"Two years after I started at Notre Dame for my graduate degree, I remember standing before the dome, thinking to myself, Why am I here? At that very moment, I looked across the quad and saw Father Hesburgh. He wore his collar, slung his coat over his shoulder, and looked up at the dome with indescribable admiration, joy, and humility. I said to myself, his love for Notre Dame is so fiercely passionate. That's it. That's why I'm here.
"After my last exam four years later, my professor said, 'I probably can't tell you this, but I will anyways: you passed!' I ran out of the classroom and bought my class ring within five minutes."