who were willing to learn alongside me, and who taught me how to be a better writer, leader, editor and friend. I became better for knowing all of them and learning from their examples. And even after that year, I thought that I knew what to expect in my next year. I would do another year as Viewpoint Editor, since that’s what I loved. But when Adri asked me to join her Top Five, I knew I had to say yes even though I didn’t plan on being AME. And then, yet again, suddenly I was deep in unfamiliar territory with no idea what I was doing or
what to expect. But, guess what? It was okay. I survived the year, and I had a blast doing it. I made some of the best friends of my life, honed new skills and grew in ways that I never thought possible for myself. So, maybe it’s okay to not always be prepared. Maybe it’s okay to just go with the flow (even if you historically don’t do well with “the flow”). Maybe the best things in life are the things you never see coming. And the biggest thing I never saw coming? The people I met along the way. So here’s the cheesy, yet expected, part of the column where I try to thank everyone I can think of, while inevitably forgetting about so many people who have made an indelible impression on my life. To the 2020-2021 Editorial Board, thanks for letting me learn on the job and being a support system for the most chaotic year imaginable. You all did an amazing job and I am better for having worked alongside you. Thank you to Viewpoint for welcoming me with open arms, and to Evy, for having confidence in me to be an editor when I didn’t know anything. Thank you to Tom for talking to me on Wednesday night production shifts and making me feel like I could be part of the special little community in a basement office. Thank you to Mia and Ryan for giving me a community when I needed it, and making me laugh through the chaos of 2020. You made me feel like I could do my job, even when I didn’t think I could. Thank you to Serena for literally picking me up when I fell down, and thank you to the Little Women — Maria, Mariah, Claire, Maeve and Sara — you trusted me and stood with me throughout that year, and it’s made me the leader I am today. Thank you to Alysa for telling me how to write staff reports and Manni for not making (too much) fun of me for forgetting sports terms. Thank you to Abby for always sharing your inbox with me, and to Allison for all the office gossip chats. Thank you to the 2021-2022 Editorial Board for letting me make terrible jokes during our meetings — I lived for our
Sundays together. Thank you to our production workers for not complaining when I play the same eight songs over and over again, and for always being willing to swap stories during late nights. The biggest thank you goes to my Top Five — Adri, Evan, Issy and Colin. I love you all more than words can express, and you mean the absolute world to me. I have never felt less lonely than when I am with you. You embraced all of my sharp edges and abrasive angles and never asked me to be less than my all, and for that, I can never thank you enough. I never expected to be making new friends senior year, let alone making friendships that I know will last a lifetime. I cannot fathom being without you four, and I am so grateful to have found friends that are so difficult to say goodbye to. Thank you for loving me. I love you. When I first joined the editorial board, I always told myself that I wouldn’t write a cheesy thank you letter for my commencement column, and would have some clever words of wisdom to put to paper instead, but in the end, I can’t help but feel overwhelmingly thankful for the past four years and the time I’ve had at The Observer. I am so grateful to have been swept off my feet by this community of journalists and experienced the love, compassion and service in the basement of South Dining Hall. I love you. Nelisha Silva will be graduating from the University of Notre Dame with majors in English and global affairs, and a minor in the Hesburgh Program in Public Service. After graduating, she’ll be working on a Senate campaign in her hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada. Forever a purple weasel, she’s excited to begin her descent into becoming a passionate alumnae who can’t seem to let go of her college days. Contact her at nsilva1@alumni.nd.edu with any questions, book recommendations or nostalgic recollections. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Dear everyone, Colin Capece Assistant Managing Editor Emeritus
As you may have guessed from the title of this final column, and from my almost unbridled excitement about the Marcus Freeman era for Notre Dame football, I’m a big letters guy. The tradition actually goes back a long way for me. At every single important moment in my life that I can think of, my mom has written me a letter to commemorate it, and I still have all of them saved in a drawer in my bedroom back home. Our first big fight when I was five (I wrote her a letter back in teal blue colored pencil that’s still on the inside of a kitchen cabinet door in our house), elementary school graduation, the first day of middle school, middle school graduation, the first day of high school, the day I got accepted into Notre Dame, high school graduation, leaving home for college before freshman year, the last day of Welcome Weekend, going back to college after fall break freshman year, going back to college for the COVID junior year after I had finally settled on a major, the first day of senior week and, I guess I’ll just go ahead and say, graduation day. Even before I could really understand the significance behind each moment, she wrote me a letter to make sure I would remember how I felt at the time, and that at every stop along the journey I could look back and see just how far I had traveled. This letter does the same exact thing. However, this letter is also for all the people I’ve encountered in my time as a college student journalist that wrote me letters without realizing it. Working at The Observer has been one of the things that I’ve enjoyed the most over the last four years, and it’s one of the things that has defined me at Notre Dame. But the running joke among me and my Top 5 family is that it took a while for me to come around. Getting to where I am today has been like pulling teeth, as there have been multiple times where I’ve tried to stop working for the newspaper and stop writing altogether. The letters these people wrote me were never addressed directly to me like my mom’s, but they somehow kept me from leaving The Observer all this time. In chronological order, it’s my time to
say thank you to… Dad: You might not remember this but when I was home for Christmas after fall semester freshman year, you picked me up from Andrew’s house and told me I was too talented not to join the newspaper. We were sitting in the car at the New Highway-Old Willets light. I said what the hell, I love sports, I’ll give it a shot. Toby Hoonhout: I reached out to you as the Managing Editor at the time and a graduate of my high school. You met me at Starbucks, used your gift card to pay for my coffee and talked to me for an hour about the paper. You said I could take some time to ease my way in, even though I probably didn’t need it. I was grateful for your belief in me and your time. Robby Hammond: The first game I ever covered was a men’s lacrosse contest against Detroit Mercy at Loftus. I had absolutely no idea where to go or what to do. As the SID for the team, you were forced to help me. Instead of disregarding me as a clueless school newspaper kid, you kindly showed me the ropes and coordinated post game interviews. Kevin Corrigan: I decided to stay on with the lacrosse beat my freshman year. Despite your status as a legendary Notre Dame coach with more than 300 Irish victories to your name, you treated me like a professional. You answered every text, every call, every post-game question (win or lose) with respectful honesty. Charlotte: After I tried to walk away after freshman year, you texted me about working in the office as an ASE. I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I said yes, but the job sounded like it wasn’t too bad. We worked a lot of shifts together before fall break of sophomore year and you were encouraging every time. Fr. Kevin Grove: The note you sent me while you were on sabbatical in September 2019 uplifted me when I needed it. I didn’t really care at first if anyone read that first inside column I wrote, but knowing someone did changed my outlook on the paper forever. Instead of just going through the motions, I started putting more heart and soul into my work. Mom: Much like Dad, you convinced me I had too much talent and had invested too much time to stop. Why not just
apply for a spot on the Editorial Board and see what happens? Again, I was really scared about what I was getting myself into, but somehow, someway, you’re always right. Maria, Mariah, Claire, Maeve and Sara: You guys did an incredible job of keeping the paper alive and well in the most challenging circumstances. You helped me through the Editorial Board application process and passed my name along to… Adri and Evan: Words cannot describe how grateful I am that the two of you took a chance on an ASE who still doesn’t know how to use InDesign. And for still hugging me when I showed up to the AP style workshop an hour late in a Scooby Doo suit. Issy and Nelisha: AME gang for life. Thanks for laughing at all of my terrible dad jokes and being two of the best friends I’ve ever had. Manni, Aidan and Allison: For letting me finesse my way onto the football beat after three years of dodging it because I was “busy with school.” Despite the outcome, Phoenix was an amazing trip because of you. Dunne Hall Room 314 (and supporting cast): For giving me so much undeserved crap about my Jack Coan-Tyler Buchner takes and making me defend them over party size bags of Tostitos. You knew exactly what buttons to push to make me want to write more. Thanks for finally reading the paper this year. Four years worth of people at The Observer: You made the SDH basement office a second home to me on-campus and someway, somehow, never quite let me slip away. Your friend, Colin Colin Capece is graduating from Notre Dame with a degree in political science and minors in Journalism, Ethics and Democracy and business economics. In July, he will be heading to Oakland, California, to teach high school history with the Alliance for Catholic Education. Colin can be reached at ccapece@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
