During the spring semester of his first year at Notre Dame, Jimmy Grammig ’25 contracted pneumonia. While it was a harrowing experience, Grammig points to that period as a time when he felt most supported by the Notre Dame community.
When he was in the hospital recovering, his rector and hallmates from O’Neill Hall on campus rallied around him. He remembers looking at his phone at one point and seeing many texts from hallmates and friends.
“And it was just a special honor to have people constantly checking up on me,” says Grammig. “I wasn’t there and present in the hall, but people were connecting with me and I was still a part of the hall. And that was super special for me.”
Grammig says that kind of support is typical of the Notre Dame community.
During his college search, he also appreciated Notre Dame’s “atmosphere of service,” which he says was evident from the University’s mission.
In high school, Grammig was president of Key Club, the largest high school branch of this service organization in Florida, and he wanted to continue doing service work in college.
On campus, he now works with Circle K, a volunteering organization, and he is involved with residence hall activities in O’Neill Hall.
He has also joined the Student International Business Council (SIBC). Through SIBC, Grammig recently had the opportunity to tour KPMG headquarters in Chicago and says that is one of the highlights of his Notre Dame experience so far.
A management consulting major (now called the strategic management major), Grammig is specifically interested in entering the hospitality industry after graduating from Notre Dame. There is a special reason for that.
Grammig has muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair. As the disease developed, he and his parents made a plan to travel. They wanted Grammig to see as much of the world as possible before the disease progressed further and travel became more difficult.
“So by the time I was about 15 or 16 or so, I'd been able to go to all 50 states and about 43 countries around the world,” he says.
Rather than satisfying his desire to travel through those trips, Grammig says he just wants to travel more now and in the future. His experiences staying in hotels and generally witnessing the workings of the travel industry inspired him to want to learn more about this arena and eventually work in it.
Now Grammig is working toward his management consulting degree, with a focus on the management side.
Watch the video above to learn more about Grammig, his favorite class, and his favorite Notre Dame memory so far.
