More than 1 million people across the United States live with multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease that affects the brain, optic nerves and spine. MS is an unpredictable disorder, with symptoms — such as overwhelming fatigue, muscle spasms and vision problems — flaring up and then subsiding over days, months or even years. To identify new treatment paradigms for MS, studying the underlying damage to the nervous system is key.

, a neurobiologist at the University of Notre Dame, studies the role that the loss and regeneration of myelin plays in MS progression. A fatty substance that protects nerve cells, myelin envelopes the axons of the brain as they route the electrical signals that carry information throughout the nervous system, similar to how plastic insulation protects electrical wires. The damage and swelling that follow myelin loss in MS form distinct “lesions,” which vary in size, number and location in the nervous system.

Because collecting viable tissue samples from patients with progressive disease is a challenge, scientists rely on preclinical biological models. A new study from the Adams research group, out today in , empirically compares for the first time two prevailing models — cuprizone (CPZ) and lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) — for the study of myelin loss and regeneration in MS.

“Our analysis of these two models of myelin loss and regeneration provides a road map based on robust scientific evidence that we hope will advance the study of MS and related diseases,” said Adams, who is the Gallagher Assistant Professor in the .

The CPZ and LPC paradigms are used largely interchangeably. But while both models degrade myelin, the timeline and localization of myelin loss varies between the two. CPZ causes widespread loss of myelin over several weeks. LPC, on the other hand, induces a lesion in just one place within days. This new research, which was funded by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, points to specific scenarios in which one model is better suited, depending on which aspect of MS is under investigation.

“If you’re studying the myelin-producing cells and what’s happening to them in MS — are they stressed, dying or trying to repair? — CPZ is better, since the loss of myelin is more gradual,” Adams said. “For studying the immune cells that respond to the myelin loss, LPC may be better, since the immune response is more aggressive than in CPZ.”

Beyond comparing CPZ and LPC to each other, Adams’ team also analyzed the resulting lesions from each preclinical model alongside data obtained from human MS tissue samples. The researchers constructed genetic maps of each type of tissue with the help of single-cell RNA sequencing, allowing them to examine the genetic changes that occurred in response to demyelination.

“By matching each model to features seen in diseased tissue from real patients, we can be sure that we’re targeting things that are actually causing disease in human patients,” Adams said. “There are so many potential paths to follow, so we want to make sure that the path chosen has direct relevance to MS patients.”

In addition to phenotypic differences, the genetic changes in diseased cells vary between the two models — an area of future exploration for the Adams research group.

“We were surprised to see several interesting genetic variations in some cell types, but we don’t yet know if these changes encourage or discourage myelin regeneration,” Adams said. “Learning more about these shifts in gene expression may reveal how MS affects the nervous system and how the body responds to it, which is essential groundwork for developing new therapies.”

Since MS flare-ups are primarily triggered by the immune system’s reaction to lesions — which also attacks healthy cells — current clinical treatments focus on quelling this autoimmune response. The regeneration of lost myelin within MS lesions, on the other hand, remains a promising yet unrealized drug target.

“The strategic use of these two preclinical models is essential for translating insights into therapies that might restore lost myelin,” Adams said. “We need to better understand the very process of demyelination in order to treat one of the root causes of this debilitating disorder.”

Contact: Brandi Wampler, associate director of media relations, 574-631-2632, brandiwampler@nd.edu

The University of Notre Dame celebrated its on Sunday (May 17) at Notre Dame Stadium. An audience of more than 20,000 family members, friends, faculty and graduates were in attendance as 2,120 degrees were conferred on undergraduate students.

Over the course of Commencement Weekend, the University conferred a total of 3,335 degrees.

University President , and , the Charles and Jill Fischer Provost, introduced the speakers and welcomed the guests. The ceremony opened with the singing of “America the Beautiful,” led by Rev. Kevin Grove, C.S.C., an associate professor of theology.

Salutatorian Allison Elshoff, a business analytics major from Valencia, California, offered an invocation. On behalf of the graduating class, she expressed gratitude for Christ’s love, for family and friends, for teachers and mentors, and for the University of Notre Dame. Elshoff also prayed for God’s guidance and asked that the graduates “leave these halls eager to enter the world as instruments of your peace.”

In his valedictory address, Martin Soros, from Bethesda, Maryland, considered the journey that each graduate took to Notre Dame, which he noted was not so different from that of its founder, Rev. Edward Sorin, C.S.C., who arrived on the frozen grounds in late November 1842 with a vision for what the University could become.

“We all came to create something, just like Father Sorin,” he said. “What did he see in that frozen landscape? He saw you and he saw me. He saw researchers fighting to end disease. He saw students tutoring at a local middle school. He saw members of a choir sharing their gifts, and he saw neighbors cracking jokes in a dorm hallway. Over these last four years, at every turn, we cultivated warmth for others.”

Soros, a civil engineering major who is perhaps best known as co-creator of , said that warmth is something the world desperately needs.

“Like Father Sorin, we stand before a world that has grown cold,” Soros said. “And though the people we encounter may know nothing about Notre Dame, we can leave its mark on their hearts with the warmth we have cultivated here. This may seem daunting. But we’ve been doing it for four years, and we are just getting started.”

Honorary degrees were conferred upon Marguerite Barankitse, a humanitarian leader, teacher and founder of the education, development and relief organization Maison Shalom (House of Peace); Mary Boyce, provost emerita and professor of mechanical engineering at Columbia University; Eamon Duffy, emeritus professor of the history of Christianity at the University of Cambridge and former president and fellow of Magdalene College at Cambridge; Christopher J. Murphy III, executive chairman of 1st Source Corporation; J. Christopher Reyes, co-founder and chair of Reyes Holdings LLC; and Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., the sixth archbishop of Newark.

Father Dowd then introduced the principal speaker, Sister Raffaella Petrini, F.S.E., who also received an honorary degree. Sister Petrini is president of the Pontifical Commission and Governorate of Vatican City State, serving at the invitation of both the late Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV, and becoming the first woman to hold these positions.

“Sister Petrini speaks to us today at a historic time in the Church, as we embrace the first American-born pope, Pope Leo. … It is clear that Pope Leo is a pope for all, as he has centered his papacy on unity, charity and ‘crossing borders in order to announce the Gospel,’” Father Dowd said. “In many ways, our speaker today has embodied these ideals throughout her ministry, as an Italian-born member of an American-based religious community who is tireless in her service to the Church and to all of God’s people around the world.”

In her address, Sister Petrini built on the recent Jubilee year theme chosen by Pope Francis, “Pilgrims of Hope,” inviting the graduates to become “leaders of hope.”

“You will be people of hope if, centered in Christ, the Principle of Communion, you embark on your new beginning, driven by a sincere desire to build bridges: bridges between humanity and God; bridges between those you meet; bridges between those who are the main players and those who are left behind; bridges between cultures, languages and personal histories; and bridges between individuals and generations,” she said.

Sister Petrini also called upon the graduates to “dream, make choices and set priorities” and to “continue to search for more.”

“I pray that you will march on and contribute to the common good, that you will move forward strong of heart and remain true to your faith, with kindness and courage,” she said. “May you take responsibility for others with loyalty and integrity, and be our hope.”

The University presented the — the most prestigious award given exclusively to American Catholics, and Notre Dame’s highest honor — to Timothy P. Shriver, chairman of Special Olympics.

Shriver, who began his career as an educator, described his decision to lead Special Olympics, which was founded by his mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver.

Special Olympics, he said, is “a global witness to the truth that every human being is a sacred creation, with inherent dignity, made in the image and likeness of God — and should be treated that way.

“The precious occasions when we gather and see this truth together are moments of lasting grace.”

Shriver, who also co-founded UNITE, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people bridge political divides, said that the need to make dignity the standard for how we treat each other is both an ancient call — and “the most urgent call of our times.”

“In answering the call, you here at Notre Dame have an extraordinary advantage,” Shriver said. “You will walk out of here with the advantage of having been schooled here — on this campus, in this special place — and your university was blessed for this calling even before Father Sorin baked the first brick to build Notre Dame.

“So as you leave the home field of the Fighting Irish to launch the next chapter of your lives, what would you fight for? What were you born to fight for? I pray you will fight to honor the inherent dignity in every human being — and renew the face of the earth.”

Following the conferral of all baccalaureate degrees, Father Dowd offered a charge to the graduates.

“Never forget that your charge as a Notre Dame graduate is to be a force for good in the world. And as you go out into the world, to build your careers and communities and deepen your awareness of God’s mysterious presence and action in your lives, I hope you will rely on the moral, intellectual and ethical foundation you’ve cultivated here,” he said. “Class of 2026, as you go forth from here, be assured of our gratitude for you — and be assured of our prayers for you. I hope you will come back to Notre Dame often, because it is and always will be your home.”

The ceremony closed with a benediction by Cardinal Tobin, followed by a special performance by Irish folk band The High Kings.

“Send [these graduates] forth as bearers of light where there is darkness, hope where there is despair, and unity where there is division,” Cardinal Tobin said. “May their lives reflect the values they have learned here — a commitment to truth, a heart for service and a faith that seeks understanding.”

Contact: Carrie Gates, associate director of media relations, c.gates@nd.edu, 574-993-9220

(Remarks as prepared)

Let us pause and place ourselves in the presence of God.