The observer | FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
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And the show goes on Abby Patrick Viewpoint Editor Emeritus
Sitting down to write this column, even thinking about writing this column, is more than a little daunting. How, in 800-1000 words, do you attempt to articulate, wrap up or even lightly address the close of the last four years? The last four, crazy, broken up, influential years of learning, laughter, friendship, tears, life lessons, late nights, long days, short weeks and interminable assignments. All those clichés and realities of college. The answer is, you can’t. There aren’t enough words and even if there were, I don’t think they’d do the experience justice. So I’m going to start instead by thinking about something a little less stressful and introduce you to some of the side characters in my college career. Do you have a roster of side characters from your college experience? You know, those split-second encounters, conversations overheard or unguarded moments where you catch someone in the act of “whatever.” And now they’re a story, something or someone for you and your friends to remember and chuckle at, or groan about days, months, years later, all in good fun of course. Sometimes these characters only appear in one life-episode, other times they get a recurring plotline. For example there’s Cake Guy — he tried to airplane-style feed my friend cake at a brother-sister dorm event Welcome Weekend. Sorry Cake Guy, your side plot is still in robust circulation. Or Glasses Guy, a cute guy with glasses (clearly we’re extraordinarily creative in the naming of our side characters) we’d see at the gym almost every day at the same time and never, not once, ever talked to. Milk Boy... why did you need to get five glasses of milk every night in the dining hall? Why was only one chocolate milk? And why was the sixth glass on your tray Powerade? So many questions. Bradley Cooper Guy looked like Bradley Cooper (shocker). He was also very cute, and I also never talked to him. Or even Hot Take Girl, who prefaced every comment in class with “hot take,” regardless of the actual temperature of her take. That takes guts, Hot Take Girl. Everyone’s got them, these little offshoots and funny stories, a repertoire of the people you lived in and around for the last
four years. But why bring up these side characters? Why make us wonder what side character we are in someone else’s life? Why affirm everyone’s worst fear that the embarrassing thing you did in a moment of panic in the middle of Duncan or class or the quad or wherever was actually seen and remembered by somebody? And worse, that they may talk about it years later! Because I actually think it’s kind of a beautiful thing, a fun and certainly funny, way to reminisce on the last few years we’ve all spent here. At the momentous end of four formative years, it’s so easy to wonder about the connections never made, the potential side stories abandoned and to dwell on the all embarrassing things that happened. My roommate and I once accidentally interrupted a fish funeral being performed on South Quad, a very moving ceremony with music and everything. Now the two of us, we have a rather funny little story about Fish Funeral Boys and the way they very seriously shushed us. For Fish Funeral Boys, perhaps we’re also those girls that interrupted Flipper’s funeral, Fish Funeral Interrupter Girls. It’s sort of a colorful way to think about the mosaic of experiences we had at college, all of us having simultaneously parallel, and yet interconnected experiences, all at the same time, in the same place, everyone’s storylines bumping into each other, bumbling, getting tangled, making a mess of things and then miraculously shooting off in new, exciting directions, a little like what will happen as we leave school as well. But even more than that, these little side stories help you to remember the main plot, anecdotes as dots on the timeline of our years here, coloring the cast of characters you made all these memories with and the web of life and story you’ve woven together. Each of these stories index little memories about life here, the nuances of day-to-day life that get immortalized as recurring jokes. That the fish funeral is even a story is only because my roommate and I took weekly strolls on Monday nights, just to be on campus, process life and give our brains a rest. They are some of my favorite memories with her, from the deep talks about life, to just shooting the shit as we wandered around and wrecked fish funerals. Cake Guy is a story because that was a formative
moment during Welcome Weekend, a collective “did that really just happen” that trauma bonded my friend Grace and I together — we’ve been pretty fast friends ever since. Each ridiculous side story, the actual and figurative characters of my college years, marks a memory, a story plucked from the random day-to-day that helps me remember and catalog the everyday moments of fun that made college life bright amidst the permacloud and drudgery of what sometimes felt like endless work. That kind of memory making has made the last four years really special and I can look back at such moments and see the growth, friendships and laughter that has spiraled out of even the most tragic of encounters. It’s easy to see graduation as an ending. But it’s not, really — you’re just entering season two (or maybe three). The side characters will change (so long Cake Guy) and the plot thickens, but it’s not a different show (unless you want it to be). The memories made here, the jokes, embarrassment, sweetness and all, are yours to keep and hold onto, they’re the basis of the storyline, your storyline, and that kind of memory making doesn’t stop just because college is over. I’m not saying your life has to be a movie, but it’s worth remembering that the show goes on. Graduation is sad, but also exciting, and likely only sad because the last four years were exciting. In the end I guess I’m not going to wrap up my college years at all. Instead, I’m looking forward to what comes next, to being and meeting new side characters, to making new mistakes and new memories, armed by the mistakes and memories I made here. Thank you to my friends for making memorable mistakes with me and for turning those mistakes and tragedies into fun. I wish you sunny skies and many more memorable mistakes and hope you never again encounter a Cake Guy (but if you do, I know you’ll tell me all about it). So, to end with both closure and cliffhanger, I guess all I have left to say is: To be continued… Abby Patrick is graduating from Notre Dame with degrees in English and anthropology and a minor in business economics. Next year she will be in the Czech Republic as an English Teaching Assistant for the Fulbright Program. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
The dining hall is a sacred place “I wish there was a way to know you were in the good old days before you actually left them.” — Andy Bernard I spent four years at this University. Only in the last couple weeks have I come to appreciate something that is so often overlooked — the dining hall. So, what were the good old days? It was walking into North Dining Hall freshman year at 6 p.m. knowing you’d find the three full high-top tables, “the Steds tables.” It was packing guys from every grade shoulder to shoulder, with your trays vertical trying to accommodate as many people as possible. It was going to Christmas dinner with your close friends and waiting upwards of an hour in line for food, knowing very well you hadn’t started a paper due the next day. It was going to the dining hall after a late-night Ackermann exam while running on no sleep, knowing there’d be at least one Steds guy there for you. I may have been privileged being placed in such a tight-knit dorm, but I don’t doubt others have had a similar experience. This was the Notre Dame experience — just some college dudes promoting civil discourse over a plate of chicken tikka masala. No one was afraid to share their opinion and no topic was off-limits. It was the modern-day 17th-century century coffee house of England. Or, guys would
crack jokes and share their weekend stories, reminiscent of a stage at The Second City. During sophomore year, I shared an awkward meal with a freshman during Welcome Weekend. Just gotta do what you gotta do. I never thought anything of it. Two years later, now being friends, he told me how he vividly remembers that meal and how our conversation over our shared experiences of going to Jesuit high schools made him feel comfortable in what was a very overwhelming weekend for him. Last year was strange. Empty chairs at empty tables. We got glimpses of normalcy as Steds invested in some picnic tables, but after that first month of warm weather, things took a turn. Eating out of those black plastic boxes on a futon back in my room felt very dystopian. Sure, I was living with two guys, but where were my other hundred roommates? One guy expressed to me how he missed those moments we shared at North Dining Hall and how the community did not feel the same. Well, there was so much you could do when big brother (more like big sister) was watching… Come senior year, my roommates discussed what they were going to do for lunch since we lived offcampus. Some decided to pack lunches or just make food at home. I decided to get a partial meal plan, a
