We're counting down the days to commencement weekend at Notre Dame. The Class of 2021 spent last week, a.k.a. Senior Week, with friends at fun events, including a formal dance at Notre Dame Stadium and a short trip downtown for a South Bend Cubs game.
This weekend they celebrate a major accomplishment while excitedly anticipating what comes next. Some students will kick off their careers with a first job or military service, while others pursue service work or graduate school.
ND Admissions talked with six seniors about their post-graduation plans, how their education prepared them for what comes next, and what they will miss most about their time at Notre Dame.
Mariah Rush
American Studies; Journalism, Ethics, and Democracy minor
What are your post-grad plans?
For the next six months I will be a Don Wycliffe Fellow at the Chicago Tribune working in their news and metro section.
How did Notre Dame help prepare you for your post-grad journey?
Notre Dame and specifically the journalism, ethics, and democracy (JED) minor, prepared me for this job in many ways. Notre Dame and its rigorous liberal arts curriculum prepared me to dive into an array of subjects that I'm not knowledgeable about to begin with, which is crucial for a job in journalism—in which I will be assigned to investigate and learn everything about a topic at a moment's notice, and disseminate that information to the public in an accurate and timely manner.
The JED department prepped me with its small courses and one-on-one opportunities with trained and experienced faculty to enter a dynamic workforce that is ever-changing and requires you to dive in without much preparation.
Additionally, my major in American studies gave me the confidence to share my thoughts and feelings on topics coherently and participate in an academic debate, which I believe will be useful in advocating for myself and my ideas in the workplace.
What are you most looking forward to about post-grad life?
I'm really looking forward to exploring a life outside of the Notre Dame bubble and putting this education to good use!
What will you miss most about Notre Dame?
I will really miss the engaging and unique classes and opportunities my major in American studies gave me, in addition to the personable and ridiculously kind professors. Where else can you take classes on Latino muralism and gender and pop culture in the same semester?
Joseph Sheehan
Accountancy; Sustainability minor
What are your post-grad plans?
After graduation, I will be working at Deloitte Tax in Chicago as a tax consultant.
How did Notre Dame help prepare you for your post-grad journey?
Notre Dame prepared me for this opportunity well, both in and out of the classroom. I was able to take classes in my major that had real-world applications, exposing me to the type of work that I wanted to do.
Outside of classes, having access to ND’s alumni network allowed me to easily connect with alums and discern that I wanted to pursue a career in accounting.
What are you most looking forward to about post-grad life?
I’m really looking forward to moving to the city with my friends, and hopefully catch[ing] some Chicago Bulls games.
Ian Marx
Political Science; Hesburgh Program in Public Service minor
What are your post-grad plans?
Next year I was be attending Emory Law School as a 1L, focusing my work on child welfare and reform for foster care.
How did Notre Dame help prepare you for your post-grad journey?
I will always value Notre Dame for giving a diverse skill set to pursue a career in law. My classes prepared me well in improving my writing and presentation skills, but my experiences went beyond the classroom. I had classes varying from creating policy briefs about local South Bend issues to consulting for real entrepreneurs in poverty.
These experiences ingrained in me endurance, teamwork, professionalism, and faith in my abilities to perform in real-world situations.
What are you most looking forward to about post-grad life?
I am excited to meet a diverse group of new faces and experiences like I did at Notre Dame. Furthermore, I am excited for the chance to learn the law while applying it at Emory’s law clinics and state advocacy.
Theresa Azemar
American Studies, English
What are your post-grad plans?
I will be participating in a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Antwerp, Belgium.
How did Notre Dame help prepare you for your post-grad journey?
My time at Notre Dame has prepared me to promote cultural competency and appreciation wherever I go in the future!
What are you most looking forward to about post-grad life?
I am most looking forward to the opportunity to serve as a cultural ambassador through my relationships with my future cohorts, students, and neighbors.
Allison Blanchard
Political Science, Psychology; Poverty Studies minor
What are your post-grad plans?
I'll be doing a year of service through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, working as a paralegal at the United Community Housing Coalition in Detroit, Michigan.
How did Notre Dame help prepare you for your post-grad journey?
Notre Dame's emphasis on service has been incredibly formative for me. My classes, various service trips, and other extracurriculars have underscored this and allowed me to sample what fields I'm most interested in.
What are you most looking forward to about post-grad life?
I'm most looking forward to learning more about housing law while also working directly with clients in Detroit.
What will you miss most about Notre Dame?
The sense of community, walks around campus, and Garbanzo.
Chad Cocco
Computer Science
What are your post-grad plans?
After graduation I’ll be working for Copia, a startup in SF focused on reducing food waste through donation logistics and waste-tracking analytics.
How did Notre Dame help prepare you for your post-grad journey?
ND gave me a solid foundation in my classwork and helped to build my network, but most uniquely, ND shaped my mindset to approach my future with a more ethical lens.
What are you most looking forward to about post-grad life?
I’m looking forward to staying in touch with my ND family and returning for football games. I’m also excited to not be living on pop tarts and Bang energy drinks anymore.
What will you miss most about Notre Dame?
I’ll miss the people around me the most. There’s not a lot of places in the world where you can be surrounded by so many awesome people with such cool stories.
Originally published by at admissions.nd.edu on May 18, 2021.