Lord of all creation, You who breathed life into the world and who continue to renew the earth through Your Spirit, pour out that same Spirit upon these graduates today. As You once stirred the hearts of the apostles, kindle in them courage, wisdom, and a deep desire to serve the common good.

Bless their minds, that they may seek truth with humility.

Bless their hearts, that they may love generously and act with compassion.

Bless their hands, that they may build a world marked by justice, mercy, and peace.

As they leave this lovely campus they have called home, remind them that they never journey alone. Walk beside them in moments of uncertainty; strengthen them in times of challenge; rejoice with them in moments of triumph.

We entrust them to the care of Notre Dame, our Mother, whose steadfast faith and maternal love guide this university. May she watch over them, protect them, and lead them always closer to her Son.

Send them forth as bearers of light where there is darkness, hope where there is despair, and unity where there is division. May their lives reflect the values they have learned here – a commitment to truth, a heart for service, and a faith that seeks understanding.

And may the blessing of Almighty God —

the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit —

come upon you and remain with you forever.

Amen.

(Remarks as prepared)

Graduates, there is one more group we must recognize today, without whom this celebration would not be possible: your parents, your families, and your loved ones.

So I ask you to please turn and join me in applauding all those who helped you get to this day.

We have heard great speeches today — and I do not have much more to add.

But as we close this ceremony (this chapter in your Notre Dame story), and as is tradition, allow me to offer you this: Never forget that your charge as a Notre Dame graduate is to be a force for good in the world.

And as you go out into the world, to build your careers and communities and deepen your awareness of God’s mysterious presence and action in your lives, I hope you will rely on the moral, intellectual, and ethical foundation you’ve cultivated here, and that throughout your lives, you will walk alongside the friends that you’ve made here.

Back in the fall, a number of us had the opportunity to meet with Pope Leo XIV.

One thing that struck me about Pope Leo is that he is humble, he is a superb listener and, as we have all recognized in his first year as pope, he is not afraid to proclaim the Gospel.

His example reminds us that humility combined with courage and grounded in love is a powerful force.

As members of the Notre Dame community, we are called to have a healthy sense of humility, to be courageous, and to ground our lives in love.

Having a healthy sense of humility means we recognize we do not have all the answers and we need each other in the search for truth.

It means we spend as much time and energy respectfully listening as we do speaking and espousing our own points of view.

Being courageous means that, even as we realize we do not have all the answers, we are not afraid to take a stand, especially in order to defend and promote respect for human dignity.

It means we do not run away from the pain, suffering, and injustice in the world, but that we run toward it in order to understand it and, to the extent we are able, address it.

Being grounded in love means that we always strive to let charity rule our lives in both word and deed.

It means refusing to be ruled by selfish interest and hatred.

So, I encourage you:

BE HUMBLE.

BE COURAGEOUS.

GROUND YOUR LIVES IN LOVE.

If you do so, you will certainly be a powerful force for good.

There are many challenges in our world today. There is too much violence and war, too much arrogance and bluster, too much suffering and injustice.

We know many people find it difficult to hope. But there is reason to hope.

When I look out at you all, I certainly find reason to hope. Because I know that, with all that you have learned here, you will take seriously the call to be a force for good; to be the humble, courageous, and compassionate leaders the world needs.

Class of 2026, as you go forth from here, be assured of our gratitude for you, and be assured of our prayers for you. I hope you will come back to Notre Dame often, because it is and always will be your home.

Congratulations! God bless you!

And Go Irish!

(Remarks as prepared)

Sir,

From your earliest days, you have embodied what it means to truly see and honor the dignity in every human being.

Growing up, you were witness to the founding of Special Olympics by your mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, and the devotion to public service embodied by your father, Robert Sargent Shriver—experiences that profoundly shaped your perspective. You have said that both of your parents instilled in you an orientation to difference that saw it not as a liability or a weakness to be overcome, but rather a cause for celebration.

Drawing on your family’s powerful example and your own abiding faith, you have dedicated your life to championing human dignity as an educator, activist, author, and visionary leader.

Having earned a bachelor’s from Yale, a master’s in religion and religious education from The Catholic University of America, and a doctorate in education from the University of Connecticut, you began your career as a teacher, spending fourteen years in the classroom. Rooted in your commitment to holistic formation and inclusion, you became an avid proponent of education that develops the whole child. In co-founding the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, you pioneered a movement that would reshape classrooms worldwide.

At the helm of Special Olympics, you have served as a tireless advocate for those with intellectual disabilities, who are too often isolated and marginalized. Thanks to your efforts over the last three decades, the organization has grown into a global movement that serves more than four million athletes in more than 200 countries and territories around the world, with programming in sports, health, education, and inclusive leadership. Special Olympics changes lives—not just those of the athletes, but also those of their families, friends, and communities—truly a “peaceful revolution of inclusion.” The Special Olympics athlete oath, which your mother coined and you have made famous, inspires us all: “Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”

Most recently, you have sought to ameliorate the political polarization in our country by bridging political divides and promoting respectful dialogue across differences. As co-founder of UNITE and co-creator of the Dignity Index, you continue to inspire those around you to build bridges, recognizing the God-given dignity in all people. You remind us that we have a choice in every interaction: we can use our words to push people away, or we can use them to pull people together. As you say, it’s not about changing what we believe; it’s about changing how we treat each other.

In celebration of your lifelong commitment to the most vulnerable among us, your servant leadership, and your steadfast faith, the University of Notre Dame rejoices to confer its highest honor, the Laetare Medal,

On

Timothy P. Shriver

Chevy Chase, Maryland

(Remarks as prepared)

Board Chair Veihmeyer, Father Dowd, Faculty, Members of the Board, Parents, Graduates — my two favorite candidates for the next Laetare medal, my sister Maria and my wife Linda — and all members of the Notre Dame Family: I’m deeply indebted to you for this honor. But my debt to Notre Dame is even bigger than you think. Let me explain!

Seventy-five years ago, Eunice Kennedy, who was not yet my mother, was summoned here to Notre Dame by its new President, Fr. Hesburgh.

She believed she had a vocation to become a nun. But her dad, Joe Kennedy, wanted her to marry her boyfriend, a guy named Sargent Shriver, who had asked for her hand in marriage.

So Joe Kennedy made an appeal to Ted Hesburgh, who had known my mother and father for a number of years. “Father Ted,” he said. “Eunice won’t listen to me on this. But she will listen to you. Please talk to her.”

Fr. Ted told my mother that she did indeed have a vocation. But her vocation was to marry my father and keep doing the work of the Church as a lay Catholic and a leader of her family. Shortly after her talk with Fr. Ted, just after Mass on a Sunday morning, my mother asked my father to join her at a side altar and accepted his offer of marriage.

So for the many of you here who believe that in one way or another you owe your life to Notre Dame. Believe me. I get it!

This morning, I want to thank the heroes whose love and guidance have led me to this day. My prayer is that I can be a worthy channel for their grace.

My heroes began coming to me in waves when I graduated from college and became a high school teacher in New Haven Connecticut. I spent 14 years there being tutored by the teenagers I was supposed to teach.

I tried to teach them social studies. They tried to teach me how difficult it is to thrive in poverty.

I tried to teach them to be successful. They tried to teach me that success requires people who believe in you.

And that became my calling.

One student of mine, Jennie, was 14 years old when we met. She heard every day from people that she was a nobody. She couldn’t imagine being a person who mattered. I decided to pay a visit to her home to find out how I could support her and her mom. And she told me years later, “That day you visited my house, you poured a little self-worth into me. That’s all it took to change my life.”

Actually, it was God who poured the self-worth into Jennie. I just saw it — and did my best to honor it. And she did the same for me. She believed in me — and I can never repay her for the goodness that her faith in me brought out of me.

A few years later, I left New Haven to lead Special Olympics — which is simply a global witness to the truth that every human being is a sacred creation, with inherent dignity, made in the image and likeness of God — and should be treated that way.

The precious occasions when we can gather and see this truth together are moments of lasting grace. Let me tell you about one.

In 2003, the Special Olympics World Games took place in Ireland. They were the first games where athletes with the most severe disabilities were offered a chance to participate. Personally, I wasn’t sure how people would react. I wondered if anyone was going to show up, and I worried that the athlete’s limitations might leave everyone feeling sad. Then I learned that the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, would attend and would be seated next to me as my guest.

By the time President McAleese arrived, the parking lot in Dublin was jammed and the hall was packed. Credit the Irish for showing up. The games were on!

Donal Page from County Galway was announced onto the stage to perform the “grasp and release”. Donal suffered an illness just after birth that left him unable to speak or walk. He was helped to the stage in his wheelchair and was positioned near a table with a bean bag on it. His challenge was to reach out, grab the bean bag, lift it, and move it to the end of the table.

The crowd was excited, a voice shouted “Start” … and nothing happened; Donal was still — and the arena was silent — for a full minute. Then Donal’s hand started moving toward the bean bag, and one fan in the crowd shouted “Come on lad. Let’s see it!” And that sent a shiver of excitement through the hall. Then, slowly, after a span of five minutes, Donal’s hand reached the bean bag, and another voice shouted “There you go, lad! Now grab it!”

