"We picked him up from after-school care and he'd been playing mudball, and now he's covered in sweat and watermelon juice."

"I'm majoring in IT Management. Photography is just a hobby of mine. My grandma, grandpa, and dad are all photographers in Mexico. There, it's a much bigger profession: he photographs the soccer games, as well as weddings and other events. They never pressured me to be a photographer, but they always said, 'You can do better,' which is why I'm going into business here."

Seen in North Dining Hall.

"I taught Foundations of Theology last year, and took my class to hear a talk in the Hesburgh Library auditorium about pornography. The talk was undoubtedly powerful. A former producer and a former actress spoke about the industry, how harmful it was, and why they left it. The former producer had left after discovering God's love. It was an incredibly moving presentation. But afterwards, in a kind of Q&A, it came up that he had chosen to become Catholic. And the entire audience burst into thunderous applause. It was like a touchdown had just been scored. Honestly, I was a little disturbed by the audience's reaction: they cheered louder for his connection to Catholicism than they did when he shared his conversion of heart."

"I auditioned for the drumline for two years and didn't make it either time. Then I came back to audition a third year, which very few people do. I didn't want two years of hard work to go to waste. And over that time, I learned that growth was necessary, but persistence was also key.
"After my third year auditioning, I finally became a part of the drumline. My friends started calling me Rudy. It's self-explanatory: I was accepted during my third attempt. And I love my nickname. It takes something that could be an insecurity and instead makes it something to be proud of."

Seen on North Quad.

"I graduated Notre Dame in 1965. I was a General Studies major, which they now call PLS, and I lived in both BP and Zahm. One of my most vivid memories of Notre Dame was a professor who inspired me: Professor Cronin. He opened his house to all General Studies majors on Friday nights. We'd go to his house, visit his kids and his wife, talk, and hang out until midnight. He'd make us popcorn and cookies. And at midnight, Professor Cronin made Irish coffee for his wife--he lit it on the stove and everything. I think it was his way of thanking his wife for putting up with a houseful of college students late at night on a Friday.

"When I returned to visit Professor Crossin 10 years later, he invited my wife and I to visit him at his house on a Friday night. And at midnight, he made two servings of Irish coffee: one for his wife, and one for mine."

Seen at Lemon Lake, Crown Point, IN. 

"I love Notre Dame's marching band. Other bands are successful, of course, but to me, no other band can quite match up."
Daughter: "We were at a football game in New Orleans once, and she could not stop bragging to one of the fans."
"I wasn't bragging--I just told her the facts. I said, 'How many people are in your marching band?' And she said, '150.' And I said, 'Well, your band is very nice. But Notre Dame's has 360.' I was so proud I knew the number. Her jaw just dropped."

"I essentially attended college from 1971 until 1996, going through undergraduate and nursing school. I was a little overwhelmed. But then I heard about Notre Dame from my friend, who loved her experience there. I was working as a nurse, but I looked at the graduate programs and thought: combining a business degree with a nonprofit edge is genius. When you're working in nursing, you have to know how to communicate with the business side, funding and finance, as well as the patients themselves. What better way to truly understand patients' needs than by a nonprofit approach? And I knew that, at Notre Dame, I would meet people from across the world, each with specific and unique ideas. I knew I would learn much, much more than if I attended anywhere else.
"I was a commuter student. It took five years to complete my degree, but I was always optimistic about it: that meant five years of football tickets!"