"We spent six years visiting a nursing home, but we needed a change of pace. So this year, we started visiting the children's hospital.
Seen at Hesburgh Library: Sheba the therapy dog (who is too photogenic for just one picture).

"We were just on an Advent Walk. Where did we go, boys?"
"We walked to five chapels around campus and said prayers there. We visited...uhh...it's in the program."
"It was with our Boy Scout Troop."
            "And where did the walking sticks come from?"
"That was from something different. We had to do five hikes total. They had to be at least two miles each. ...That's ten miles total."

Seen outside LaFun.

Seen in Hesburgh Library: farewells to the floor of the 2nd level in preparation for renovation.

             "How did you get to wear this whole outfit?"
"Well, the staff in charge of Howard Halliday said, 'Put this on--you're Mrs. Claus.' Santa's here, too."
              "How does Howard Halliday work?"
"Brother-sister dorms decorate a tree together under a theme. Then the most popular tree wins, which is determined by the number of $1 donations it receives. And later, every tree is donated to families in need for their homes."

Seen at Howard Halliday.

"I'm from Panama and we can't shop online there. It'd take a month for something to get to you. But I just discovered Amazon Prime! Things get to you in just a few days!"
            "So that's where you got the onesie?"
"Yeah! I'm a flying squirrel! I got it online, so I figured, why not wear it?"

Seen on DeBart quad.

"I'm studying psychology at IUSB. What most fascinates me is why people think the way they do. I've started relating what I've learned to everyday life--an action performed frequently will stick around with you. And to you, your habits might not be so obvious, but to people who don't have the same habits, they can't help but notice these habits all the time. My end goal is to be a forensic psychologist, but it's a long and tough road."

"I'm one of two student managers for South Dining Hall. Normally the job is reserved for a senior, but I've had it since second semester sophomore year. We're basically managers for the managers. Some tasks are less desirable, considering it's a dining hall we're talking about--there are jobs like sweeping, cleaning dishes, loading trays. But they're jobs nonetheless, and they keep the dining hall running smoothly. My job is to give the managers a push in the right direction whenever they need it--to stay attentive to their duties, to spend time with other employees in their jobs. And showing up to work. There's a point system that tracks that. Showing up is a big priority."

"I like to draw, but I'm really impatient. So I draw whatever I can as quickly as I can. It's kind of become a thing among my friends."
(Drawn in 35.44 seconds.)

"I've been dancing since I was three. I had only done ballet before college, and I joined TransPose because I wanted to keep dancing in college. The styles we use in TransPose are freer than traditional ballet. They're more about feeling the movements that come next, rather than thinking in poses. It sounds cheesy, but we've become a family here. There's no mask onstage--we take each performance as a chance to be our true selves."

"I'm from Indonesia and I went to secondary and high school in Singapore. In Singapore, I was an international student as well. There's a stressful, competitive atmosphere in schools there, and I wasn't sure I wanted to continue with that for colleges. The tests you take early on determine the level of courses you're in later on. There are 11 levels in your third year of secondary school--so if you're at the top, in 3-1, you feel the most successful. But if you're in 3.9, there's a certain hopelessness attached with moving up, as though your path is already set.
"I didn't visit Notre Dame before I committed, but I did talk with a friend who goes here. I saw that Notre Dame had the values and the atmosphere that I wanted going forward. It's very different from the impersonal nature of an urban school.
"Since I couldn't visit any of these schools, my decision was driven by gut feeling. Some of my friends looked at schools' rankings. But just because a school is ranked in a 'top ten', it doesn't mean you'll get in. And if you do get in, that's not a guarantee that you'll fit in. Under my circumstances, I felt like going with my gut was the best decision."

                 "What was one of the happiest days of your life?"
"It has to be the day my son was born. He's 10 now. Before that, I'd been told that I shouldn't have kids. It just goes to show how incredibly your life can change in ten years."

