Alumni Dinner for Grads Speaker - Dana Schindelka’88 - May 17, 2002 Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I would like to acknowledge some of the distinguished guests who are present tonight. With us are the Chairman of the Board, Gerry Maier, Members of the Broad of Regents, our President, Terry Cooney, a number of our Vice-Presidents, including Dennis Ulmer, Terry O’Malley, Archie Ledgerwood, and Colleen Kvisle, Father Tubale, parents of Hounds, alumni, and, most importantly, the graduating class of 2002. My name is Dana Schindelka, and I graduated from Notre Dame in 1988. It is a great honor and a privilege to be here with you tonight.
My purpose tonight is to welcome into the Alumni the 67 individuals who are graduating this year.
As I look back upon my final year at Notre Dame I do recall thinking about graduating from high school but I don’t remember thinking about becoming a Notre Dame alumnus. In fact, until tonight you probably haven’t considered the fact that you are becoming a member of the alumni.
By graduating from Notre Dame you are all becoming members of a large extended family that is extremely accomplished.
Pere Murray himself claimed that the young men and women who graduated from Notre Dame were far greater than he was. While that may not be true, Notre Dame has produced an amazing number of leaders and remarkable individuals.
Notre Dame has approximately 8,000 alumni scattered throughout the world. Among them are scientists, such as Ray Rajotte who developed what is known as the "Edmonton protocol" and who has made great headway into allowing diabetics to live more normal lives, businessmen such as Glen Ballman who was the driving force behind Onvia.com and who, at least for a period of time was nearly a billionaire.
Three members of parliament are Notre Dame alumni. A number of Notre Dame Hounds are MLA’s for various provinces. In my practice as a lawyer I have personally appeared in front of two judges who are Hounds. The College has also produced individuals who have been leaders in all walks of life, including priests, nuns, bishops, doctors, teachers and social workers.
Most importantly, however, Notre Dame has produced individuals who are leaders within their communities and who are good husbands, wives, friends, and parents.
I have also heard through the grapevine that Notre Dame has actually produced a decent hockey player on one or two occasions.
We, the alumni, look forward to seeing your successes and celebrating your achievements. Of course, along the way there will be disappointment. I sincerely believe that if none of you experience disappointment and failure you haven’t truly been challenging yourself by setting your goals and dreams high enough.
Michelangelo said, "The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it."
If you’re anything like me you’ll learn more from your struggles than you do from your victories. As Mother Teresa said, "Suffering will come, trouble will come - that’s part of life; a sign that you are alive. If you have no suffering and no trouble, the devil is taking it easy because you are in his hand."
The friendships you have made and the experiences that you have gathered at Notre Dame will better equip you to deal with the adversity that you will no doubt face. As Pere Murray said, "adversity builds strength". When I look at my fellow alumni members I have no doubt that while adversity may build strength it also reveals strength.
As your lives unfold and you gather friendships, relationships, marriages, and maybe even children, I believe you will look back upon Notre Dame as having had a profound influence on your growth and development. I also, without hesitation, predict that some of your most valued and enduring friendships will be with fellow Notre Dame alumnus.
Although you may think that your lives are jam packed right now, you will probably find as time goes by that you become busier and busier and have less time. As a Notre Dame alumnus each of you have, I believe, an obligation and a duty to contribute to whatever community you live in in order to repay all of the benefits which you have received.
When I went to Notre Dame I was on a bursary. If it hadn’t been for the bursary I wouldn’t have been able to come here. I don’t know if you know this but presently approximately one-third of all students at Notre Dame actually receive bursaries. These bursaries are, to a great extent, funded by alumni. If, in the future, you find yourself able to contribute and help with funding a bursary at Notre Dame, please do so. One of the greatest gifts you can give a young person is the chance to come to Notre Dame.
After graduation you will all go your separate ways. Some of you will keep in touch for a few years and, as time goes by, the frequency of your contact with other Hounds may diminish.
It is important to remember that you are all members of a unique community: the Notre Dame alumni. This is where the numerous alumni associations come in.
By being involved in the Notre Dame alumni I have rekindled old friendships and I have also met many, many new friends who went to Notre Dame both before and after me.
Congratulations for nearing the conclusion of your final year of high school and welcome to the Notre Dame alumni. I sincerely hope that all of your dreams come true.
As one chapter in your life comes to a conclusion and another is about to start, I wish you the best of luck.
My sincere wish for all of you is that you will learn from the past, set vivid detailed goals for the future and live in the only moment of time over which you have any control - now.
Thank you very much. |
