Sophomore Ryan Murray was familiar with Notre Dame from a young age. He is a longtime Notre Dame football fan and has family connections to the University. But what really inspired him to apply for admission as a senior in high school was his experience in the Summer Scholars program.
Murray participated in the program online, but says he experienced the vibrance of the Notre Dame community through the screen. “I felt for one of the first times in my life that I had found a really amazing group of people that I can not only study and have fun with, but that I could thrive and be myself around.” he says.
Murray now finds that on campus in many different ways.
His love of Notre Dame football is unwavering and he is now a student manager for the football team. Among other responsibilities, he sets up and takes down equipment for practices.
“I’ve found a lot of friends and it’s a really fun job,” says Murray. “I’ve been a fan of Notre Dame football since I was a little kid, so this is something I’d always really hoped I’d be doing.”
In addition to the athletics community, Murray has made friends serving as a sacristan for Masses in his residence hall, Alumni Hall.
Though he’s majoring in finance and political science, Murray says the class that has had the most impact on him so far was his Foundations of Theology course during his first year, taught by Holy Cross Priest Father Kevin Grove. The course both helped him to make friends and expanded his faith life.
Even though the course had over 200 students, it was discussion-based and Murray says Father Grove set up small groups within the class that allowed students to engage in meaningful discussions.
“I really credit Father Grove's class with helping me build that community that I've found here at Notre Dame,” says Murray. “And when we were with Father Grove in the class itself, he was a really engaging speaker and helped us really become engaged with the material outside of class. He would also host office hours where he was more than happy to answer your questions.”
Outside of class, Murray’s list of activities continues. He helps out with Welcome Weekend in his residence hall, participates in the hall’s fundraising efforts for the Holy Cross Missions in Bangladesh, enjoyed interhall basketball as a first-year student, and is part of the Model United Nations club.
For Murray, one of the best parts of being a student at Notre Dame has been the connections he has made with students from all over the world.
“I have a lot of friends in my dorm, from outside of my dorm, and through my different clubs and activities who are from all over the world,” says Murray. “And even though we all have different backgrounds and we’ve come from different walks of life, we all share that same Notre Dame pride and Notre Dame spirit that makes our community so unique.”
Check out the video above to learn more about Ryan Murray’s Notre Dame experience.
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