decision which I will always treasure. We were back to normalcy — the return of those high-top tables. Rather than Tuesdays with Morrie, I had Mondays and Wednesdays with Mike. The difference between me and my roommates was noticeable at various dorm events across the year. The majority of my friends still have no idea who the freshmen are. This past week, one of my junior friends told me he appreciated my unexpected presence at the dining hall this year, which convinced him to do the same next year. Those tables are truly a sacred place. Sure, I have some gastro problems now, but I’ve formed countless relationships across all grades that I would never have otherwise formed. I walked in the other day, and for the first time since I can remember, there was no one at those tables. It hurt. I would do anything to walk into a crowded dining hall and fight over a chair with my roommates one last time. I urge everyone to appreciate those meals while they still can. Don’t pack a lunch. Get off your phones. Talk to someone new. Embrace the moment. Peter Nichols senior April 30
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The observer | FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
LETTERs TO THE EDITOR: four years in review
Our shared destiny I sat on the floor of the shoebox-sized office we were occupying, my hands firmly wrapped around those of my friend. Between sobs, she told me how hard it was for her to be on this campus because she didn’t feel like she belonged. Shocking me when she said, “I wish I never came to Notre Dame.” She’s someone who weaves people and groups together to build a rich social fabric. Every week her goal is to find one stranger to get coffee with and once a month she transforms her room into a fort and invites her friends to come for a sleepover. Weaving is one of the world’s oldest art forms. It involves the intertwining of singular threads to build larger works. A bird weaving together a nest to protect its young, a person weaving a basket tight enough to hold water, a spider weaving strong webs to catch its prey. She represents but a single thread, yet brings together others, in the larger woven tapestry of the Notre Dame family. She has a loving awareness of the contract that each of us enter into when we commit to come here: that we are not disconnected from each other, but joined in a splendid universal communion to one another united in our concern for the common good. With tears streaking down her face she told me how she had come to terms with her own sexuality. How she recently made the courageous step to tell her friends and was subsequently exiled from her friend group. This ended with her taking a leave of absence for the second half of last semester. The threads she worked so hard to bring together were torn from their stitches in a matter of moments. Recently I was talking with a member of the Black Alumni Association, where he shared another story of a promise unfulfilled. Through a laughing, but slightly pained voice he said, “Notre Dame is a great place to get a degree, it’s not a great place to go.” It’s something echoed in another friend’s tale, where she has come from an academic background where the longest paper she had to write was one page and now she’s being given a Notre Dame workload, but not the resources to
keep up with all of her work. Notre Dame’s promise is working for some but not for all. What is seemingly a beautiful woven tapestry of family as long as you look, think, and act a certain way but what otherwise is a bedraggled fraying fabric. A single thread on a campus of 8,000 might not seem like a lot, but with one thread undone a young bird might fall from it’s nest, water might spill from it’s basket, or a spider might go without food. While many, like my friend, attempt to weave together threads of the Notre Dame community, others follow right behind attempting to undo their woven threads one by one. There are parts of our family who have ripped at the cords of our home — calling people and their existence “erosive”, a welcome weekend of allyship and being a good neighbor “secular” and an educational environment for all to succeed too “woke.” A gospel of weaving being overtaken by a gospel of exclusion. Exclusion hidden under a cloak of “Catholicism,” but when held up to the light of the teachings of Christ it looks nothing alike. I believe in a divine, loving presence that binds all life. Jesus walked around on this earth as a poor, brown, Jewish man who, in his free time, met with prostitutes, tax collectors and those on the margins. Our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared: a destiny that requires work from us all to maintain. Our singular threads are woven together to create the Notre Dame family. However, if we allow individual threads to fray, become unwoven, broken or excluded, that harms us all. If you don’t have the resources to succeed in your classes, that matters to me even if we’ve never shared a class together. If your mental health is struggling that makes my mental health poorer even if we aren’t best friends. If you don’t feel like you belong on this campus that makes me more isolated, even if we’ve never met. To live by our values as a Catholic institution means doing justice to the stories of the people I’ve talked about. It’s not secular. It’s not a “woke leftist agenda.” It doesn’t harm our faith. It’s what we’re called to do precisely because
we’re Catholic. In a recent Forbes college ranking, Notre Dame ranked 41, despite comfortably having sat in the top 20 of most other rankings. I don’t care about the ranking itself, what I care about is why we were so much lower. We came in at 41 because their analysis weighted more heavily on, “how schools are treating their low-income students.” A major part of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts of the past provost was attempting to rectify these inequities. One of the ways we must start working towards this shared destiny is by ensuring we have a provost that it’s not enough for just some of us to succeed for only some of us to belong. Notre Dame stands at a crossroads — do we pick a Catholicism of weaving, of ensuring that every student, no matter their background feels like they belong and are able to succeed here; or do we pick a veneer of Catholicism that values the fragile exclusive existence of some while leaving our friends on the side of the road? If you believe in a Catholicism that stands for a more inclusive community take five minutes today, write a letter, and send it to the Provost search committee. Ask for a Provost that understands this shared destiny. One letter may seem insignificant, but the accumulation of letter upon letter expressing this vision for the University will impact the committee’s discernment. If you desire a shared destiny on this campus and beyond in which we live up to our Catholic mission I beg you to send an email to presprovostsearch@nd.edu stating that need. Describing the need for a Catholic education that prioritizes the dignity of every thread, story and person on this campus. Our shared destiny relies on the work of each of us to preserve it, progress isn’t inevitable, it requires each of us to take part and ownership in ensuring that destiny includes all of us. Dane Sherman sophomore March 23, 2022
Our Mendoza Without business, our society would look very different. Businesses provide a steady supply of food at grocery stores, build infrastructure, innovate and distribute new technologies, print the books we read and fund life-enhancing research and development. Far from incompatible with aspirations of contributing to the common good, business rightly understood, which we call “honorable business,” creates real value and greatly improves the human condition for everyone. Honorable business recognizes the inherent good of mutually voluntary and mutually beneficial exchanges, which create positive value for all parties to a transaction. Consider a simple example: When you pay a retailer $50 for a new pair of shoes, both parties benefit because voluntarily consenting to the exchange means that you value the shoes more than $50 and the retailer values your $50 more than the shoes. Thus, both parties receive mutual benefit and positive value through the exchange. Skeptics of honorable business often portray profitmaking as a greedy, immoral enterprise, but pursuing profit is necessary for running a stable and sustainable business, as profit enables a business to continue providing its products or services to society. Pope John Paul II acknowledged in “Centesimus Annus” that the pursuit of profit, a “regulator of the life of a business,” is legitimate as long as it is not a business’s only pursuit. Admittedly, business does not always live up to its promises of value creation and morality. There are corporations concerned solely with profit, individuals who prioritize money-making over morality, and professionals who behave unethically. Nonetheless, this is not a reflection of all business professionals or students, nor of the Mendoza College of Business itself.