Today marks the 1-year birthday of I Am Notre Dame!
Last Thanksgiving, we went live. A few posts appeared on three linked websites, with the promise that more stories of the Notre Dame family would appear soon. Since then, it's been an unforeseen but incredible ride: one year, 3,000+ likes, 300+ interviews, and still going strong. A sincere thank you goes out to those who made all this possible: those who supported the blog from its first steps, those who have just joined us, and those who have generously shared their time and stories in each post.
The more people I speak with, the more I realize I can never adequately capture their stories in a short blog post. But my hope is that you will seek these stories out yourself; this blog is just a stepping stone. No individual can be encapsulated in three paragraphs and a quick picture, and as soon as you realize this, your world view will begin to shift. People walking on campus are no longer "people"; they're individuals, each with hundreds of compelling stories to share. 
If you take something away from a year of this blog's existence, let it be this: Empathize with others. Listen when they speak. Share in their heartbreak and their triumphs. After you look down at your screen to read an interview, look up at the world to interact with these family members and their stories.
The Notre Dame family is expansive, multifaceted, complicated, compelling, beautiful. Let this blog be the beginning of a deepened lifelong relationship with these stories and the individuals who share them.

Seen on Bond Quad.

"I traveled to Kenya for the first time in 1990, when I was a seminarian in Holy Cross Seminary. I took this opportunity because I wanted adventure--but also felt God calling me to stretch, to move beyond what I was comfortable with and enter into the next part of his plan for me. In a sense, God can be calling you through the drive for adventure. That was how I felt. My time in East Africa was an experience that has affected the rest of my life: I attended graduate school for political science at UCLA, concentrating especially on African politics. When I became a faculty member here, I became the head of the Ford Family Program, which connects grassroots engagement and communities with research and student learning. After all my time spent in East Africa, I've found that the most valuable aspect of it is the human connection. It's not about what 'we' do for 'them', but what we realize together and become for each other. Students who have been part of the program often feel like they've come away with more than they've given. I know I have.
"This might sound corny, but what I love most about Notre Dame is its students--more specifically, their idealism. They have a desire to make the world a more humane, just, and peaceful place. People nowadays can become cynical, and I think that we need a good dose of idealism mixed with realism. And students here exude that. They inspire me."

"Back home in Vietnam, I started a program called the Foundation for Poor Children and Young Women. The focus of the program is on human dignity. We host workshops for young women, providing them time and space to listen to talks, build community, play games, and pray. Interactions with the children are different--they're always in different places in their education, and are often at a disadvantage, so every conversation is slightly different from the last. The goal is to inspire them to use their energy to be active in their education, to connect with the Christian faith. My time at Notre Dame has been proof that God has a plan for me to continue this journey. Since English is my second language, I may not be the ideal student in philosophy and theology...But being here has been preparation to return to Vietnam and serve the poor with my Dominican Sisters. Before coming to Notre Dame, I had the passion for serving the underprivileged, but I didn't have the means of enacting change the way I wanted. Now that I'm here, I'm learning how to approach this change through a religious venue. I return to my sisters in Vietnam over breaks to help serve, and plan to use this education God has blessed me with to make the Foundation for Poor Children and Young Women the best it can be, using and growing in my God-given talents."

"A few years ago when I was in college, I met this woman, Winnie, who was a frequent of this old coffeehouse on campus. She'd call me Princess Lauren and always loved to talk. One day, maybe three years ago, she gave me a pair of Notre Dame earrings. And I told her that I had absolutely no connections to Notre Dame. I hadn't even been there before, so someone else could probably make better use of them than I could. But she said, 'In time you will find a use for them.'

"My application towards being a rector at Notre Dame was unexpected and a little sudden, but the pieces seemed to fall into place. The day after my grad school graduation I boarded a plane for South Bend. It was my first time on campus.  I felt this overwhelming sense of rightness that many students feel when they visit for the first time, that feeling of 'Yes. This is it.' I felt so called, so at home. I prayed at the grotto, thinking about how I was ready to say yes to my vocation the way Mary said yes.

"After being offered the job, I ran into Winnie back home and told her that I'd accepted a job at Notre Dame. I wear the earrings now on game days.

"It's been a huge adjustment for me, to live in a dorm with 230 other women, on a new campus with new weather, but I've never felt like stranger. This is a place where everyone immediately feels like family. The most difficult part is balancing a 24/7 identity with a job that's not 24/7. It's hard to turn down your maternal instincts and not sacrifice everything for the women in the dorm. I've been figuring out how to maintain a balance of support, of sharing in both their triumphs and their darkest moments, and of perspective. I know I've been called to work with student leaders in order to find their vocation. And not just a religious vocation, although that's certainly an element--finding their life's vocation, the focus of their energies, as well.

"Sunday masses are the epitome of my experience here: it's amazing to see these women gathered together as a community. And it's both heartbreaking and beautiful to see them opening themselves up to God when I know about the joys and sorrows they've experienced. Sometimes I use my role help the girls put their problems in perspective, but seeing them at mass, they help me put my life in perspective, too."

