"What's a good piece of advice you have?"

"Be kind to everyone you meet. Oh, but that sounds cheesy. I don't want to back down from a tough question, though!"

               "Well, what's something you're passionate about?"

"I'm in a poster-making class right now and I love it. Thanks to that, I'm now picking up a minor in studio art along with my math major. We've had to make four posters so far with various themes. For one I used a quote from an Arcade Fire song. For another, I used photoshop to turn my siblings into post-apocalyptic nuclear zombies. We also competed in a CSC contest about the war on poverty. I used a quote by Pope Francis and hands breaking bread on mine. In fact, the CSC loved the posters so much, they're displaying them on the Thursday of reading days in Geddes Hall. And my teacher, who's from Louisiana, said he would make something along the lines of 'a big ol' pot of jambalaya' for it!"

"We named it the Wild Catfish. You know, after the Ryan Wildcats."
               "What's the game plan?"
"Well...we just have two inflatables with a piece of wood over them. I'm pretty sure that's against the rules. But we won last year, so we're running under the impression that there are no rules."

               "What's a lesson you've learned the hard way?"
"To never take things for granted. Life isn't static. Everything is in motion, moments are fleeting. People are always coming and going. You have to make an effort to appreciate everything, at every moment."

                  "So what's the story? Are you looking here?"
"I'm a senior in high school from Massachusetts. Last week, I was 95% sure I was going to a state school."
Mom added, "Notre Dame's three times the price, and she hadn't visited. So we had it all worked out--finding all the benefits, making the case that the state school was better."
"I went on a tour on Monday, stayed over with a student on Wednesday, and now...I've made my decision, and it's Notre Dame!"
                 "What was the deciding factor?"
Mom: "Jesus!"

"I work for a local circus back home. I've juggled torches before. They're not as dangerous as you'd think. If your hand touches the wrong side, you won't get hurt. Knives on the other hand--knives are dangerous."

Seen outside North.

“In terms of the social culture at Notre Dame. I should acknowledge that I'm from the outside looking in, so it's possible I don't know the whole story. But from what I've been told, from what I've seen and heard, there's a disturbing college culture of drinking at Notre Dame--disturbing not because of the drinking, but because of the thinking that seems to belie it. People pregame for events, and why? To have fun. They drink a lot of cheap alcohol quickly, so that they get drunk. Because there's this idea that you have to get drunk to have fun. Students are scared to be themselves in such a competitive environment--everyone is judging grades, looks, fitness, friends--so they get drunk, lose their inhibitions, and do things they wouldn't normally do. The next morning, they can say, 'I was drunk,' and that absolves them from all responsibility. They can shield themselves from their uninhibited actions by saying, 'I was drunk. It didn't count.' And your lifestyle in college carries over to your adult life: binge-drinking two or three times a week, being irresponsible with where and when and how you get drunk, drinking to fulfill a certain desire...when practiced on a regular basis, these become habit. And the habits that you practice at college then become the habits that form the basis for your life.”

                  "What's one great part of your life right now?"
"Graduation! I know some people are dreading it. But I'm ready to move on to the next stage in my life. I'm moving back to LA to work at a design firm."

Seen at Fieldhouse Mall: pie your dorm president for charity.
"I feel great!"

"I'm an '89 grad and live in Minnesota now. Just visiting Chicago over Easter break. Yeah, the game last year was sad. But I still had a great time and made memories going to it."

Happy Easter to the Notre Dame family and to humans everywhere!

"I'm from Massachusetts and I rock climb all the time. I have my own pack, harness, everything. I haven't been to the wall in the Rock yet, though. But a few years along the way, I picked this up. It's a nice way to practice getting your balance."
           "So what is it?"
"It's called a Slackline. The tighter it is, the easier it is to walk on. People can do jumps and flips."
           "Can you do tricks?"
"I can turn around. It's not as easy as it looks."
           "Do people walking by ask to try it?"
"Oh, all the time."
           "And are they good?"
"Not usually."