Contrary to what the recent column published in The Observer “Against Mendoza: A Nietzschean Critique” suggests, Mendoza does not use the notion of honorable business as mere “window dressing.” The author argues that “hardly any students actually buy [the mission of Mendoza].” On the contrary, we believe in and are dedicated to the mission that Mendoza sets out to accomplish. And we are no “outliers.” Mendoza students routinely and actively engage in discerning how our shared vision of honorable business ought to inform our careers. Through the Business Honors Program and Deloitte Scholars Colloquium, for example, students come together in lectures and seminars to discuss and debate how business can positively contribute to the world. The dean of Mendoza himself, Professor Martijn Cremers, teaches a class called “Corporate Governance and Catholic Social Teaching” in which finance majors critically evaluate their responsibilities as future corporate decision-makers. Additionally, courses such as “Social Entrepreneurship” and “Why Business?” instill the importance of using business skills to tackle complex global problems and considering how business activity impacts stakeholders. For Mendoza students, business ethics does not just encompass corporate compliance or professional responsibility, but rather involves grappling with deeper moral and philosophical questions of human dignity, the universal destination of goods and the proper telos of business. Of course, not all students take advantage of these programs. Some students may very well enjoy their four years in Mendoza without engaging these deeper questions beyond course requirements. But stereotyping all or even most Mendoza students this way is quite inaccurate. The author argues that “most careers in business are socially irresponsible” because he believes the products
and services that many businesses provide are difficult to “trace…to social good.” In fact, the majority of corporations exist to further some social good, whether that involves producing useful products or providing valuable services and these organizations could not operate without business people to fund and strategically direct them. Furthermore, the author’s portrayal of “crunching numbers at corporate Walmart” might not seem world-changing at face value, but contributing to an organization’s mission while simultaneously pursuing other goods with one’s time, talent and treasure–such as providing for one’s family, volunteering, and partaking in civic organizations–certainly gives rise to immense social good as well. Throughout their four years at Notre Dame, students are asked to consider how they will make the world a better place. Studying business is an excellent way to start. We affirm that: Honorable business is a force for good in the world and a laudable vocation consistent with Notre Dame’s Catholic identity. Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business offers a breadth of programs and resources that students use to deeply consider the role of business in a just society. We are proud of the work that Mendoza faculty and students are doing to produce ethically-minded graduates whose pursuit of honorable business makes the world a better place for all. Sarah Nelson senior Blake Perry junior March 30, 2022
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The observer | FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
How to go into quarantine eight times I have written three different versions of this piece. All three were written in what I thought at the time was my last stay in quarantine. Now, I can say confidently this is my last time in quarantine (because I actually have COVID). In this piece, which I have put more effort into than any submission of work during my time at Notre Dame, I will give a power ranking of the locations I quarantined at, my 10 tips for success and if I have any leftover space, some general life thoughts that I was able to realize during my time. For reference, these are my quarantine stays: 1. October 14-18 at The Foundry South: Contact traced, negative, alone 2. October 25-30 at University Edge: Contact traced, negative, in an apartment with 5 roommates 3. November 14-16 at Embassy Suites: Symptoms, negative, alone 4. February 25-March 4 at Hampton Inn: Contact traced, negative, alone 5. March 10-March 16 at Fairfield Suites: Contact traced, negative, alone 6. March 24-March 31 at Embassy Suites: Contact traced, negative, alone 7. April 9-April 16 at Holiday Inn Express: Contact traced, negative, alone 8. April 20-April 29 at Embassy Suites: Tested positive for COVID, alone That makes for a total of more than 50 days in quarantine during the 2020-2021 academic year. Power Rankings: I was in six different places, but I was in Embassy Suites three times. Number 6: Hampton Inn My fourth time in quarantine was for a week in the Hampton Inn. The reason this is at the bottom of my list is for two big reasons. The first is that the A/C unit by the window would not shut off from blasting cold air out, for seven days straight. I even tried covering it up with my comforter, but then something started to smell weird and the comforter got really warm, so I took it off. The second reason was that the faucet in the bath leaked, nonstop. It had good views of the McDonald’s drive thru, though. Number 5: Holiday Inn Express The Holiday Inn was a weird stay, and I heard even stranger stories from friends here. I had two big beds which is nice; my view is not great, but I can hear music and liveliness from Cheers during the weekend evenings. Supposedly someone escaped from here, so one night security had to come and check that I was both in my room and that nobody else was in there. The Holiday Inn lacks the certain x-factor that other places have. Number 4: Fairfield Inn & Suites The Fairfield Inn & Suites was a nice stay, but I got lucky with my room. Some of my friends got much worse and smaller rooms. In room 512, I had two TVs, and a separated living space. The window opened to a nice view of campus and the Sculpture Park and the A/C unit worked well. The interior designer knocked it out of the park here, because even the bathroom had a cute little framed photograph of a bunch of doorways
across the ND campus (it’s the little things that count). Number 3: The Foundry South The Foundry South was my rookie season in quarantine. I remember texting my family group chat telling them I was going into quarantine as if it was a big deal (by the seventh or eighth time I don’t even think I told them, they just kind of assume I am always in it now). This quarantine was filled with Netflix binge watching, drive-bys from my friends, Zoom calls with new quarantine friends and even a virtual game watch of the ND football game. Looking back now, it is kind of like when you are a senior in high school remembering freshmen year. Little did I know what was to come. Number 2: University Edge Back in November I spent five days in University Edge. The best part about this was that I was actually in a four-room unit with two of my closest friends, so their company made this exponentially more bearable. However, Edge had by far the worst interior design, as it lacked any type of personality. The bed was like sleeping on an oversized piece of toast, with a blanket that was more like a rug. The wall-to-wall carpeting was a nice touch. The weirdest moment happened when I looked out my window one night and there was a stranger with a light saber. I also watched an entire season of “The Great British Baking Show” during my stint here, so I do have some happy memories. Number 1: Embassy Suites The Embassy Suites was luxury. Two out of the three times I was there, I was given a two-room suite, with two big beds and a living space. I had two TVs, a desk, a couch, a chair and a big bathroom. I can only imagine how much this room would cost per night on a football weekend. One of my roommates had to spend his 21st birthday in quarantine in the Embassy Suites, but at least we were in a nice hotel. Even though they didn’t open, the floor-to-ceiling windows let in a lot of natural light. If I could spend every quarantine in one place, it would be in the Embassy Suites. So, there it is, my power rankings. From my approximately 1,272 hours, or roughly 14% of the past year, that I have spent in ND quarantine this year, I have learned many lessons. Here are my top 10 tips that I have made for you, in case you ever find yourself in quarantine. 1. When someone is pounding at your door at 8 a.m. on your first morning of quarantine, don’t panic, it is just breakfast. No one is trying to break in or kick down your door. 2. If you ever try to use your hotel phone to call your friend’s room, make sure you know their room number. There have been a few times I called the wrong person. 3. If you are looking for some more interaction, try using Airdrop or Bluetooth to send stuff to the people in the rooms around you. Out of my eight times in quarantine, only three people ever accepted and had conversations with me. Shout out to Nate, Carissa and Patricia. 4. If you want to go even further than AirDrop, try doing morse code with your flashlight out your