Donal willed his hand to grasp the bean bag, and the crowd exploded in cheers. Then, over another five minutes — as we were standing, cheering, shouting, yelling, laughing, stomping and crying — Donal moved the beanbag to the end of the table, set it down…. and unleashed bedlam.

I’ve never experienced anything like it before or since — and I realize now why there was such joyous madness in the hall. We were on the home field of the Fighting Irish!! And on that field, on that day, all of us were fighting for one of us. There was no foe, no enemy, no villain. We were a mass of humanity rooting for humanity. And humanity won — because humanity was one.

My teachers, you see, never asked me for pity or condescension. They asked that I see their dignity. They want what you want and what I want: they want to matter. So today I accept this award with a challenge from them. Let’s all commit to wake up to the dignity, to the inherent worth, in each one of us — in every community, in every culture, in every country, all over the world.

We can do this! Yes, there are obstacles. Many will tell you the world is too broken to repair; that we’re too different, that it’s too difficult to get along. And it’s true that we’re facing deep polarization today. But our polarization is nothing but a mark of how we are treating each other. And we can change! No matter how far apart we’ve grown – honoring each other’s dignity can bring us back together.

The power of honoring human dignity is more than a belief. It is a spiritual practice.

Thomas Merton saw the radiant dignity inside each of us:

“At the center of our being” he wrote, “ is a point of … pure truth, a … spark which … is the pure glory of God in us…. It is in everybody, and if we could see it …. It would make all the darkness and cruelty of life vanish completely.”

And yes, darkness and cruelty will come. From my earliest memories, when tragedies shook my family, my parents taught us a spiritual practice: the prayers of the rosary. We went to Our Lady. We hoped to experience Mary’s great Yes – which opened the way for God to enter the world.

Over the years, I have continued to hold fast to those rosary beads. Because we all have our own Yes. And I try, however failingly, to say my “yes” too. To say yes, as she did, to the presence of God within; to say Yes, as she did, to opening the way for God to enter the world.

If that sounds mystical, it is! So be a mystic! Allow grace to remove any obstacle that separates you from the presence of God within -- so that grace can also remove any obstacle that separates you from the presence of God in others. Because in the eyes of God, there ARE no “least of these, no ‘them and us.” There is no less of God in any of us.

The only difference is in our ability to say yes.

This ability to say yes is the core of the spiritual movement now sweeping the world, a movement we are all now called to join — a movement to say Yes to dignity as the standard for how we treat each other – in our families, in our schools, in our faith and in our work.

This is both an ancient call …. and the most urgent call of our times.

In answering the call, Notre Dame graduates, you have an extravagant advantage. You have been schooled here — on this campus, in this special place – and your university was blessed for this calling even before Father Sorin baked the first brick to build Notre Dame.

So as you leave this home field of the Fighting Irish to launch the next chapter of your lives

What would you fight for?

What were you born to fight for?

I pray you will fight to honor the inherent dignity in every human being — and renew the face of the earth.

GO IRISH!

(Remarks as prepared)

First, I would like to thank Father Robert A. Dowd, the President of the University of Notre Dame, and the members of his Leadership Council for their kind invitation. I would also like to thank the Chair and Board of Trustees.

Warm greetings also to my fellow distinguished honorees, the Notre Dame faculty and staff, alumni, students, parents, and families of the graduates — especially the Class of 2026 graduates. It is a great honor and privilege to be here with you today to celebrate this significant milestone in your lives.

Class of 2026, your time at Notre Dame here on this beautiful campus has prepared you well to embrace the future with hope, in the spirit of the founders and under the protection of Mary, Mother of the Church. Your families have supported you in attaining an excellent education, and now you are called to share your gifts.

The world that opens up before you undoubtedly presents a very difficult setting. Many are the “dark clouds” that loom over it. Hope, however, has the power to penetrate these “dark clouds” with its light: “Hope does not disappoint” (Rom 5:5).

At the beginning of the Jubilee Year 2025, Pope Francis stated that “everyone knows what it is to hope. In the heart of each person, hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our not knowing what the future may bring.” At the end, in his General Audience of December 20, 2025, Pope Leo XIV very clearly affirmed that the hope of the Jubilee Year does not vanish; we must continue to be pilgrims of hope. To hope in life means “to believe as certain what we still cannot see or touch, to trust and to entrust ourselves to the love of a Father who created us because he wanted us with love and wants us to be happy.” Christians are always called to communicate hope.

And how do we do that?

Hope is generative, Pope Leo says: it gives us times of birth and rebirth; it offers all of you – here and now — a time of a ‘new beginning.' Strengthened by your interdisciplinary knowledge, soft and hard skills, personal growth, you are now ready to receive whatever God has in store for you, in his infinite creativity, with joy and confidence.

This ‘new beginning’ is an opportunity to put into practice what you have learned. In whatever you do next, your actions must reflect a deep sense of reverence for the sacredness and dignity of the human person.

Hope is active. You will be witnesses of hope if you nurture a genuine desire to alleviate the poverty, injustice and oppression that burden the lives of so many in material and immaterial forms. In this way, what you achieved here on campus will rightly serve the virtue of justice.

You will be witnesses of hope, if wherever you are, you strive to create a sense of human solidarity that counteracts selfish competition and cures the “virus of individualism,” because the primary concern that drives you is the common good. Then your actions will be guided by the desire to heal what is broken, to forgive who has fallen, to create safe spaces for mutual sharing, where human fragility is embraced.

Hope is collaborative. You will be people of hope, if centered in Christ, the Principle of Communion, you embark on your “new beginning,” driven by a sincere desire to build “bridges”: bridges between humanity and God, bridges between those you meet, bridges between those who are the main players and those who are left behind, bridges between cultures, languages and personal histories, and bridges between individuals and generations.

You will be people of hope if you commit yourselves to building networks of relationships, because, as Pope Leo reminded us, “human relationships, our relationships with other people, are indispensable for each of us ... Our life begins thanks to a bond, and it is through bonds that we grow.” You will be people of hope if you commit yourselves to building community and fostering relationships of mutual trust in your social and professional lives. You will be people of hope, if you pledge to cultivate the “social friendship” that is the true foundation of peace.

You will cultivate hope if you keep nurturing personal friendships, including those you began here on campus. Through these friendships, you have grown and have been supported. You have shared hard work, challenges, expectations and desires. These types of friendships must go beyond quick text messages, reels and chats, because “the process of building fraternity, be it local or universal, can only be undertaken by spirits that are free and open to authentic encounters.”

Hope is participatory and engaging. “God involves us in his history," Pope Leo reminds us that God involves us “in his dreams.” Pilgrims of hope are patient. They are people “who walk and who wait," but not with their hands in their pockets. Sometimes they keep vigil in the night, and sometimes they know how to “shake down the thunder from the sky.” They are “fighters” for hope. They want to make a difference. They change the world right there where they live and work. They choose the common good every day, even if it means sacrificing a little security and tranquility. They dedicate their talents to something greater than themselves, because they aspire to higher ideals.

They are ready to serve and rarely complain about what goes wrong because they take things one step at a time and hold a wider horizon firmly in front of them. They keep a smile on their faces because deep down, they know it is a sign of God’s grace.

They each do their part, but they prefer to do it together, because they never walk on the road of life alone. Their path is always intertwined with others. They are made to walk together and to discover a common goal. In this way, they participate in God’s life and cooperate with Him. They know that they are not self-sufficient, but they are open to receiving help, because they know that the measure of their humanity is not defined by what they can gain, but rather by their ability to let themselves be loved.

Dear Notre Dame graduates, as you celebrate the joyful conclusion of an important chapter in your studies, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to you and your families. I now invite you to become leaders of hope. Your credibility will be the foundation of your leadership, based on the consistency between your words and your actions.

Remember Pope Leo’s message: ultimately it is only love that can grant consistency and stability to your life. First and foremost, it is the fundamental, personal experience of God’s love and then, by extension, the sacred experience of mutual love and human fraternity that compel us toward self-giving.

I urge you not to be afraid of taking risks, because Christians must fully engage with life and the history of humanity. They can overcome sloth and indifference with bravery. They are willing to seek the good and look to the future knowing that our best days are always yet to come. “Fighters” for hope are willing to work through their strengths and weaknesses to make this happen.

Dear Class of 2026,

Now is the time for you to dream, make choices and set priorities. Continue to search for more. I pray that you will “march on” and contribute to the common good, that you will move forward “strong of heart” and remain “true” to your faith, with kindness and courage. May you take responsibility for others with loyalty and integrity, and be our hope!

Thank you and God bless you all.

(Remarks as prepared)

Distinguished guests, faculty, staff, friends, family, and above all, fellow classmates, welcome! What a joy it is to be with you today. I’d like to start by saying thank you. To our friends and family, for supporting us every step of the way. To our professors, for teaching us, challenging us, and pretending not to notice when we fell asleep in class. To our priests, rectors, and mentors, who stood by our side in our hardest moments. To our university staff, like Maria, who always greeted us at North Dining Hall, or Cory, who always asked about our weekend as he cleaned the halls of Fisher. Thank you for making Notre Dame our home. And finally, to my classmates: we made it.

Finding our way to this university was a unique journey for each one of us. For me, that journey was a little unconventional. Growing up as the son of two Argentinian immigrants, I had never heard about Notre Dame. Once I was admitted, I learned all sorts of things: I learned that Notre Dame is not in Louisiana. I learned that Notre Dame had a football team. I also learned that this team is rather good. This news has yet to reach the College Football Playoff Committee. Whatever path we took to arrive here, we left behind the familiar and stepped into an experience full of unknowns.