             "Being a senior about to graduate, how have you changed since you were a high school senior?"
"I've grown, absolutely. I've matured for the better. Senior year of high school was when I came out. Since then, I've learned a lot more about my identity, about myself as a person, about how to embrace who I am. Right now, looking back, I wouldn't choose Notre Dame again, but that is coming from where I am now. Four years ago, it was definitely an experience I needed to become who I am today."

               "What's your pet peeve?"
"Right now? Biochem, hah. No, but in all seriousness, when people leave the door to the study room open."
               "If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?"
"I need some time to think about that one. Hmm. Probably Martin Luther. I've been Lutheran all my life. I'd be really interested to hear his own words and to ask questions. I truly appreciate his logic."

             "What are you most nervous about when you go to college in two years?"
"Being on my own. You know, away from parents and friends and the safety of home."
             "Being from Maryland, are you interested in going to Georgetown, since it's another Catholic institution?"
Interestingly, her answer was, "I don't want to go to school anywhere very close to Maryland. Too close to home."

                  "Why is the Backer such a big part of the Notre Dame community over 21?"
"I think think it's because we've never lost sight of our values. Since we opened in '63, I can think of a dozen bars who have come and gone. They take the easy money--letting underage kids in. But we've been strict about legality since day one, and I think that's what has brought us where we are today. The community is relying on us; our two dozen employees are relying on us. And to be perfectly honest, the juniors over 21 and the seniors have come to discourage underclassmen from trying (and failing) to get in. They see the Backer as the special place that it is and want it to remain that way."
                 "Is it true that you drive the band truck with equipment to away games and tournaments?"
"Absolutely. I used to drive a truck for the football team, but when they switched companies, they no longer needed me. Luckily, the band still had a place for me, so I've been all over with them: Nashville, Dallas, Miami, Norman. I'm a retired police officer; now that I'm retired, I can start on all the things I never had time to do. I drive for the hockey team, too. In fact, I'm going up to Chicago later today to pick up the tennis team."

                  "Is that The Shirt?"
"Yeah! It's a child's small, but it fits him perfectly."
                  "What's his name?"
"Toby. He's a working dog. A stereotype exists that working dogs are all golden retrievers, but not Toby. I was the victim of a violent crime, and he provides emotional support, helps with PTSD, and so much more. He's a family member."

Seen on South Quad: the annual ROTC Pass in Review, featuring Father John Jenkins and all Irish ROTC members.

                    "Let me guess: you just came from the Bald and the Beautiful?"
"Yeah!"
"We shaved our heads in show of support. You need 8 inches to actually donate."
"My hair was getting so long it was unbearable. So hey, get a free haircut, support a great cause, raise awareness...why not?"
"This is the second year we've done it. It was a little less dramatic this time around."

Seen on God Quad.

Seen on God Quad.

Seen in Hesburgh, 11th floor.

Seen in Hesburgh, 11th floor.

"I've been an usher here since '88. Haven't missed a home game since. It's the students that keep me going. They're invigorating--and inspiring. Although tours of the stadium just started a year and a half ago, I've given over 300 tours so far."
                "Does it ever get old?"
"Never. It never gets old. I get goosebumps every time I walk through the tunnel."

"As soon as I say I'm a prospie, people are immediately nice and willing to help. I'm pretty familiar with Notre Dame, so I have fewer questions and am more interested in seeing a typical day as a student here."
              "What advice would you give other prospies?"
"Find someone to stay with who has the same interests you do. If you stay with someone who is a very different major or is involved with clubs you're interested in, you're not going to have a bad time--but it's not going to help you figure out what your life would be like here. It's good to find a benchmark."

“I wanted to be dorm president after how fantastic of a president my freshman RA was. She really inspired me to continue the spirit and love of Cavanaugh—and to inspire that in other people. That’s been one of the best parts: getting to meet so many people. Especially Emily.”

“We weren’t very close when we were inducted into office. But now we can’t imagine our lives without each other. We’re so alike. Our birthdays are a day apart. We rap like it’s nobody’s business. And we’re both weak criers.”

“Like, if one of us is having a bad day, the other one will have sympathy tears. I’d have to say our time before meetings on Tuesdays, during dinner, has been one of my favorite parts of being dorm president.”