window. I did this in my final stay, and I was able to exchange room numbers with a random person entirely through morse code. We called each other on the hotel phone, and we became quarantine friends. Shout out to Caroline. 5. Make/watch TikToks in quarantine. 6. This is one tip that I learned the hard way, twice. If you are thinking of getting haircut, get one!!! You never know when you are going to go away for a week, and by the time you find out, it is too late to get a trim. Just cut it. 7. Spend time working on your get-out-of-quarantine playlist. When you walk out of the Q a free person, you need some good music to listen to. 8. Drink the absurd amounts of Dasani water bottles they give you. Once you are free, you will never want one again, but staying hydrated is key when you’re locked up. 9. Bring food into quarantine with you. You save a lot of Flex Points when you’re Q’d up, so the last few times I have brought some Modern Market pizza in with me. The people in the Testing Center think it’s fun. 10. Do not try and steal the coat hangers from the hotels. Not that I would know, but when you get back to your dorm room, you will realize that the metal rungs on the hotel hangers are designed to be a different size than the typical ones, so they will not work on the wardrobe in your room, and you will be left with useless coat hangers. You will feel stupid, or so I have heard. Now you have seen my power rankings and my top 10 tips. I hope you enjoyed them. I will finish off my guide with some wisdom on quarantine. Before the year ends, and we go back to a more normal year next year, take some time to realize how much effort has gone into this year. The hotel employees at the quarantine sites, the security teams, the drivers of the quarantine vans, everyone at the Testing Center and the Covid Response Unit and everyone on campus who has adjusted this year. They aren’t doing this to piss anyone off or “ruin your time at ND,” they’re doing it for the exact opposite reason. So, if you can, even if you don’t say it out loud, thank all of them for making this possible. Without them, you would have been in your room at home all year, and I think this year would have been much worse that way. For each moment I have spent locked up in quarantine, I have started to appreciate my time outside of quarantine even more. Pretty soon, for all of us, we will graduate, and we won’t be able to spend days as a Notre Dame student anymore. If there is one thing that quarantine has taught me the most, it’s to appreciate being a student at Notre Dame, and to realize how lucky we are! There are so many people that would give so much just to be in our place right now, even if that place is alone in a hotel room for 53 days. P.S. I am going to meet Fr. Jenkins. John Sebastian “Jazz” Thörn junior April 27, 2021
Our 2020 moment Dear students, Our moment in the midst of this pandemic has arrived. It’s a moment that we never went looking for, but it’s our moment, nonetheless. Faced with a surge in COVID-positive cases during the early weeks of the fall semester, we are once again facing the possibility of returning home for remote instruction. How will you respond? Sometimes the best teacher in life is failure. I wish we as humans would heed warnings and learn from others without the pain brought on by failure, but that is rarely the case. We tell ourselves things like “I’m the exception” or “These rules don’t apply to me.” This is a rationalization that may ease our conscience, but it
doesn’t alter the reality of the challenges we face. As Notre Dame students, you might find this rationalization particularly tempting. Family, friends and mentors have been rather proud of your accomplishments to date. You’ve been made to feel special, unique, gifted and a rare find. In fact, that’s likely how the University of Notre Dame recruited you to join this community. This was the special place where your special talents could flourish. While this is still true, let me offer a word of caution: Talent can be squandered if it is solely in service to oneself. The moment mentioned earlier, the one I defined as our moment, is the realization that true talent is fully expressed by using our collective abilities for
the good of others. To spend time not thinking about what we can get, but what we can offer. Right now, this community has no need for people trying to live college as if COVID isn’t happening. Instead, we need thoughtful men and women who creatively find new ways to foster community, support those who are anxious, love those who’ve made past mistakes and help get this semester back on track. This is our moment. In Notre Dame, Fr. Pete McCormick, C.S.C. Director of Campus Ministry Aug. 19, 2020
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The observer | FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
The spirit of Notre Dame is back There’s a (new) Magic in the Sound of Her Name ... There is a palpable energy on campus right now. You can feel it. I was able to go over there Thursday for a meeting and realized it was something we’ve been missing for a long time now. What is it? It’s that spirit of Notre Dame that we all carry in our hearts. When Marcus Freeman was picked as head coach, I was excited because he seemed to embody qualities we all desire to carry as members of the Notre Dame family. Then, I saw the video of him being announced into the locker room. That said it all. I get chills every time I watch it. What we saw is exactly what I just spoke about — the spirit of Notre Dame — and it just blew the roof off of that locker room. Marcus Freeman becoming Notre Dame’s head coach seems to have given all of us permission to reignite that spirit within us that we didn’t even know was dormant. Was this past week rough? Yes. I cannot even begin to imagine what the players went through, or how they felt. Nobody wants a punch in the gut. But I’m also a glass-half-full thinker. So here’s what I do know. I’ve been knocked down enough times, and been through enough storms to know if you trust God in the storm, He will always blow you away with His plan. Sometimes the wrong things have to happen so the right things can. Sometimes you’ve got to break down to break through. God is known for making beauty from ashes, and we are about to see what I think will be one of the best seasons of Notre Dame football we’ve ever
seen. I just wish my Dad was alive to see it. So we’ve got to trust that God has a plan. He knew the timing of all of this. He knew exactly who he wanted to be the next coach. He even knew Brian Kelly would leave. So you’ve got to thank the good Lord that He did what only He could do to get us what we needed. This wasn’t just about us getting a coach. It was about our team and our school getting its heart back, because that’s how our guys play on the field and how we all show up for life — with heart. So God (who sees our hearts) found a guy who has heart, to connect to the hearts of those team members. That is what I believe reignited the fire in all of our hearts for that spirit of Notre Dame. That is also what I believe makes this even bigger than potentially winning a national championship. God is in it and He’s given us our hope back. Think about this: When is the last time you saw players say they wanted someone to be their coach? I know in all of my time at Notre Dame I’ve never seen it. Now, there wasn’t social media when I was an undergrad. But still, to see some of these players post what they did on social media — “We want Freeman!” — and then to see it play out in the locker room? Powerful stuff. In fact, the only other place I could think of it was in the movie, “Rudy.” (Yes, I know, overplayed. But stay with me for a minute). Remember the scene when all the players walked into Dan Devine’s office, wearing their letter jackets? Each one of them comes in, dropping their jerseys on his desk and saying they want Rudy to play in their place. Now, this is a completely different situation and person — but
it’s the sentiment. In both cases, the team players were passionate about a person that displayed that powerful spirit of Notre Dame. In both cases, the players used their voices to stand up for what they wanted. This time, thankfully it was for Marcus Freeman and it seems because they wanted Him, he’s not just the team’s coach, he’s our coach because we are Notre Dame. Knowing that the players are behind him is one thing, but to then hear him echo that sentiment in his first locker room speech as head coach shows what an incredible leader he is and will be. He has a great reputation and I know some consider him an underdog because of his age and lack of previous head coaching. But that’s the beauty, because you know God’s going do something amazing in him! God’s favor is upon this team. He will do great things through them, through this coach and through our Notre Dame family because he just lit the fire in our hearts again. We’ve got the spirit back we didn’t even know we needed. We are all behind you, Coach Freeman and team. Thank you to whoever made this happen, especially to the football players for standing up for your choice. You’ve inspired us all. May God bless you on the field and beyond. May God bless you, Marcus Freeman. May God bless Notre Dame and may all of our hearts beat again as we hear the sound of her name. Meredith Terpeluk Schoeller Class of 1999 Dec. 3, 2021
If I were a student who stormed the field A MESSAGE FROM A STUDENT WHO STORMED THE FIELD: I regret my error of judgement in not social distancing. Dear Fellow Students, Faculty and Staff, I know many of you have read about the Clemson field-storming I recently attended. I write to express my regret for certain choices I made that day and for failing to lead, as I should have. Last Saturday evening, I received, on very short notice, an invitation to attend the field-storming following Notre Dame’s double-overtime victory over No. 1 Clemson. It was important, I believed, that I represent the University at this historic event to support the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football Team, which is greatly respected by its collegiate and athletic peers, revered by ND students and cheered for by friends and fans across the country.