The same was true of Fr. Sorin. He left behind his home in France, and first set foot on these grounds in 1842. Like us, he didn’t know what lay before him. He arrived in the middle of a cold winter, welcomed by two frozen lakes. As he gazed upon this frigid landscape, he wrote: “Everything was frozen, and yet it all appeared so beautiful.” He knew that he had no money and no students. And yet, he stood in the snow and found the courage to build something that would radiate warmth in this cold world.

This past January, my friend Wes and I saw an opportunity to build something of our own. After finishing class for the afternoon, we took some recycling bins onto the quad and began filling them with snow. We didn’t have any plans or calculations. We just used the materials we could find: water from our dorm showers, two bunk bed ladders, and a car hood. As the days went by, a small chapel began to rise out of the snow. First the columns, then the roof, and finally the details. On their way to and from the dorm, our classmates chipped in. They helped to shovel snow, compact bricks, and lay the arches. Together, amidst the cold, we built something sacred.

Six days later, on a frigid Monday night, we came together for mass. Students, staff, members of the South Bend community. In 19-degree weather, we huddled around this chapel made of ice. In this moment, we discovered that we had built more than a structure. Together, we had built a community. In the gathering of these individuals, so different from one another, our hearts radiated warmth. A sacred warmth.

Every one of us has built something during our time at Notre Dame. We built robots with physics and math, built essays out of stories, and built boats for the Fisher Regatta with supplies we found in a dumpster. Whether in internships or classrooms, in our dorms or on the quad, we all came to create something, just like Fr. Sorin. What did he see in that frozen landscape? He saw you and he saw me. He saw researchers fighting to end disease, he saw students tutoring at a local middle school, he saw members of a choir sharing their gifts, and he saw neighbors cracking jokes in a dorm hallway. Over these last four years, at every turn, we cultivated warmth for others.

This is the very kind of warmth our world so desperately needs. A world paralyzed by the cold of indifference, a world comfortable with looking the other way. I know that I’ve felt this cold within myself, and I bet you have, too. I think of all the times I’ve been walking down a street, focused on my destination, when I come across a man sitting on the curb. I immediately become uncomfortable. I start fidgeting. I glance in the other direction. I pretend he isn’t there. I’m afraid to look at his fragile humanity for fear that he will see mine.

This is the cold of the world we inhabit. We can’t escape it. So, what is there left to do? The only thing we can: build inside it. When we stop seeing the cold as a threat and start seeing it as an opportunity, we begin to create sacred spaces of encounter. In a speech like this, I’m supposed to say how we will change the world as lawyers, CEOs, doctors, or teachers. And we will. But our time at Notre Dame has helped me realize that before we are any of those things, we are something else first: a brother, a sister. The change we wish to see occurs by radiating warmth, one person at a time. Sometimes, it’s as simple as a smile or a hug.

Every summer, I spent a couple of months in Buenos Aires, at a community center in one of the poorest neighborhoods of the city. Working there, I had the privilege of growing close to people who bear unimaginable wounds: addiction, abuse, hunger. In this place, so full of brokenness and grace, pain and laughter, I found a home, a family. One night, on a retreat we had planned for the high schoolers in the neighborhood, we walked to a small chapel. As the young people lined up outside, a loved one waited inside, ready to welcome them with a hug. I watched from a distance as each one of them stepped in, melted into the embrace, and began to weep. Life had been so cold for them that this embrace, this moment of tenderness, radiated a sacred warmth. Once everyone had gone in, and it was my turn to receive a hug, I also began to cry uncontrollably. I was overwhelmed. Because when we share warmth with someone else, it washes over us, too. And slowly, in our hearts, there ceases to exist an “us” and a “them,” to make way for simply “us.”

Here, on the margins, is where society is coldest. Here is where we must bring warmth. For each of us, this will look different. It may be a homeless man we encounter on our way to work. It may be a coworker eating lunch alone, whom we can invite out to eat. Or it may be someone sitting by themselves in the last pew at church, whom we can approach after mass. In these individuals we meet face-to-face – in the migrant, in the poor, in the lonely – we behold the face of Jesus. In them, we find our calling: to build community, to spread warmth, to be united in kinship as brothers and sisters.

Class of 2026: today we are sent into the world: to Wall Street and classrooms, to hospitals and courtrooms. Like Fr. Sorin, we stand before a world that has grown cold. And though the people we encounter may know nothing about Notre Dame, we can leave a mark on their hearts with the warmth we have cultivated here. This may seem daunting. But we’ve been doing it for four years, and we are just getting started.

(Remarks as prepared)

As is our tradition at the University of Notre Dame, let us begin with prayer.

Almighty God, we invite your presence here today. Be with us as we gather together in this
stadium, united as one family of many spiritual and cultural traditions. Under the loving gaze of
Our Blessed Mother, may we celebrate this sacred moment with Christ our Teacher.

Because you loved us first, we begin with gratitude. Thank you for our parents and families, who
have sacrificed so much so that we might graduate today — and who believed in us long before
we believed in ourselves. Thank you for our roommates and friends, who cheered us on in our
greatest joys, and held us through our deepest sorrows. Thank you for our faculty — our teachers,
coaches, and mentors — who have cultivated our minds and hearts, and taught us that the greatest
teacher of all is the love we show one another. And finally, we thank you for the University of
Notre Dame, which has granted us the transformative gift of education, and which sends us forth
today to be stewards of Your hope.

Loving God, guide us as we navigate the path ahead. Empty us of ambition and ego, that we may
know our lives are not our own. Ground us in humility, with eyes attentive enough to see every
person the way that You see them. Fill us with courage and a genuine hunger for justice, that our
hearts might be stirred to the boldness needed to accompany those whose voices need to be
Heard.

Lord God, send your Holy Spirit to dwell within us — now, and always. So that in the spirit of
Notre Dame, with lives filled with zeal and hearts full of sure hope, we may leave these halls
eager to enter the world as instruments of your peace.

We make this prayer to our gracious and loving God, through the intercession of your Blessed
Mother, the patroness of Notre Dame du Lac. Amen.

(Remarks as prepared)

Once again, it is wonderful to be together. This is a great weekend, especially for those of you preparing to graduate, your families, and all those who have accompanied you these last few years.

And, amidst all the activities, it’s fitting that we pause to celebrate Mass together. It’s fitting that we celebrate the great Love of God; the God who has always been with you, through thick and thin, through ups and downs, and a God who will always be with you come what may.

In this Mass, and every Mass, God is calling you, calling us all, to open ourselves to his presence and to put our gifts, which really come from Him, at the service of others.

Over the past few weeks, I have encountered students preparing to graduate who expressed having some conflicting feelings about graduation. One graduating senior named Allie told me that there is a part of her that wishes her experience as a Notre Dame student would never end…and another part of her that is incredibly excited to move on with her life. While Allie told me it’s difficult to think about parting company with the amazing friends she has made over the past few years, and the professors and mentors who have come to play such an important part in her life, she said she knows, deep down inside, that it’s time to move on.

Jack, another student preparing to graduate, told me that he, too, will miss just about everything about being a Notre Dame student. When I asked what he meant by “just about everything,” he said he would not miss early morning classes and the weather between January and April. (Come on Jack, it’s not that bad, is it?!) He said that part of him would not mind hanging out on campus a while longer. I’m not sure his rector would like that.

But, then, he said, he remembers Fr. Pete’s story from Welcome Weekend Mass four years ago. Perhaps you remember that story as well. Fr. Pete told the story about how, when he was struggling to leave the familiarity of home and venture off to Notre Dame, his mom told him, “I did not raise you to live in my basement.” (Fr. Pete, it’s good to know people remember that story! And we are glad that you moved out of that basement.)

Just as Fr. Pete knew it was time to move out of the basement and on with his life, Jack knows it’s time to move on with his life.

There are times in our lives we might call “in-between” times. In a sense, we are always “between” one thing and another. We are always between the past and the future. We are always between what has been and what will be. However, there are times and places in our lives when we experience a profound sense of being “in-between.” We might call these “liminal” experiences.

These liminal experiences are important and can even be sacred. We find ourselves leaving something behind and on the threshold of something new. We sense that something new is about to be demanded of us.

Graduation may be one such “in-between” or liminal time. Here, you are “between” your life and work as a Notre Dame student and your life and work as a Notre Dame graduate.

This in-between time can be a little uncomfortable. That’s because in a particular way there is change in the air. You know something new will be demanded of you, but perhaps you’re not exactly sure what that something is. It is not unusual to have conflicting feelings: excitement about the future and maybe some trepidation; self-confidence and maybe a little self-doubt; the desire to lengthen your time at Notre Dame and to get on with your lives and careers.

As we have noted, today we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord! The time had come for Jesus to part company with his disciples. We might say that it had come time for the disciples to, in a sense, “graduate.” They had heard his preaching and teaching, in word and deed. They had observed him forgiving sins and healing the sick. They had witnessed his special care for the poor, the vulnerable and those made to feel like outsiders. They saw how he continued to embody the Love of God even when doing so got him arrested and crucified. And, to their utter amazement, they encountered him risen from the dead.