“Some people treat dorm president and VP as a job: you arrive, you get work done, you leave. But we make a great team. It’s so much more than a job for us.”

“It’s a lot more work than I expected. But it’s worth it. I love Cavanaugh more than ever now.”

(I swear this picture was not staged. I stumbled across them in their tutus in front of the spirit sign, rapping the Fresh Prince for a video.)

"Do you go to school?"

                 "Yeah, I do! I'm in college."

"Well, I'm in day care right now. If I get bigger, I'm gonna go to school next year. Also, my favorite color is pink. And orange. But not orange candy. Orange candy is nasty."

"Five years ago, I received a letter from a high school girl. She explained that her father had died not even a year ago. She had written suicide letters to her friends and family and said, had she not read the book during the past few hours and found hope and solace in it, she would have committed suicide. I sat back and was truly amazed. That's a memory I will remember for the rest of my life."
             "Did you write back to her?"
"She and I got in touch--she's a phenomenal person. She's graduating college this year and doing very well.
"But when I read that letter, I started thinking. Who was responsible for this action, for inspiring her to stay here? Was it me, for having written the book? The book itself? The writing style of the book? And while it's true that I wrote it, I truly believe that her story is a testament to the power of education. A teacher at her school gave her the book through the school's library. And without that, without the guidance of a teacher encouraging the act of reading, that girl would not be here today.
"That truly speaks volumes for the importance of education. It fulfills the old quote perfectly: 'He who saves a single life saves the world entire.'"

               "As a senior at Holy Cross, how are you feeling looking back at the last four years?"
"I'm actually about to do my senior capstone thesis about my time at Holy Cross. As you probably know, Holy Cross is a very small school. Everyone knows everyone. I appreciate that, because I couldn't survive somewhere with 8,000 undergraduates. I'd be overwhelmed. I honestly believe that the community of students, faculty, and staff create a genuine environment of love. And it's amazing. But looking back at the past four years, I'm really going to miss it when I have to leave. There are so many amazing life-changing experiences I and the rest of the seniors will take with us. One extremely formative part of my time has been my Four Pillars experience. It's a required cultural experience for all Holy Cross students. It taught me to appreciate and respect humanity, and I think that's something that higher education desperately lacks nowadays. Now that I'm looking at jobs and a life and a house outside of college, it's a little overwhelming...but I'm truly excited to take what I've learned in the past four years and use it outside of Holy Cross."

"We don't have time to stop, but you can walk with us. We can't put ourselves in danger. We're playing Humans Vs. Zombies. It's maybe the fourth or fifth game there's been in the past couple years. We're the humans. We have to escort him" (He pointed to his friend carrying a bin of animal crackers) "to Mendoza with the food he's carrying. If we get there safely, we get an incentive tomorrow."
            "What do you do if you don't have a nerf gun?"
"Balled-up socks work really well. Socks are surprisingly good at killing zombies. Sorry, hang on, I'm in the middle of two conversations right now."
(He then spoke a different language into his walkie-talkie.")

Seen outside Cavanaugh.

Seen at Main Circle.

"You won't believe me unless I show you a picture. This is what I look like in December. I'm Santa Claus for the Notre Dame Club of Minnesota. The Club rents a banquet hall and has Christmas for underprivileged families. My part is unbelievably rewarding. Toys for Tots provides toys, and I get to take pictures with the kids, talk to them, make them smile, see them happy. It's a beautiful thing. I'm so lucky to be a part of it."

"I graduated in 2009. I was in the band--I played the sax. Yeah, I get a little nostalgic about it sometimes, especially during games. I try to get down to at least one every year. You know, they say there's the Notre Dame family, and within the Notre Dame family, you have your band family. And they say once you graduate, you become part of the Notre Dame alumni family. But for band members, the band family's not gone. You become part of the band alumni family. People are really active participants. It's an entire network. We support the band wherever it plays: pep rallies, games, performances. Sometimes an email will be sent out that says, 'Hey, the band's going to be in the area. Who's up to see them?'"