Before I arrived at Notre Dame Stadium, a medical professional took me to an exam room to obtain a nasal swab for a rapid COVID-19 test. I was then directed to a room with others, all fully masked, until we were notified that we had all tested negative, as required by our president, Fr. John Jenkins. We never took our masks off. On Saturday, we were then escorted into the stadium, where we were seated with others who had just been tested, received negative results and were wearing masks. I regret my error in judgment in not socially distancing on the field following the upset win over No. 1 Clemson and for celebrating like a champion with my closest friends after our Fighting Irish’s takedown of the Tigers. I especially regret my mistake in light of the sacrifices made on a daily basis by many, excluding our president, Fr. John Jenkins, in adjusting his life to
observe our health protocols. After returning to campus, I was chastised by my unbelievably hypocritical university president for my actions on Saturday night, who informed me that I could not leave the campus and that there would be zero tolerance for any gatherings that “do not comport with the University’s health and safety guidelines,” which means I can’t even visit the White House Rose Garden. Thank you for your continued efforts during this semester, for your forgiveness and for your understanding. In Notre Dame, A Field-Stormer Liam Finn Class of 2020 Nov. 9, 2020
The legging problem I’ve thought about writing this letter for a long time. I waited, hoping that fashions would change and such a letter would be unnecessary — but that doesn’t seem to be happening. I’m not trying to insult anyone or infringe upon anyone’s rights. I’m just a Catholic mother of four sons with a problem that only girls can solve: leggings. The emergence of leggings as pants some years ago baffled me. They’re such an unforgiving garment. Last fall, they obtruded painfully on my landscape. I was at Mass at the Basilica with my family. In front of us was a group of young women, all wearing very snug-fitting leggings and all wearing short-waisted tops (so that the lower body was uncovered except for the leggings). Some of them truly looked as though the leggings had been painted on them. A world in which women continue to be depicted as “babes” by movies, video games, music videos, etc. makes it hard on Catholic mothers to teach their sons that women are someone’s daughters and sisters. That women should be viewed first as people — and all people should be considered with respect. I talk to my sons about Princess Leia and how Jabba
the Hutt tried to steal her personhood by putting her into a slave girl outfit in which her body became the focus. (That’s the only scene in the whole franchise in which Leia appears in such a way — and it’s forced upon her.) Leggings are hardly slave girl outfits. And no one is forcing them on the countless young women who wear them. But I wonder why no one thinks it’s strange that the fashion industry has caused women to voluntarily expose their nether regions in this way. I was ashamed for the young women at Mass. I thought of all the other men around and behind us who couldn’t help but see their behinds. My sons know better than to ogle a woman’s body — certainly when I’m around (and hopefully, also when I’m not). They didn’t stare, and they didn’t comment afterwards. But you couldn’t help but see those blackly naked rear ends. I didn’t want to see them — but they were unavoidable. How much more difficult for young guys to ignore them. I’ve heard women say that they like leggings because they’re “comfortable.” So are pajamas. So is nakedness. And the human body is a beautiful thing. But we don’t go around naked because we respect ourselves — we
want to be seen as a person, not a body (like slave-girl Leia). We don’t go naked because we respect the other people who must see us, whether they would or not. These are not just my sons — they’re the fathers and brothers of your friends, the male students in your classes, the men of every variety who visit campus. I’m fretting both because of unsavory guys who are looking at you creepily and nice guys who are doing everything to avoid looking at you. For the Catholic mothers who want to find a blanket to lovingly cover your nakedness and protect you — and to find scarves to tie over the eyes of their sons to protect them from you! Leggings are so naked, so form fitting, so exposing. Could you think of the mothers of sons the next time you go shopping and consider choosing jeans instead? Let Notre Dame girls be the first to turn their backs(ides) on leggings. You have every right to wear them. But you have every right to choose not to. Thanks for listening to the lecture. Catholic moms are good at those! Maryann White March 22, 2019
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The observer | FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
ND volleyball
Irish volleyball retools post-disappointing year By MANNION McGINLEY Assistant Managing Editor
Notre Dame volleyball will head into the 2022 season entirely revamped. The Irish have a new coach and an almost entirely new roster after going 13-15 overall (10-8 ACC). The Irish didn’t have a perfect season this year. It was the first time in six years they didn’t break .500 in their overall record and the first time in three years that the Irish weren’t in the NCAA tournament. “Every year our goal is to make the NCAA tournament, and unfortunately, we didn’t make the tournament last year but
we came up just short,” junior setter Nancy Kane said. “I think we were probably going to be like the next ACC team in. So of course, that was unfortunate.” Still, the Irish made a name for themselves in the ACC, going 10-8, and the five seniors on the team made their presence known. That group was led by outside hitter Charley Niego and setter Zoe Nunez, who rarely left the court, playing in a majority of sets. The Irish had some significant wins throughout the year, including taking down No. 18 Georgia Tech in Atlanta. They went on to sweep in the rest of their ACC wins and three of
RYAN VIGILANTE | The Observer
Irish senior outside hitter Charley Niego sets ball to teammates during match against Oakland at Purcell Pavilion. The Irish won 3-1.
their eight conference losses came from 2-3 decisions. Two of their closest losses on the season came against No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Pittsburgh as well. Despite the chips falling the wrong way on the scoreboard, the Irish found success individually. Niego, Nunez and junior outside hitter Caroline Meuth played 90, 102 and 91 sets each. The trio was only outplayed by sophomore libero Hattie Monson, sophomore middle blocker Lindsey Miller and sophomore outside hitter Aubrey Hamilton, who appeared in all 103 sets for the Irish. Meuth and Miller tallied 218 and 177 kills respectively over the 2021 season while Niego and Hamilton saw 272 and 316. Nunez broke 900 assists on the year to lead the team by a wide margin followed most closely by Monson with 89. Monson, however, led the dig stats with 407, followed by Niego and Nunez with 264 and 262. To cap off the season, Niego earned All-ACC honors, named to the second team. The Irish were stellar off the court too. Hamilton, Miller, Monson, Niego and Nunez each earned ACC All-Academic Team Honors. Over the off-season though, the Irish will see a change in the lineup. Of those reliable names, only Monson will be returning. And, with a total of nine players leaving, the Irish have to practically start from scratch. The players that are staying, though, are fired up, Kane said. “[Not making the NCAA Tournament] definitely fueled our motivation for this year,” she said. “You can tell in the gym right now, with the seven girls, we do have everybody super motivated and the energy
is awesome. We’re just using all that energy to drive us to compete really hard at the high level for next year and really focused on that goal of getting back to the NCAA tournament like we have in the past.” The only two seniors returning, Kane and libero Kiara Schmidt, have begun to make an appearance on the court. Kane played in 44 sets with 14 aces and 17 digs. Schmidt played in 86 sets with 10 aces and 109 digs. Turning to the future though, the duo has taken up creating a whole new culture for the Irish. “We’ve had a lot of different senior classes to look up to over the years and they’ve all been such great role models for us,” Kane said. “Using those different groups as role models to just form what we kind of want our class to look like. We definitely want to establish a good culture dynamic on our team. Right from the start. We’re gonna have a bunch of new girls coming in. We only have seven right now and we’re gonna then jump to having 16 girls. So just establishing a good culture for them to come into it, making it a fun year overall for everyone.” Kane and Schmidt won’t be alone in establishing the new culture though. Notre Dame Volleyball also has a brand new coaching staff for the 2022 season. Head coach Salima Rockwell joined the Irish in January and she added associate head coaches Sara Matthews and Craig Dyer before the month was out. “Coach Rockwell, she’s awesome,” Kane said. “She’s just been amazing. Right from the start. She came in with such a positive energy and has really worked so hard to bring everything that she knows about
volleyball ... She’s really taught us so much already in such a short time that we’ve known her and I’m really excited for everything else that she could teach us. We’ve already seen success on the court. I know that through her coaching that we’re gonna get so much better. We’re just so excited to have her and we’re really fortunate that [we were] able to bring in such a high-level coach. And all of our coaches as well, we’re really excited to have them on board. It’s been really great. The energy in the gyms that they brought has been really awesome.” Since Rockwell took over the Irish have made moves towards refilling their lineup. Graduate transfer Kaylyn Winkler will join the Irish from SMU. As for the recruiting class, Avery Ross chose Notre Dame in April. The Indiana-native earned secondteam All-State honors and joins the five who selected Norte Dame in November’s early signing period. Kane says she’s ready to give this year her all for both the team and for herself. She also said expects the rest of the squad will be too. “We‘re just gonna focus on getting better every single day, a little bit at a time and we’re already doing that, right now. We’re putting in a lot of work in the weight room, on the court as well. And you can see that we’re already making a lot of progress. Our goals for next year are just to get better and then also hopefully, win the ACC and then make a deep run in the tournament for the NCAA.” Contact Mannion McGinley at mmcginl3@nd.edu
HCC women’s tennis
Saints roster grows into collegiate play By OLIVIA SCHATZ Associate Sports Editor
With a team made up of a majority of freshman and sophomores, the Holy Cross women’s tennis team finished the 2022 season 8-14. While it was not easy, the Saints persevered. They secured wins against Huntington University, Grace College and Roosevelt University. The Saints were also able to finish the season with a 3-3 conference record. When asked what their greatest accomplishment was this past season, head coach Eric Mahone answered
“navigating one of the hardest schedules in the country and doing that with essentially freshmen and sophomores in the starting lineup.” The Saints only had two seniors and one junior on the roster this year and had to rely on the underclassmen for strength. “We are so young, we knew this was a building year,” Mahone said. “Our women had an amazing year. We’re really excited about next year because of how we ended up.” Specifically, Mahone pointed to sophomore Anna Beer for more than just her physical contributions. Halfway
through the season Beer earned the team captain designation. “[Beer is] the glue that holds the team together,” Mahone said. “She’s our best recruiter, she takes care of her teammates, always putting her team above herself. You know, all the characteristics you look for in a captain,” Mahone said. Beer played No. 2 and No. 3 singles and No. 1 doubles and was a key player in this year’s lineup. While the Saints did not qualify for the national tournament, they did move past the first round of the CCAC tournament. With a 4-0 win against Judson University, the
Saints cruised to the semifinals. However, they lost 4-0 to top-seeded Olivet Nazarene University. As the Saints are done with their 2021 season, they push onward into next year. Mahone noted some big aspirations for his team. “Our goals are pretty forward,” he said. “Definitely to win the conference championship next year when we are mostly juniors and sophomores, and I think we’re in position to do that.” Mahone didn’t stop there, continuing to list off a number of goals for next season.