Seen on North Quad.

Seen at Fieldhouse Mall: car smash for Camp Kesem, sledgehammer and all.

"These questions are too generic. I don't know what I'd say. I could say all my extended family lives in China. But I can't add anything deep about it--if it's the only thing you've known, you don't know what you're missing. I could say that I won a $25 prize at a high school talent show by handfarting, but I never cashed the check. The thing is, what's interesting to me isn't interesting to you. And I'm not interested in the stuff you and everyone else are interested in."

"Recently, 43 students in Mexico went missing. Their bodies were found later, gruesomely killed. The Mexican people are in uproar because the government has been inactive. It's just one more example of violence escalating in Mexico. I've seen media coverage of protests and marches in Mexico City, passing by places I used to know well when I lived there. The question, it seems, to all Mexicans is, 'What are you going to do?' And a part of me wants to be there, in the protests, making an immediate different. But I know that my protest, my impact, is occurring through my attendance here, at Notre Dame. I've only been here a year and a half, and I've already seen myself growing. I've become an officer for clubs, started communities, and was accepted to do research over the summer. I know my impact is being made here. Being Mexican is a part of me, but it's not all of me. Some people expect me to be carrying the flag, so to speak--to know, hold, and articulate the positions of all Mexican people. But I don't. It's a part of me that I will hold onto forever, but I'm not one-dimensional. It's one of many things that has made me who I am.
"Solely being Mexican doesn't make diversity--each individual's experiences create diversity. They say two heads are better than one not because of the sheer number of heads, but because of the backgrounds, stories, opinions, knowledge shared by two minds.
"I'm changing and growing and learning through my spectrum of activities here. I've been making connections through clubs and communities, looking outward, making things happen I couldn't have otherwise. And it sets me on fire.
"I have faith that I will be successful just from the privilege of being here. But what I know is that I will be successful not for the sake of retribution, or supremacy, or selfishness. Success is two-way: you give your talents, but you also learn from your situation. Being aware of that, I can just feel it--I know my success will be different."

Seen at St. Mary's Convent.

"I'd always been interested in doing Baraka Bouts, but I kept saying to myself, 'Next year.' But when I was approaching my senior year, I realized it was now or never. So I trained in boxing over the summer, including with one of the boxing captains, who I'm rooming with in Texas next year. There are qualifications to box, including winning a certain number of practice rounds, and coming to practice four days a week. It took a lot of time-management, but I qualified.
"I had a bye in the Baraka Bouts semi-finals, but I was nervous and didn't know what to expect, so I begged the captains for a fight anyways. They didn't change it, though: they said I was ready.
"Before the match, I went to the pit to warm up with my opponent. We're friends, so we practiced some smack talk, but it just ended up being funny. Then before the match, I was dressed in a blue jacket, hood up, and I walked into the arena. Before we fought, a priest said a blessing over us. Which made it feel a little bit like we were fighting to the death or something. The arena was unreal--nerves nerves nerves. Lights, and hundreds people looking at me. But once the fight started, all the sounds went away.
"My future roommate was my cornerman. After the second round, she said, 'It's all about heart. You've got a chance at getting a split decision.' But when the match was over, and the referee held both our wrists, I heard a voice overhead say, 'In a unanimous decision...' and I thought, what?! But when I heard 'the boxer in blue', it felt a little unreal.
"I'd been on such a strict sleep and dietary regiment to prepare for my match...so afterwards, my friends and I to Olive Garden and ate as many of the breadsticks as possible.
"Our season's basically over now, and that makes me a little sad. But I definitely intend to continue boxing in the future. And I'm so glad that I finally mustered up the courage to participate, after years of thinking about it."

             "What's your first memory of Notre Dame?"
"I didn't visit until...oh, it must have been junior year. I didn't know anyone going in--I hadn't had any family attend before me. But it was the perfect spring day, with the trees budding and a blue sky. The typical college tour. It was magic to me."

                 "What's a lesson you've learned the hard way?"
"Resiliency. There's always going to be some life problem. Nothing's gonna be perfect. It's all about the way you look at things--having a positive life attitude."

