I love traveling.
From simple day trips at the beach to spending spring break in Chicago, something about visiting new places has always enthralled me. That’s why when one of my jobs offered me the opportunity to travel to Indianapolis for this past weekend’s Shamrock Series I couldn’t say no. While Indianapolis admittedly isn’t as glamorous as some of the Series’ past locales (Chicago and Dallas for example), I was excited as I dragged myself out of bed for the trip early that morning Friday.
Arriving in Indianapolis a little under four hours later, I checked in to my hotel and dropped off my bags. Almost immediately, I was bombarded by a variety of familiar sights and sounds. A man wearing a Notre Dame polo directed me toward the stairs, which I descended as a recording of the University marching band played softly in the background. Flanked by Shamrock Series banners and surrounded by Irish alumni and students alike, I made my way to Pan Am Plaza, which played host to a multitude of events throughout the weekend. Drummers’ circle, traditionally occurring under the midnight gleam of the Golden Dome, found itself in the shadows of Lucas Oil Stadium. Instead of Touchdown Jesus or South Quad, the pep rally found the city of Indianapolis as its backdrop. Rather than heading to South Dining Hall for dinner, students filed into various restaurants throughout downtown, bemoaning their inability to use flex points on the road.
On Saturday as I made my way up to the press box, I was immediately greeted by a spectacular panorama of the stadium below. Filled with a sea of Notre Dame colors, chants and cheers, I found myself filled with the same excitement as any other game day — three and a half hours away from campus, the massive Lucas Oil Stadium felt oddly like home.
While I was already aware of it, this past weekend truly demonstrated to me the universal nature of our university. Notre Dame isn’t just a college in South Bend; Notre Dame is a family, spanning across multiple states, countries and continents. Notre Dame exists wherever its community exists — this much is clear at every Notre Dame event, regardless of location. I know that regardless of where my life takes me, I will always be blessed to be a part of the Notre Dame family.
We are Chicago. We are Dallas. We are Indianapolis.
We are Notre Dame.