“Make the national tournament, have a ranking in the top 20,” he said. “We think they are absolutely achievable.” The Saints’ schedule will not get any easier next year. However, with the team maturing together, they will have that competitive edge that can take them far next year. However, their goals will not come without work. The Saints must continue to solidify their bond and sharpen their skills if they want to accomplish their goals. Contact Olivia Schatz at oschatz@nd.edu
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The observer | FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
Nd women’s golf
Inconsistent season ends with retirement of head coach By ANDREW McGUINNESS Associate Sports Editor
The 2021-2022 season was supposed to be a memorable one for the Notre Dame women’s golf team because it was supposed to be a memorable season for every collegiate sports team. After two COVID-affected seasons, just being able to play through the schedule was an achievement. There were other achievements along the way too, both individually and as a team. Junior Lauren Beaudreau, junior Caroline Wrigley, sophomore Chloe Schiavone, freshman Montgomery Ferreira, and junior Madelyn Jones led the Irish to an
impressive second-place finish at the 2021 Badger Invitational in Madison in September. The Irish finished just two strokes back from SMU. They ended the fall portion of their schedule with a fourthplace finish at the University of Louisville Club at Olde-Stone Intercollegiate. Individually, Schiavone ended the year on an incredibly high mark. She finished 24th in the ACC Tournament out of about 60 golfers. That strong performance in her first ACC tournament appearance was the highlight of a strong year for Schiavone. The sophomore led the Irish with four top-10 finishes in tournaments this season. That stellar work led
to Schiavone being one of 36 individuals selected on April 27 to compete at NCAA regionals. Notre Dame was not able to build on its strong start to the season, however. After finishing in eighth place or higher in four of their six fall competitions, the Irish finished no better than tenth in all five of their spring competitions. Their season finished on quite a bit of a low in the ACC Tournament. The Irish came in last place, marking at least the fourth straight ACC Tournament the Irish have finished tenth or lower.
End of an era But this season won’t be remembered for what the Irish did
on the course. Instead, it will go down as the end of an era. The 2021-22 season marked the 16th season in head coach Susan’s Holt Notre Dame career. It also marked her last. After the season ended, Holt announced her retirement. Holt was as synonymous to women’s golf as any Irish coach is to their program. She is the program’s longest-tenured coach and took home six conference coach of the year awards. Holt led the Irish to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2011 and four Big East titles as well. After arriving from Purdue in 2006, Holt led the Irish to heights not seen before in the program. Transitioning from one coach
to another is never an easy thing. That is especially true when a coach as enshrined in a program as Holt is with Irish women’s golf. She has left her successor with some great talent to work with. Schiavone is emerging as one of the best players in the ACC. Beaudreau, Jones, and Wrigley are a strong trio of juniors who finally got to enjoy their first full collegiate golf season. Finding the right replacement for a legendary coach like Holt is never an easy task. But perhaps a new coach could be the shot in the arm the Irish need to take a step forward in 2022-23. Contact Andrew McGuinness at amcguinn@nd.edu
ND MEN’s SOCCer
ND men’s soccer looking to make more history By GREG McKENNA Sports Writer
Notre Dame couldn’t have come much closer to making the program’s second appearance in the national title game. After equalizing through Jack Ly nn early in the first half of the semifinal vs. Clemson and remaining level in regulation, the Irish dominated the t wo overtime periods. Notre Dame couldn’t put one of several good chances away, though, eventually losing 5-3 on penalt y kicks. It was a cruel end to a remarkable bounce-back season. After missing an NCA A Tournament condensed due to COV ID-19 last spring, the Irish earned the No. 4 overall seed this fall after going 14-5-5. It was the most w ins in a single season since 2013 when Notre Dame won 17 en route to its only men’s soccer national championship. In his fourth season at the helm, head coach Chad Riley had Notre Dame knocking on the door again. “To be the t y pe of program that we strive to be, you need to be in those env ironments a lot,” he said. “If you want to get to Final Fours regularly, you have to get to quarterfinals. You want to w in national championships. You’ve got to be getting to those quarterfinals and Final Fours and getting that experience.” Notre Dame proved it could handle tournament play this season. Before the NCA A Tournament, the Irish won four straight games w ithout conceding a single goal en route to the first ACC title in school histor y.
They had to do it the hard way in the final, basically play ing Duke in the Blue Dev ils’ back yard in Car y, North Carolina. Irish goalkeeper Br yan Dowd only had to make one save as the Irish scored in both halves to secure a 2-0 v ictor y and a first conference tournament title since 2012. “It was really special to be w ith this group of guys,” Riley said. “To w in a trophy that Notre Dame men’s soccer had never won before really was cool. In all sports, but especially in soccer, it’s such a competitive thing that a lot of pride goes into the fact that we got that trophy.” Riley also lauded Irish fans who returned in the fall after capacit y was limited during the 2020-21 season. W hen Notre Dame advanced to its second College Cup in program histor y, over 1,300 spectators packed A lumni Stadium. There, the Irish came back to beat Pitt on penalt y kicks. “I know it made the season extra special for our team,” he said of the support. “Fall is a really busy time at Notre Dame, so it was amazing to get the support that we did.” The Irish faithful were treated to a prolific attack that averaged over two goals per game. Senior for ward Jack Ly nn led the line w ith ten goals, good for fourth in the ACC. Grad student midfielder Dawson McCartney, who transferred from Dartmouth last season, was close behind w ith seven goals, t wo of which came in the ACC title game. He also
RYAN VIGILANTE | The Observer
Irish senior forward Jack Lynn gains control of the ball during a home game in Alumni Stadium against Michigan State. The Fighting Irish were defeated by Michigan in a close match with a final score of 3-4.
had five assists, t ying sophomore left back Paddy Burns and junior midfielder Paddy Burns for the team-high. Ly nn was selected w ith the 18th pick of the MLS SuperDraft by Orlando Cit y SC. McCartney, the ACC Tournament MV P, was taken 43rd overall by the Portland Timbers. Defenders Mohamed Omar and Philip Quinton also joined Ly nn in the first round after leading a back line that allowed just 0.79 goals per game. Omar went 23rd to the Colorado Rapids, while Quinton was taken t wo picks later by the Columbus Crew. Riley said it “stinks in the moment” to see his
senior leaders go, but their worth to the program continues as they demonstrate to recruits that they can chase their dreams of play ing professionally from South Bend. “I think it‘s awesome to see that development because the landscape has changed, not just for Notre Dame, but just in general,” he said. “So it‘s cool for our team and for college soccer to still be helping (players) get to that next level.” Despite the large senior core, the Irish still return plent y of talent, including Dowd and Burns, who scored the second-half equalizer in the NCA A quarterfinal.