Up to this point, they were, for the most part, spectators of Jesus’s saving ministry. And as long as Jesus was with them in the way he was with them, they would remain largely spectators.

But, as I noted, now it was time for them to graduate. And, graduation for them would mean going from being largely spectators of Jesus’s saving ministry, to participants in that saving ministry.

In a sense, the disciples enter a “liminal space,” between the ascension, their “graduation,” and the sending of the Holy Spirit, Pentecost, when they begin to do the work Jesus did.

During this in-between time, they perhaps sensed that something new was about to be demanded of them, and probably a keen awareness that, as much as they learned from Jesus, they still needed something else if they were to rise to the occasion, answer the call, and truly do the work that Jesus did.

That something or someone else is, of course, the Holy Spirit. Because Jesus was not simply calling them to perform tasks in his name. He was calling them to love in his name. He did not give them a manual to follow; he gave them an example to follow.

To follow his example and love in his name means to love in a new and radical way: in a way that does not discriminate between deserving and underserving; in a way that transcends nationality and religious difference; in a way that transcends the politics of the day or ideology; in a way that brings comfort to the afflicted, and challenges arrogance and self-righteousness;

in a way that respects the dignity of all life; in a way that gives up on no one; and in a way that encourages all people to live their lives in that love.

In order to follow his example and love like him, they need his Spirit.

And Jesus promises to send it. He is not abandoning them. He will be with them, not in the same way he had been with them, but in a different and powerful way.

They are of course stunned by all of this, looking into the sky in their very in-between or liminal state, when an angel speaks one of my favorite lines in Scripture, “…why are you standing there looking at the sky?”

As if to say, “God did not give himself so completely, he did not die and rise again, in order for you to stand there looking up in the sky. Open yourselves to the Spirit! Address the needs around you see before you. Let him work through you. You have what it takes. He will be with you as he said.”

Those of you in this sacred time between your past as Notre Dame students and your future as Notre Dame graduates may feel a little like the disciples did at the ascension, upon their graduation, so to speak. Excited even if a little anxious, realizing that something new is about to be demanded of you. But, consider this: This is not the first time that something new has been demanded of you.

When you arrived at Notre Dame, and listened to Fr. Pete tell his basement story,

something new was about to be demanded of you, and, with God’s grace, and the support of rectors, professors, mentors, family, and friends, you met the moment and here you are.

You met that moment not simply by performing tasks required of you; a Notre Dame education is about more than performing tasks, as important as tasks may be.

You met that moment by perhaps taking time to reflect, to pray, to participate in Mass or other religious services, or by seeking advice and counsel from a professor, a rector, a campus minister, a mentor, or a friend. Getting to where you are now, to this moment, takes inner resources, whether you are aware of it or not. It takes Spirit, and in this Mass, and every Mass, God offers the Spirit that will give you, give all of us, the strength to navigate complexity, to always remember what matters the most, and, most importantly, to follow the example of Jesus and love as Jesus loves.

No doubt there will be times in your lives when, despite your immense gifts, you feel, like the disciples felt—that there are tasks beyond your talents. At times like that, I invite you to reflect on the words of Jesus to his disciples at the ascension, at their “graduation”: “Behold I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

My friends about to graduate, know of our prayers for you and the tremendous hope you give us.

May the Lord bless you with assurances of His presence and may you always be open to His Spirit, which gives us all the grace and strength to rise to every occasion and be the creative, courageous, and compassionate people we were created to be. God bless you all!

Dean Hildreth, Provost McGreevy, family and friends, thank you for being here today.

Dr. Boyce, thank you for your inspiring remarks and your example. What a great honor it is to have you here at Notre Dame this weekend.

Graduates, congratulations —��your years of study and hard work and dedication have brought you to this day.

It does not seem that long ago that I was completing my graduate studies. From personal experience, I know that the journey of a graduate student can be filled with ups and downs, triumphs and tribulations, periods of clarity and of doubt, and moments of insight and of murkiness.

But, here you are. Your persistence and hard work have brought you to this moment.

However, you know you have not done it alone. And, if you’re like me, you know you could not have done it alone. You could not have done it without the support of the people who love you, who believed in you, who encouraged and challenged you, and who pushed you to dig deeper, become more focused, or adopt a more expansive way of thinking.

Even though their names will not be on your diploma, you know they share in this accomplishment.

So, to all the parents, siblings, spouses, friends, relatives, teachers, and mentors: thank you! Graduates, let’s applaud your families and loved ones together.

Class of 2026, as students and scholars, your contributions to your fields and disciplines have been meaningful — and will surely continue. And your contributions to Notre Dame — this university and our learning community — have been equally significant.

Thanks to the work of so many — our incredible faculty and administrators and all of you — the strength of our research programs has propelled our University to new heights, among the top research institutions in North America.

In your time with us, you have contributed to important breakthroughs, enriched our campus community, and, in many cases, built bridges across disciplines, embodying the unity of truth and knowledge in how you live and work together.

We are so grateful for what you have given here, and we are so proud to call you our graduates.

To those of you embarking on a career devoted to research, scholarship, and discovery: know that your work is more important than ever. It is key if our world is to become healthier, more humane, more secure, more peaceful, and more just.

For as graduates, and members of the Notre Dame family, we are called to be a force for good in the world. So beyond your chosen fields and this campus, we also look forward to your contributions to the world, and seeing how you will bring the expertise, knowledge, and skills you’ve gained here to develop new and different insights that help us all to live better lives. How you will leave this comfort zone and bring comfort to the vulnerable and the needy. How you will expand our knowledge, bringing us closer to truth, and lead with wisdom and grace.

Graduates, we congratulate you, we celebrate you, and we wish you every success. We look forward to hearing how you improve the world with what you have learned at Notre Dame.

Let us bring today’s ceremony to a close with a brief prayer.

Loving God, we thank you for the many blessings you have bestowed on us and we thank you in a special way for the blessings you have bestowed on Notre Dame through these graduates.

We pray that you bless them with all that they need as they begin a new chapter in their lives.

Bless their family members, friends, teachers, mentors and all those who played a role in accompanying and encouraging them over the years.

Help us all to grow in knowledge and understanding, wisdom and insight, and in faith, hope, and love.

We make this prayer through the intercession of Our Lady, Notre Dame, and in the name of Christ the Lord.

Amen

Once again, congratulations! Go Irish!

Thank you, Provost McGreevy, distinguished faculty, and the many family and friends of our graduates.

Congratulations to the Graduate Class of 2026!

It is an honor and a privilege to be here, among all of you, at your iconic commencement celebration, at Notre Dame, home of the Fighting Irish!

This is very special to me as my grandparents all came to the U.S. from Ireland as courageous young adults — full of adventure, optimism and ambition to build a new future for themselves and their families. I even have the steamer trunk of my grandmother, Mary Ann Dowling, emblazoned with her wonderful initials M.A.D.

They certainly embodied the spirit of the Fighting Irish, and this spirit is embedded within me!

I know my grandparents, together with my parents, would be so very proud to see me here today with you!

I also know your families are so proud of each of you and are here to share this moment with you.

You have also arrived here at Notre Dame with your own background and history — one that has propelled you to expand your knowledge as you prepare for a rapidly changing future.

In particular, graduate school fosters appreciation not just of your field but so much more about the world and different perspectives. You have learned with students from around the country and the world — a rather marvelous manifestation of an American university. You now share a common bond with one another and a set of values — to bring your talents and your humanity to benefit society.

This enriches you in ways that you will appreciate even more later.

We are in a moment of profound change — we see tremendous advances in AI that hold promise to advance so many disciplines and areas of knowledge while also raising new concerns; we are observing rapid advancements in biology and medicine with the great promise of improving health and curing disease; yet we are also confronted with our past and our ongoing impact on climate and sustainability — we have a shared responsibility on all of these fronts to shape a future that is positive for all of humanity and our planet.

These are great challenges and also great opportunities for leadership and progress that uplifts all. I say it is a profound moment because the pace of these changes and the scope of their impact are remarkable, occurring not over a generation but within a span of years.

It can feel overwhelming — how can an ordinary person — or even a talented Notre Dame graduate — make their mark and have an impact?

You are a generation of achievers and planners — you are ready for this moment, but you will need to set aside any sense of a well-worn path to “success”. Even in the face of urgency, you need to be thoughtful, you need guiding principles, and you must embrace change, recognize opportunity, and do so with integrity.

Sharing my own mostly unplanned journey cannot adequately advise or prepare you for the next years and decades, but I hope it can provide a sense of how to navigate the twists and turns ahead and inspire optimism for your future.

Let me highlight some key moments and decisions that shaped my career and life — upon reflection, these were guided by my own unconscious internal compass.

I have no doubt you will develop, and indeed are already developing one of your own.

When I look back on my own rather “ordinary” upbringing, I can see the points that led me on such an extraordinary academic journey.

In high school, I loved mathematics and physics — so I was advised to study engineering in college even though I had no idea what engineering was (apparently, physics was too impractical a choice!). As a freshman at Virginia Tech, I was advised — literally — to pursue industrial engineering “since I was a girl.” I wasn’t seeing the physics in these courses — it wasn’t a fit for me — but I was taking a required course in mechanics (that I loved) and learned from my instructor that I could and actually should major in this field. That support from one faculty member set a course for my life — it also showed me the impact that one person can have on your trajectory and that has stuck with me over my career.