"I'm a member of Net Ministries: for a year, I'm part of a group of missionaries who travel across the Midwest and hold retreats for schools and parishes. Some of the most powerful moments of my experience so far have been days when I don't want to get out of bed. I'm physically exhausted, mentally drained, I haven't had coffee in two days, and I just want to say, 'God, can I get the day off?' Sometimes, I won't even have time for personal prayer with God. I hit the ground running. But I know I need to get out of bed to serve His children. And it's those days when He hits me hard--the whole day will be inspiration after inspiration. An entire day that's just an act of prayer. And by nighttime, I'm not tired. I'm energized by the day's events, by God's obvious influence in my life. Honestly? I run on coffee and God's grace."

Seen on God Quad: the quadruple threat.

"I'm 86 right now, but you wouldn't know it. I'm telling you: music makes you young. I was a music major in college, playing the slide trombone. I went on to teach vocal performance in elementary schools, then eventually moved to special education. When I graduated--I mean, when I retired! Sometimes I think of retiring as graduating. When I retired, my husband bought me a dulcimer, I bought him an autoharp, and we both learned how to play them. Then he had the brilliant idea to play them at nursing homes. Eventually, I became Hat Lady."
                 "How did that happen?"
"Well, one day, to brighten up a few guests' days, I brought a couple hats and started placing them on guests' heads. Men and women alike, I'm telling you: they bloom. They absolutely bloom. Now I find supplies at Goodwill to make hats for all occasions. I bring them when make rounds to the four nursing homes I visit, where I spend time with the guests and play them music."

"I've definitely grown since my freshman year. I've learned how to communicate effectively, which is key. Before college, I wasn't the best at holding spontaneous conversations. And now I'm an RA, which means I'm always engaging in conversation."
            "What's a memorable conversation you've had at Notre Dame?"
"It was on the Sophomore Road Trip. We were discussing our faith journeys. Our conversation was really moving, and it opened my eyes to how far I'd come in my Catholic faith. I think there's a part of Notre Dame's culture that allows for conversations like those."

"I was the head manager of the football team my senior year of college. When my wife and I attended the FSU game in 1993--the game of the century!--we saw a list of past managers when were on the concourse. Two FSU fans asked my wife, 'Oh, did your husband play football for Notre Dame?', and she said, 'He managed.' But they still wanted a picture with me! After they left, we realized that they must have thought that I 'managed' to play football. So somewhere, two FSU fans are walking around with a picture of me, thinking I was a football player and not a manager!
"One of my strongest memories of Notre Dame was the first night game under the lights in Notre Dame Stadium. I was a manager on the field for that game. When you're in the stands, games are so loud--cheering, screaming, talking throughout every play. But when you're on the field, you don't hear any of that. You're immersed in the game mentally and physically."

Seen at the Knights of Columbus building: Human Society dogs being well-loved by students during midterm week.

"When I tell people I'm a double major in neuroscience and English, they always pause and ask, 'So how does that work?' I realized the connection, the importance, of these two a few months ago. My best friend from home and I went on adventures often. We'd wake up at 4 am, when everyone is asleep but everything is awake. And we'd just let adventure take us wherever it pleased. This day we wandered into a forest. The moon faded into an eclipse, two stars bright, ablaze, luminous points in the sky. We traveled through the forest, reaching the point where the vibrant, palatial aura morphed into something darker, dingier. We encountered some wildlife that startled us both, so we turned back. Somehow, my friend slipped and twisted her ankle. She fell and immediately began crying. For some reason, my initial reaction was to carry her on my back while we headed back. I started to sing a song we both love. The lyrics are about your personal capacity to change your outlook on a situation. By the time I had finished singing the song, she had stopped crying. She stood, limped for a few steps, and then was fine for the rest of the day. It was a moment of healing. And that was life-changing for me. Some part of her mind, when focused, could transcend any physical pain, any external challenge she might face. It's like how hypnosis has been proven to be a more powerful anesthetic than any drug. Understanding and utilizing the mind can change the way you interact with the world.
"It's been said that out of everything in the universe, out of stars and plants and other organisms, the brain is the most complex. I want to incorporate this into my writing -- when characters feel unmotivated, useless, struggling with physical or emotional pain, I want to explore that mental capacity to change the situation. I want to focus on the brain's extraordinary power to overcome any situation. And that, I hope, will make my writing moving. I hope to change the world a little through that. Or maybe change the world a lot. As you can see, I'm a dreamer."

"I was a history major in college. I love history books that read like novels. I'd go to the dorm rooms of friends who were math majors, and look through their bookshelves, but nothing would be of interest to me. I connect with reading about what has happened, not abstract mathematics. They also used to call me Bananas in college, because my last name is Banas. It stuck for a while after."