For ward Matthew Roou was named to the A llACC Freshman Team after recording seven goals and three assists. His fellow freshman Eno Nto was fourth on the team scoring charts w ith five goals in 19 games. The No. 3 recruiting class in the nation, per TopDrawerSoccer, w ill join a group Riley says is hungr y to return to the College Cup. “They left a great legacy,” he said of his departing seniors. “And now it’s, ‘How does the next group build on it? ’ And you don’t know until you start competing in the fall.” Contact Greg McKenna at gmckenn2@nd.edu
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SMC basketball
Hcc men’s soccer
Belles focus on gaining experience By TOM ZWILLER Sports Writer
Saint Mary’s College’s beautiful campus features Collegiate Gothic buildings like the iconic Le Mans Hall. This makes more modern facilities, like the Angela Athletic and Wellness Center, stand out on the Belles campus. Angela, which saw significant renovations, opened in its updated form in 2018. However, the gym has seen little action in the past two years as the Saint Mary’s basketball team had their season canceled last year. But with the new academic year came a new season which was exciting for head coach Melissa Makielski. “Overall, it was great to be back, obviously,” Makielski said. “Missing a year is not something you can imagine what it is going to be like. That created some ups and downs for us.” One of the downs was inexperience. The team featured eight sophomores and three freshmen, all of whom had no collegiate game experience. The lack of experience created by COVID impacted the team in many different ways, according to Makielski. “Going to that first game, we forgot little things,” she said. “What the pre-game routine is like, [or] like when to go to the training room.” The lack of continuity led the Belles to focus on re-establishing culture this season. Makielski said a lack of culture, chemistry, and history felt like she was “almost coming in as a new coach this year.” Despite the high level of talent, Makielski focused on establishing a new foundation. “[We need to] make sure that this team stays together through the hard times and become better teammates and better basketball players,” Makielski noted.
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Tough schedule, presents adversity
COVID
There indeed were hard times for the Belles squad this season. The team got off to a 1-5 start in Nov. and followed it with a 1-6 stretch in Dec. Makielski felt that the toughest stretch of the season “was right around Christmas time.” Beyond the usual problems of being alone on the campus during the holidays, Makielski knew that her team was not playing well at the time. “You could see those splinters and those fractions kind of imposed [on] the team.” On top of that, the team had a brief COVID problem which forced the Belles to spend some time apart. Surprisingly, that may have helped the squad find some chemistry. “It was nice that once we got back from [COVID], I saw a change in our team. [The team] appreciated being together and playing together.” Makielski said. As the season progressed, the team became more of a unit, and it showed in their disposition. “When we got to the point where now we are playing for each other, cheering for each other. Those were the moments we gravitated to and built on.” Makielski said. The Belles ultimately managed five conference wins and qualified for the MIAA tournament. In a conference with two top-five programs, Saint Mary’s faced a bevy of difficult matchups throughout the year. They lost in the first round to No. 3 Hope. After a disappointing 6-20 campaign, the Belles are looking forward to improving next season. Makielski feels her squad is primed for a comeback. “We have the talent level, and now we have the experience to go with it.” Contact Tom Zwiller at tzwiller@hcc-nd.edu
Saints starting squad to return ready to make CCAC run By JAMISON COOK Sports Writer
The Holy Cross men’s soccer team finished their season a lot stronger than they started, bouncing back from a 3-4-2 start to win six of their last eight games en route to a 9-6-2 overall record. The Saints’ early-season struggles ultimately caused them to fall just short of the postseason, but head coach Omar Gallo was encouraged by the way his team played down the stretch. “We started a very young team — 7 underclassmen with 5 of those being freshmen — and anytime you do that there will be growing pains,” he said. “From teaching a certain style of play to having discipline on and off the field, everything requires growth and these young guys have really stepped up towards the second half of the season and during the off-season. For that, I am proud of them and felt the season went as well as it could.” The growing pains that Gallo mentioned were felt
both on and off the field, as young players had not played in a while or experienced the demands of a college education due to COVID. With a focus on finding a balance between school and sports, Gallo and his staff were able to see tangible improvement on the field as the season progressed. “We did a lot of goal setting with players to encourage them to stay disciplined and engaged, goals that we knew were achievable both on and off the pitch to boost their confidence, not only as a soccer player but more importantly as people,” Gallo said. “Most of our young players really bought into this philosophy and as the season went on, results started showing that what the staff put in place was working. You are always going to have those one or two players that struggle with the expectations/standards, but as a staff, we try and stress the importance of how athletics relates to life skills. The ones that have understood that have really excelled, especially in the classroom with our
underclassmen maintaining a 3.3 team GPA.” Gallo has watched this progress continue into the offseason, and what he and his staff have seen has made them optimistic about the future. Between his three seniors returning for their fifth year and his underclassmen growing up fast, Gallo has a nearly identical roster to a year ago. Their main difference? They’re more mature and ready to make some noise in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference. These guys have really excelled and taken their work ethic and game to another level,” he said. “On the pitch, we are returning 10 players that started the last few games of the season, which is promising. We had some great results and even the games we lost we had an opportunity to win. That being said, the expectation for this group is to make a run in the CCAC and hopefully clinch a home field playoff game.” Contact Jamison Cook at jcook22@nd.edu
HCC men’s basketball
Saints learn valuable lessons from season, look to future By TOM ZWILLER Sports Writer
The Holy Cross men’s basketball team has been one of the Saints’ top programs over the past few seasons. The Saints combined for a 3812 record and two National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics tournament berths (NAIA) in the prior two seasons. But with the conclusion of the 2020-2021 season came the conclusion of the careers of Storm Cook and Jordan Gaines. The departure of the strong senior class left a void in the team. The Saints only returned three players who had played 20+ minutes per game. “I honestly did not know what to expect [this season],” head coach Mike McBride said of his expectations heading into the season. “Recreate the fabric of our team,” McBride said on his season goals. “With so many new guys, we wanted to make sure everyone [was] on the same page.” And early on, the team was on the same page as the Saints started the season
7-3. However, growing pains began once the team got to December, and the squad fell to 8-8. “That was the difficult time of the year. We essentially went Thanksgiving through Christmas without improving,” McBride recalled. “We falsely thought we had arrived...we failed to improve and we were not growing.” And to make matters worse, an already difficult season was made that much more difficult by COVID and injuries. A rough stretch like that could have easily derailed a season and caused divisions among the team. McBride says that was not the case for the Saints. “They did an outstanding job of managing the adversity of the season.” McBride felt it could have been a problematic season “if [the team] had had lesser character.” Even though the Saints had a down year, they ended high, beating Trinity International 59-56 on Senior Day.
Moving forward McBride feels that the three seniors left the program in a better place than when they arrived. “Caleb Pack has been
a part of some very successful teams. [He] was an integral part of those successful seasons.” Ryan Black arrived as a junior transfer. “[He had] tremendous pressure to perform...and was a big factor in us returning to the [2021] national tournament.” Billy Harness did a great job of “leading both by example and his voice... his attitude was contagious.” As for next season, McBride “want[s] to get back to the level of success we have created and are accustomed to.” The Saints certainly have the tools to do so. McBride praised junior Beau Ludwick. “Our most consistent player this year. Both his experience and ability make him a natural leader.” McBride was also excited about two freshmen in Justin O’Neal and Nash Hostetler. “[They] developed in production...personality and voices.” The Saints endured some tough stretches in 2021-2022. However, the team is poised to make a return to form thanks to the lessons learned this season. Contact Tom Zwiller at tzwiller@hcc-nd.edu
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