Another early change that proved consequential for my life: after graduating with my B.S., I started a great job in the aerospace industry (I even met my husband there) but less than one year in, I realized that I wanted to be more on the cutting edge intellectually, more research focused. I then left the job to go to graduate school at MIT. This was another lesson: follow your instincts, take time to find your fit and pursue what you enjoy

At MIT, I found my fit and ended up staying on for my Ph.D. — working in the area of molecular structure and nonlinear mechanics of polymers. I enjoyed the research, and I had great and supportive mentors. During my last semester, my first son was born and so began the balance of my wonderful, amazing family and my fantastic research. That balance is difficult but so rewarding. I will never forget the day when I was near completing my thesis, and heading to a meeting with my advisors. I carefully loaded my infant son in the car to head to the meeting and left my hardcopy draft of my thesis on the roof of the car. Needless to say, it ended up all over the road, but my son was safe and secure (I knew my priorities)!

After graduate school, I joined the MIT faculty. I loved the independence of charting my own research program. It was challenging and there were difficult moments. One in particular was having a key paper that I considered a major breakthrough rejected as I was approaching tenure (and the only woman faculty member at that time). I stood my ground and persisted —for myself and my talented PhD student — confident that I was doing great research. The paper did eventually get accepted and today it is my most cited paper. I did get tenure and that Ph.D. student of mine — she is the head of mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan. You will experience rejection — indeed, papers that I have had first rejected have turned out to be some of my most cited and most consequential works, and my Ph.D. students and postdocs occupy faculty positions at top universities around the world. This is another important aspect of your work — your impact on propelling other people forward can be incredible.

Leading major interdisciplinary research programs as a faculty member and then as department head at MIT made me more aware of the impact that I could have in such a role —- impact on people, programs, broader research directions, and decision making. Doing so with ethics, integrity and emotional intelligence, I realized how important the visibility of women in engineering was to attracting and supporting women in engineering — if women are 50% of the population, why are we not 50% in engineering? Why are we missing out on that talent? Talent that could lead to great advancements for society. As department head, undergraduate women's enrollment in mechanical engineering reached nearly 50%.

Your own values, your questions, and curiosity can lead you to a bigger playing field — maybe one with the national visibility of the one you are sitting on now! In 2013, I joined Columbia University as dean of the 91��Ƶ of Engineering and Applied Science. It was — and still is — a time of expansion for engineering, a “renaissance” moment for engineering to impact so many fields. Our school vision, Engineering for Humanity, recognizes the impact of engineering on society, the need to attract a wider range of talent to engineering and engage with more fields — including the ones that you are each now expert in - shaping engineering in a larger context. This greater appreciation and knowledge of other fields led to my appointment as provost of Columbia University.

Taking on these opportunities for leadership, while sometimes challenging, can lead you to incredible places as new opportunities for societal impact present themselves. Let me add one final vignette. In New York City, we have one of the largest subway systems in the world — by station count, it is the largest. The subway tunnel connecting Brooklyn to Manhattan was scheduled to be shut down for 12 to 18 months for a full renovation due to heavy damage from the 2012 Superstorm Sandy — impacting hundreds of thousands of daily commuters and surrounding businesses. And because it was the L train, New York media had dubbed it the L-Pocalypse. The governor of New York asked me to assemble a team to find another way to repair that tunnel. I found myself, together with my fellow dean at Cornell, convening an interdisciplinary team of faculty experts across mechanical, electrical and civil engineering. We toured subway tunnels at midnight to understand their structure and alternate possibilities. It was intense and amazing, and I’m happy to say we found another way and the subway did not have to shut down, impacting so many lives and businesses. Not so bad for this ordinary girl from New Jersey who didn’t know what engineering was.

In closing, as you embark on your future, I encourage you to be true to yourself and your ambitions; to become leaders not just of your field and not just for yourself but for others, and to make a larger impact for the sake of humanity.

Embrace and develop all of your talents and skills — they all come into play in many ways and at different times.

Draw on your guiding principles. You have been educated by a wonderful, mission-minded University, a university dedicated to community, service, and being a force for good in the world.

Stay true to these principles and to your own past, family, and history. This will inform you in ways you will appreciate with time.

To the Notre Dame graduates of 2026, never lose your curiosity and sense of wonder and discovery! Know that extraordinary things can come from ordinary beginnings.

In the face of challenges, be thoughtful, be open-minded and open-hearted, strive for excellence. Be persistent, be ethical, and be optimistic.

We believe in you and look forward to all that you will do going forward!

Congratulations!

Mary Cunningham Boyce delivered the keynote address Saturday during the’s annual Commencement Ceremony, encouraging students in this moment of profound change, from rapid advances in science and technology to the increasing threat of global climate disaster, to “set aside any sense of there being a well-worn path to ‘success.’

“Even in the face of urgency, you need to be thoughtful, to have guiding principles, and embrace change, recognize opportunity, and do so with integrity,” said Boyce, provost emerita and professor of mechanical engineering at Columbia University.

Boyce, a renowned engineer and scholar, recalled her own winding path to success, marked by false starts, setbacks and pivots but also self-discovery.

“In high school, I loved mathematics and physics, and so I was advised to study engineering in college even though, frankly, I had no idea what engineering was,” she said, adding, “Apparently, physics was just too impractical a choice for this Irish-American girl from a large family”

Counseled by her advisor at Virginia Tech to pursue industrial engineering “because that's what girls do,” she later switched to mechanical engineering after taking a required course in mechanics and learning from the instructor “that I could actually major ... in this field.”

After graduation, she landed a job in the aerospace industry. But realizing she wanted to be on the cutting edge of her field, she decided to go back to school, earning a master’s and then a doctorate in mechanical engineering from MIT. She later joined the faculty there, rising to head of the Department of Engineering before leaving for Columbia, where she has been a champion of interdisciplinary scholarship to confront global challenges through basic research and real-world implementation.

Over the course of a long and illustrious career, Boyce has distinguished herself as a leading researcher of polymeric materials and soft composites, contributing to groundbreaking new modeling methods for commercial products, transportation vehicles and biomedical devices.

Notably, she led an interdisciplinary team of experts tasked by the governor of New York with devising a practical repair strategy for the 14th Street Tunnel under the East River in New York City, which was badly damaged and faced prolonged closure in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.

“We toured those gimy subway tunnels at midnight ... to understand their structure and alternate possibilities,” she said, recounting the experience. “It was intense and it was amazing, and I’m happy to say we did find another way. The tunnel was not shut down, and it was repaired in a much more modern way, impacting so many (fewer) lives and businesses."

“Not so bad for this ordinary girl from New Jersey who once didn't know what engineering was.”

The lesson: “Follow your instincts, take the time to find your fit and pursue what you enjoy.”

Introducing Boyce, , the Charles and Jill Fischer Provost of Notre Dame, observed that no matter the discipline, “scholarly discovery begins the same way: someone is curious enough to ask a difficult question and determined enough to pursue it — despite the inevitable challenges.

“That same curiosity and determination are reflected throughout Dr. Mary Cunningham Boyce’s remarkable career — as a scholar, teacher, mentor and academic leader,” McGreevy said.

Saturday’s ceremony took place inside the Compton Family Ice Arena, with 548 students receiving their master’s or doctoral degrees. Another 462 students received their master’s degrees at the ceremony, and 203 at the ceremony.

“Graduates, we congratulate you, we celebrate you, and we wish you every success,” he said. “We look forward to hearing how you improve the world with what you have learned at Notre Dame.”

Following Boyce’s remarks, , oversaw the conferral of degrees and, afterward, delivered the charge to the class.

“From personal experience, I know that the journey of a graduate student can be filled with ups and downs, triumphs and tribulations, periods of clarity and periods of self-doubt. And, as well, moments of insight, but also of murkiness,” Father Dowd said. “You're here though, now. Your persistence and hard work have brought you to this moment.”

Father Dowd thanked the graduates for their contributions to Notre Dame, noting, “In your time with us, you have contributed to important breakthroughs, enriched our campus community and, in many cases, built bridges across disciplines, embodying the unity of truth and knowledge in how you live and work together."

“Graduates, we celebrate you, we wish you every success,” he said. “We look forward to hearing how you improve the world with what you have learned at Notre Dame.”

Saturday’s ceremony also featured , associate provost, vice president for graduate studies and dean of the Graduate 91��Ƶ, and, the Leo E. and Patti Ruth Linbeck Professor of Engineering in the at Notre Dame. Hildreth opened the convocation, welcoming students, faculty, staff and visitors and introducing the platform party. Hu, one of two winners of this year’s , delivered the invocation.

Father Dowd delivered the benediction.

Commencement activities conclude Sunday (May 17) with the undergraduate Commencement Ceremony, where Boyce will be recognized as one of seven honorary degree recipients. For more information, visit .

Doors will open at 8 a.m. The academic procession will begin at 8:30 a.m., followed by the ceremony at 9 a.m.

Guest tickets are not required for the ceremony.

As Colombia stands at a historic threshold in the implementation of its , decisions made in the coming months will be important for shaping the continuity and long-term sustainability of the peace process amid a changing political and institutional context, according to a new report by the .