"The Holy Spirit is undeniably at work at Holy Cross House. Each morning, the residents wake up to our Blessed Mother on top of the dome, shining across the lake. But most of all, it's the Alma Mater that truly affects these men. Some have memory loss and difficulty accomplishing daily tasks. Many work with physical therapists. But when the Alma Mater plays, they miraculously stand and remember all the words. It's truly inspiring--and a sure sign that the Holy Spirit is present here daily."

"I'm a grad student here, and today I had to stay on campus later than usual. So we decided to eat dinner as a family, have a picnic, and enjoy the day."

"My grandpa came to the game last Saturday. He went to Notre Dame for college, but he hadn't been back to campus in a very long time. So we walked around campus, visited the Grotto, stopped by LaFun, revisited memorable places for him."

"We're part of a 24-hour run to raise money for the Special Olympics. This means that, for 24 hours, someone from the team will always be running around campus. The shark suit and trident get passed on with each shift of runners. We have booths set up around campus where we take donations."
             "Can I take your picture?"
"We can run in place, but we can't stop."

Seen in Riley.

(The number is the National Suicide Prevention Hotline.)

Seen on South Quad.

“I cannot talk enough about SSLP (Summer Service Learning Program). You immerse yourself in 8 weeks of service after a few preparation classes, and wrap up with reflection sessions in the fall. I opted to serve at Hesed House, a homeless shelter in Aurora, Illinois. I’d never had experience working with homelessness before.

“So for 8 weeks, I was completely immersed in the culture of Hesed House. Our schedule involved serving in every way imaginable. But my favorite opportunity by far was the nighttime meals. When we ate and talked, I could get to know residents better, but I also made new friends. Holding conversations with so many people was undeniably humbling. I met some residents who have been guests of Hesed House long-term. And it wasn’t that they’re not making progress—it’s that some people need more time. Meals also helped me to realize that there are a lot of people at Notre Dame who think similarly to me. The guests were a reminder that there are countless other perspectives—they helped keep me grounded in remembering that my opinion is not necessarily the right one.

“Getting to know the guests honestly taught me to love people a lot more. It didn’t matter that they were homeless—they’re not different from anyone else I’ve ever met. I truly consider the guests my friends. And without this program, I wouldn’t have been exposed to their situation. I wouldn’t have met these friends.

“I strove to take every opportunity possible. No SSLP student before me had slept in the low-threshold sector of the overnight area, so I asked if I could. One night, while sleeping there, I came down with some sort of sickness. I ended up leaving the overnight area, but it put me in a position to think: what do you do if you’re sick in a homeless shelter, surrounded by countless other people, and you can’t just return to your SSLP-provided room?

 “Along those lines, I made a pact with myself to try to make at least one person happy every day. I knew, going into the session, that I couldn’t change the world in two months. But during bad days, when I wasn't sure if I had done anything, someone would thank me for my positivity, or recall a piece of advice I gave them, or the time I lent them a helping hand. Moments like those were indescribably fulfilling.

“I don’t know where I’ll end up in my future, but this experience solidified my decision to be involved with a nonprofit organization. I’m obsessed. This summer, I found renewed joy in people. You can study all you want, pass your entrance exams into college and graduate school—but if you don’t know how to interact with people, how to love people, you’re not going to get everything out of life. And I really firmly believe in talking to people, in relationships, in loving everyone with everything you’ve got.”

"We go to high school in Warsaw. We're part of an event that happens every few years that involves a high school in France. It all started because of two teachers who happened to be friends and wanted their classes to explore other countries. A group of high schoolers from France spend a week here, go to our classes, and stay in our homes. Then later, we get to go to France and do the same thing: spend a week there, attend their classes, and stay with them."
"It's been a crash-course in friendship. And somehow, I'm really protective of them! If one of them gets lost in our high school, I drop my books to run after them and point them to the right class."
"I'm amazed by how enthusiastic they've been. About everything. Everything is amazing and exciting to them. It makes me excited to be showing them around."

"We're on a week-long visit from France. We've been visiting Notre Dame since 9 this morning."
           "So what do you think of Notre Dame?"
"It's huge. A lot of walking everywhere."
"I loved the stadium. We got to go in, and they gave us a tour of the locker room, field, and press box."
"That was huge, too!"