Dear reader,

As I was doing research for the cover story of this issue, I came across the April 30, 1987 issue of Scholastic. I glanced at a story called “The Transition Game” about the passing of the torch from Fr. Hesburgh to Fr. Malloy. The story wasn’t what I needed, and I was about to flip past before the byline caught my eye. The story was by “Steffanie Keller” — my mother.

The inauguration of a new president wasn’t a major world-historical event nor did it affect my daily life all that much. But within the Notre Dame ecosystem, it was a connective force. It brought us closer to classes who were around for the previous two inaugurations. It brought us closer to Fr. Dowd as he began his journey alongside us. It brought us closer to each other as we crushed and trampled our way into the inaugural ball.

As I scratch and claw my way through senior year, I am constantly reminding myself of how special this place and these people are. Never again will I be in such an intellectually enriching environment — the kind that puts on an entire three-day academic conference for St. Thomas Aquinas’ birthday. Nor will I be in an environment where the ethics of leaving a football game early are debated so fiercely (hopefully).

This place is special. I hope the first-years reading this magazine are discovering that for the first time now. I hope the sophomores, juniors and seniors reading this are rediscovering that often. And I hope, in this new Dowd-era, we can all find ways to commit to Notre Dame’s mission and be the bridge-builders he asked us to be. Whether you engage in projects like the Habitat for Humanity build, volunteer through NDBridge or just reach out with kindness to those around you, we should all allow ourselves to be the means for good.

But the most important thing to remember post-inauguration is this: Angrily whisper “Dowd,” not “Jenkins,” when the line for Southwest Chicken Salad is too long and you need to blame someone.

Peace,

Claire Early