The report comes from the Institute’s (PAM), highlighting the high stakes of the nation’s current political transition. Published through the at the , the report — titled “” — arrives at a critical moment as the current administration ends and a new administration and a reconfigured Congress take office. Their decisions will shape the country’s path for the next four years.

Drawing on data collected by PAM’s between December 2024 and November 2025, the findings reveal that while 36 percent of the 2016 Final Accord’s 578 stipulations have reached full implementation, work continues as the accord enters a pivotal phase of execution. The institute’s analysis further underscores a persistent gap in the “comprehensiveness” of the implementation, particularly regarding the gender and ethnic approaches. Within these findings, the report offers a strategic road map for the current and incoming administration, proposing 16 strategic actions to support the continuity and stability of the implementation process.

“The narrative of the ninth year of implementation is a story of profound tension between institutional ambition and the lived reality of conflict,” said , director of PAM. This tension is illustrated by striking contrasts: On one hand, the report documented the adjudication of 40,052 hectares of land until October 2025 — a figure representing more than half of the total land adjudicated since the signing of the accord. In addition, the legal landscape saw a major shift as the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) issued its first two restorative sentences and the conclusion of the first adversarial trial, providing a long-awaited measure of justice for victims of the former guerrilla group, Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP) and retired military members.

At the same time, these developments also highlight ongoing implementation challenges, including the importance of institutional coordination between the national government, the JEP and territorial authorities for the implementation of restorative sanctions.

Despite the entry into force of a landmark law to prevent and punish violence against women in politics and the consolidation of 20 peace radio stations, only 13 percent of gender-focused stipulations and 14 percent of ethnic-focused commitments have reached full implementation. With nearly 43 percent of the overall agreement still sitting in a "minimum" or "not initiated" status, the report warns that the window to fulfill the accord's promises within the established timeframe is narrowing, leaving the most marginalized victims of the conflict still waiting for the process to yield tangible results.

The report emphasizes that the 2016 accord must be treated as a permanent “state policy” that transcends political cycles. , executive director of the Barometer Initiative in Colombia, shares how “stable and lasting peace depends on the sustained implementation of the Peace Accord as a state policy that transcends the political will of any single administration.”

The report also highlights the need to reestablish the Presidential Office for the Implementation of the Peace Accord and to ensure the strict alignment of the 2026-2030 National Development Plan with the Framework Plan for Implementation. By bridging the gap between high-level planning and effective budgetary execution, the report maintains that Colombia can navigate this transition and finally provide the visible, verifiable results necessary to sustain public trust in the territories most affected by the conflict.

Alongside the , the Kroc Institute produced an executive summary highlighting key points of the report and has released all its for other scholars to utilize in their work. Later this summer, the Barometer Initiative will also release a series of regional reports.

The Kroc Institute has released on the status of overall implementation, as well as four reports on implementation of , three reports on implementation of , a special report on the implementation of the Final Agreement from the ��and a special report on the .

Originally published by Jena O'Brien at on May 13.

Contact: Tracy DeStazio, associate director of media relations, 574-631-9958 or tdestazi@nd.edu

, assistant professor of English, unexpectedly died Wednesday (May 6). He was 36.

An acclaimed novelist and beloved teacher, mentor and colleague, Navarro Aquino was a member of the and a faculty fellow of the and the .

“Xavier’s writing and artwork communicate with absolute clarity his humane and painterly care for the world in all its damage and beauty,” said , chair of the and former director of the Creative Writing Program. “His evident joy and commitment as a teacher inspired joy and commitment in his students, and his immediate legacy will be as an artist whose sense of beauty will be carried outwards to his readers, and to his students, and to their future readers. His loss is immeasurable.”

Navarro Aquino’s debut novel, “Velorio,” takes place in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria’s devastation in Puerto Rico. The novel earned high praise from a range of media outlets, with the New York Times Book Review calling Aquino “an incredibly talented young writer,” and the Chicago Review of Books describing it as a “complex, politically engaged work and deeply human story.”

“‘Velorio’ is a beautiful, poetic novel — reminiscent of William Faulkner’s classic ‘The Sound and the Fury,’” said , a professor of English and director of the Creative Writing Program. “His attention to language is the kind of writing we might associate with a poet.”

Navarro Aquino was awarded a Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference scholarship, a Tennessee Williams scholarship from the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, a MacDowell Fellowship and an American Council of Learned Societies Emerging Voices Fellowship at Dartmouth College. He was named a Fall 2021 Writer to Watch by Publishers Weekly. His fiction also appeared in Tin House magazine, McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern and Guernica.

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Navarro Aquino earned his bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University, a master’s degree in English and Caribbean studies from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras and his Ph.D. in literature and creative writing from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He joined the Notre Dame faculty in 2021.

“Despite all of the early acclaim, Xavier was very humble and self-effacing. Our conversations were more often about soccer, or running or tattoos than his writing,” said , a professor of English, professor and chair of the and director of IRR at the time Navarro Aquino was hired. “Xavier was a dedicated teacher, an enormously talented writer and a warm and caring human being. His fiction reflected his care for the world, as ‘Velorio’ can be read as a cautionary tale about how not to treat one another under the most trying conditions. He was dedicated to representing Puerto Rico and to supporting universal human rights.”

A devoted and enthusiastic presence in the classroom, Navarro Aquino taught courses on fiction writing, the American short story, literary debuts and the role of storytelling in addressing modern, pressing issues. He directed both MFA and undergraduate honors theses. In recent years, he had become exceptionally passionate about painting.

, a professor of American studies and director of the Institute for Latino 91��Ƶ, fondly recalls a visit Navarro Aquino made this semester to his course, The Cutting Edge in Latino 91��Ƶ Research. Amidst a lively conversation about his life and work, Navarro Aquino also shared his short story, “Two Young Kings,” which Ruiz described as “brilliant and devastating.”

“I already admired Xavier as a writer and teacher, but the class session really floored me, as he showed a wonderfully open, honest and intelligent approach to his work and his vision for Latino literature,” Ruiz said. “He was the kind of professor who elevated our ongoing conversations around Latinidad and inspired the students and me to be ever more thoughtful in our approach to a complex subject matter that touches the very cores of our identities.

“He was not in any way precious about his work but embraced just about anything that we, the readers, could find in it. Xavier was an irreplaceable member of our community and his loss will be felt for a long time to come.”

Navarro Aquino is survived by his wife, Jayleen Santiago Diaz.

A memorial Mass will be held at 9:30 a.m. Monday, May 18, in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, with University President , presiding.

Condolences may be sent to the Department of English, 233 Decio Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556.

University of Notre Dame alumnus Paul Popiel, D.M.A., will return to his alma mater to lead the oldest continuously operating collegiate band in the country as Kenn and Pamela Ricci Director of Bands. In this role, Popiel will oversee the University’s band program through the , and serve as a faculty member in the through the . His appointment begins July 1.

Since 2023, Popiel has served as the dean of the 91��Ƶ of Music at the University of Kansas (KU), where he led efforts to better align academic goals with university initiatives and actively pursued the integration of emerging technology into course curricula. Previously, Popiel worked at KU for 13 years as a professor of music and director of bands. He also served as an assistant director of bands and senior lecturer at Indiana University and as an assistant professor and associate director of bands at Oklahoma State University.

“For more than 20 years, Paul has worked to build collegiate music programs that value tradition and excellence, and that encourage innovation and leadership among students,” said , vice president for student affairs. “I look forward to Paul returning to Notre Dame to share his gifts with our students and our historic band program.”

At Notre Dame, Popiel succeeds a legacy of leadership, including longtime band director ., who will formally retire at the end of the 2025-26 academic year.

Popiel will direct the entirety of the band program, which includes the Band of the Fighting Irish, athletic bands, concert bands and jazz bands, and features more than 500 students from every academic discipline. The all-volunteer organization provides music for a variety of University events throughout the academic year, including liturgies, sporting events and the annual Commencement Ceremony.

“Paul Popiel will bring a distinguished record of pedagogical excellence, dedicated mentorship and a spirit of artistic collaboration to the growing performance program of the Notre Dame Department of Music,” said , the Charles and Jill Fischer Provost. “We are pleased to welcome him back to his alma mater in this important role.”

“Returning to Notre Dame is a profound homecoming to a place that shaped my vocation and values,” Popiel said. “I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve an institution with such a rich musical and educational tradition, and I look forward to leading a band program whose legacy continues to inspire through artistic excellence, thoughtful engagement with the world and the formation of students as musicians, leaders and servants of the common good.”

Popiel earned his master’s degree in trumpet performance from the University of Notre Dame and bachelor’s degrees in instrumental music education and trumpet performance from Truman State University. He holds a doctorate in musical arts in wind conducting from Michigan State University and an arts diploma in 20th Century Music from the University of Bristol, where he served as a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholar. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and the American Bandmasters Association.

To learn more about the Notre Dame Band, visit .

While widely recognized as the leading global catholic research university, the University of Notre Dame is committed to offering an unsurpassed undergraduate experience, one that nurtures the formation of the mind, body and spirit. In fact, undergraduate education and formation is among the University’s four central goals, as outlined in "Notre Dame 2033: A Strategic Framework."

In addition to the teaching and guidance offered by faculty in the classroom, undergraduates enjoy a rich community life, bolstered by opportunities for social, intellectual and faith-based engagement. More than half of all undergraduates participate in original research with a faculty mentor.

