Web and Social Media Program Manager Martha Reilly joined the University of Notre Dame staff earlier this spring, marking her return to South Bend for the first time since graduating from Saint Mary’s College in 2018. Her position with Notre Dame allows her to focus on a range of topics of research, such as cancer discovery and space and humanities research.
Reilly thinks returning to South Bend is a “natural fit” for the post-graduate chapter of her life.
“Specifically at Saint Mary's, I always felt really empowered and comfortable … so I do feel like being back in the area has been productive for me and a true comfort amid a lot of different transitions that obviously take place post-grad,” Reilly said.
Reilly graduated from Saint Mary’s with bachelor’s degrees in political science and English literature, which she believes trained her well for her work with Notre Dame.
“I feel like Saint Mary's really trained me for breaking down information, which is a lot of what takes place in the research [communications] space,” Reilly said.
From there, she earned her master’s degree at the London School of Economics in politics and communication and has since focused her career in public communications.
After graduating with her master’s, Reilly worked at the William & Mary Global Research Institute for three years, working as a senior communications specialist for her last one and a half years.
Reilly was involved with The Observer and served as the Saint Mary’s news editor in 2018.
During her first year at Saint Mary’s, Reilly felt drawn to The Observer after encountering the Saint Mary’s news editor at the time, Kelly Konya ‘15, at the involvement fair. Konya welcomed Reilly into the department with open arms.
“The community, specifically the Saint Mary's office of The Observer, I would say is really what sort of piqued my interest and made me fall in love with the whole process of writing and even just being comfortable talking to people … [It] was always just a fun, sort of, like real world project to have on the side,” Reilly said.
Reilly began working as a production assistant during her freshman year, designing pages for the print editions of the paper in addition to regularly writing articles. At the end of her junior year Reilly assumed her role as Saint Mary’s news editor.
“The leadership from the time I was a freshman throughout the entirety of my work with The Observer was really nurturing. I would say something specific to the Saint Mary's element was just like that training and that sense of community that made me feel like, ‘Yes, we're a part of this broader machine, and no one story can be told without perspectives from all the campuses to be truly representative,’ but it was also nice to come back here and have our department and be able to connect on like that specific level.” Reilly said.
Reilly explained how during her time at The Observer, the paper was undergoing “an exciting direction” by covering internal administrative policies and how they fit into the tri-campus community.
“The paper was just part of broader conversations, and I think that's what, for me at least, always made it feel rewarding and purposeful. It was contributing to something that's happening, but also … was probably a real reason that the department expanded so rapidly during my time here,” Reilly said.
Reilly specifically covered topics ranging from human rights activism to demonstrations against gun violence, climate change effects to inclusiveness on campus. Stories on the Saint Mary’s community were what she enjoyed the most.
“My freshman year, I got to cover the Outstanding Senior [Award] who was Kaitlyn Rabach then, who was a former Saint Mary's [news] editor herself … My interview with her was so special, and I remember after she reached out and was like, ‘You'll go far in the paper.’ I feel like that sort of motivation that is just so natural for us to give at Saint Mary's and that empowerment is often,” Reilly said.
Reilly felt “at the center” of campus with the writing opportunities The Observer gave her, which encouraged her to explore the College campus as a student.
“Whether you want to write about the new priest on campus or the spring performance, or whatever … I feel like being at The Observer, it just shows you everything that's happening outwardly and makes you feel invested in it,” Reilly said.
Overall, Reilly felt her experience with The Observer combined with her education from Saint Mary’s College set her up for success in her career field.
“You know, I feel like Saint Mary's, and The Observer more specifically, is all about those sorts of moments or encounters where it's a specific person who makes you think differently, or you see someone like using the same tools and realize you can use them too,” Reilly said.