Whether examining the causes and conditions of mass atrocities, tutoring local schoolchildren, volunteering at a men’s prison or running to save lives, these members of the class of 2026 exemplify this commitment. Formed by a rich education and possessed of mature faith in service to others, they leave Notre Dame prepared to take their places at the forefront of discovery, innovation and human achievement.

Bernice Antoine

Business analytics major Bernice Antoine hopes to establish the first sustainable waste management company in her country of Trinidad and Tobago. She was named a 30 under 30 Caribbean Changemaker and served as a Caribbean Climate Ambassador for the Caribbean Youth Climate Council. A leader in sustainability and service at Notre Dame, Antoine founded Planet Plate, a sustainability initiative and is launching Caribbean Development Group, a nonprofit which aims to teach youth practical sustainability skills.

Read more

Lizbeth Cordova Lopez

Lizbeth Cordova Lopez, a psychology major with a supplemental major in education, schooling and society, has made the most of her time at Notre Dame. Now, she has one key piece of advice for first-year students: Trust that the things you’re passionate about will lead you somewhere meaningful. For Cordova Lopez, a first-generation college student and AnBryce Scholar, that meant researching incarceration in the United States and how it impacts families, especially children with parents who are incarcerated. “Those children are at a much higher risk of dropping out of school and are much less likely to attend college,” she said. “And that’s something I’d like to change.”
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Charlie Desnoyers

A McNeill Common Good Fellow with the Institute for Social Concerns, Charlie Desnoyers, a chemistry major from suburban Chicago, has spent nearly as much time in the lab as in the classroom during his four years at Notre Dame. “Charlie is everything you’d want to see in an undergraduate research colleague — smart, innately curious and genuinely excited about research,” said Paul Bohn, the Arthur J. Schmitt Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Notre Dame. A recipient of the Dr. Norbert L. Weich Award for undergraduate research, Desnoyers will investigate light-matter interactions at the nanoscale as a doctoral student in chemistry at Northwestern University starting this fall.

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Mustafa Hess

Hess, a global affairs major in the Keough 91��Ƶ of Global Affairs with minors in peace studies and French, has let curiosity and a thirst for knowledge guide his Notre Dame experience. He has explored the myriad events and opportunities offered on campus, all while being deeply invested in his research on genocide and mass atrocities in the Kellogg Institute with professor Ernesto Verdeja. Through Notre Dame, he has traversed the United States and Europe, allowing him to connect his investigations with their real-world examples.

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Eva Romero

Economics major Eva Romero hopes that her work studying the causes, mitigation efforts and impact of policy surrounding poverty will enable other first-generation, low-income students to pursue — and complete — their college degrees. She believes that getting a good education is one of the best ways to break the generational cycle of poverty; and, in this effort, she hopes to lead by example. Not only is Romero an AnBryce Scholar, a Cavanaugh Council and President’s Circle Scholar, and a Poverty Research Fellow through the University's Poverty Initiative, but she is also an avid performer in several campus dance troupes including TroopND Dance Team, RitmoND and Ballet Folklórico Azúl y Oro.

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Sister Raffaella Petrini, F.S.E., president of the Pontifical Commission and Governorate of Vatican City State, will be the principal speaker and will receive an honorary degree. , chairman of Special Olympics, will receive the 2026 Laetare Medal, the oldest and most prestigious honor given to American Catholics.

Notre Dame will confer��six additional honorary degrees on distinguished leaders in engineering, business, history, humanitarian efforts and the Church at the University Commencement Ceremony: Marguerite Barankitse, a humanitarian leader and founder of Maison Shalom; Mary Boyce, provost emerita and professor of mechanical engineering at Columbia University; Eamon Duffy, an emeritus professor of the history of Christianity at the University of Cambridge and a former president and fellow of Magdalene College at Cambridge; Christopher J. Murphy III, executive chairman of 1st Source Bank; J. Christopher Reyes, co-founder and chair of Reyes Holdings LLC; and Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., the sixth archbishop of Newark.

Martin Soros, a civil engineering major with minors in theology and education, schooling and society and a native of Bethesda, Maryland, will deliver the valedictory address. Salutatorian Allison Elshoff, a business analytics major with minors in the Hesburgh Program in Public Service, the Business Honors Program and impact consulting from Valencia, California, will offer the invocation.

Cardinal Tobin will offer the benediction.

On Saturday, 548 students will receive master’s and doctoral degrees at the Graduate 91��Ƶ Commencement Ceremony, along with 462 master’s degree students at the Mendoza College of Business ceremony and 203 at the Law 91��Ƶ ceremony. The University will confer 2,120 degrees on undergraduate students at Sunday’s ceremony.

Weather permitting, graduates will process into the stadium at 9 a.m. Sunday, and the University Commencement Ceremony will begin at 9:30 a.m. All guests must have an e-ticket for admission.

The Commencement Mass will be held at 5 p.m. Saturday in Purcell Pavilion, with University President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., presiding.

The Commencement Mass, University Commencement Ceremony and certain diploma/hooding ceremonies will be��. A complete schedule of events is available on the , and senior stories and other features can be found here.

Many common items will not be allowed in the stadium during Sunday’s ceremony. Visit the Commencement website for��. In the event of severe weather, ceremonies will be moved indoors to the Joyce Center. Should weather conditions necessitate a move indoors, the University will communicate changes online and via ND Alert messages, social media and local news outlets.

Contact: Carrie Gates, associate director of media relations, 574-993-9220, c.gates@nd.edu

When Lizbeth Cordova Lopez looked over a list of colleges from her high school counselor, a crooked stroke of a highlighter drew her attention to one school: the University of Notre Dame.

At the time, Cordova Lopez, who is from Sylmar, California, thought she would go to nearby UCLA. But her counselor had encouraged her to consider colleges outside her home state as well and highlighted various schools.

“I don’t know if her marker ran out or if the paper shifted, but the highlighting was jagged,” she said. “And, I just impulsively thought, ‘Oh, I’ll apply to that school — maybe there’s a reason this one stands out from the rest.’”

That one stray mark became the start of Cordova Lopez’s Notre Dame journey.

As Cordova Lopez learned more about the University, she was drawn to its Catholic identity and values — but it was her first visit to campus for admitted students day that helped her finalize the decision.

“Stepping onto this campus for the first time was the most magical feeling,” she said. “Everyone was so welcoming, and everyone we met was doing such incredible things. After you experience Notre Dame, it’s hard to go back because it shows you there’s so much more.”

That fall, she and 12 members of her family — grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins — drove in two cars from Southern California to campus to help her move in.

Four years later, her family will return, even larger in number, to cheer her on at Commencement.

Cordova Lopez, a major with a supplemental major in , has made the most of those four years. But now, as a mentor to first-year students at Notre Dame through the , she has one key piece of advice for them: Trust that the things you’re passionate about will lead you somewhere meaningful.

“Once you start doing that, it opens doors that you can’t even imagine,” she said. “So, take the classes that seem interesting, follow your passions and then build from there.”

For Cordova Lopez, that meant starting from a personal experience that shaped her childhood: When she was 3 years old, her father was incarcerated and spent the next 13 years in prison.

“I wanted to understand more about how the system works and why — as well as what happens to the children of those who are incarcerated,” she said. “Those children are at a much higher risk of dropping out of school and are much less likely to attend college. And that’s something I’d like to change.”

Cordova Lopez, a first-generation college student and , began researching incarceration the summer after her first year, as she worked with women in a correctional facility in Ohio and in transitional housing. The internship, offered by the University’s , allowed her to gain hands-on experience in reentry programming and inspired her to delve deeper.

As a sophomore, she took a class called Mass Incarceration Research Lab and began conducting research in the and then the . The following summer, she traveled to Norway with funding from the to explore the country’s unique approach to incarceration that focuses on rehabilitation and reintegration.

Her research experiences culminated in this year on the joint impact of parental and school involvement on children’s academic resilience, particularly in the context of economic hardship.

The summer after her junior year, Cordova Lopez studied abroad in South Africa, where she explored themes of apartheid and othering, and in China, examining the philosophy of science.

She has also been deeply involved in the local community, working with children in South Bend schools through the , volunteering at the and engaging with Campus Ministry’s . Her involvement began at Dismas House — a home for those in transition after prison — and has since grown into a role as an anchor intern, where she helps lead orientations that send students to service sites across the community.

After graduation, she will attend Stanford University to complete a master’s in policy, organization and leadership studies, through their graduate school of education, before pursuing a graduate program in clinical psychology.

“My goals in life are to start a nonprofit focused on children of incarcerated parents to help them gain access to equitable education and to help children navigate trauma and adversity,” she said. “Having one less parent always leaves some type of void, but I was lucky enough to have a lot of extra support from my family, and that helped so much. I want to focus my career on helping children who may not have that support system.”

The Notre Dame community has not only prepared her to reach those goals, she said, but — more importantly — has become a second family to her along the way.

“Notre Dame does a beautiful job of just being there for one another,” she said. “I’ve felt this overwhelming sense of love and support from everyone here from the beginning. And now, I want to take that feeling with me and help spread it wherever I go.

“Notre Dame has given me a sense of hope for my future — and for the future of the children I hope to serve someday.”