For Good: Stories from Notre Dame

For Tricia Bellia, Notre Dame’s faculty athletics representative to the NCAA and chair of the University’s Faculty Board on Athletics, college sports are not separate from the educational mission at Notre Dame—they’re a fundamental part of it. With firsthand experience as a former Division I student-athlete herself and as the mother of two others, Tricia inherently understands the challenges that come from balancing the demands of academics and athletics.

In this episode of For Good, Tricia reflects on her 16-year tenure advising University leadership on the student-athlete experience and advocating for Notre Dame’s distinctive model within the ACC and NCAA. She shares what makes Notre Dame’s commitment to student-athlete formation so unique—and why she believes it produces not just top competitors, but exceptional teammates, leaders, and citizens.

Join us as Tricia discusses how Notre Dame Athletics upholds its core principles and ensures its integrity while navigating the ever-changing competitive landscape—and why choosing hard is the most rewarding path.

0:00 Meet Tricia Bellia, Notre Dame’s Faculty Athletics Representative to NCAA and ACC

4:36 What Makes Notre Dame Athletics Distinctive

10:59 Ongoing Transformation of College Sports

16:57 Top Graduation and Academic Progress Rates for Notre Dame Student-Athletes

20:59 Protecting the Student-Athlete Experience

23:13 Why Notre Dame Athletics

31:07 Pride, Concern, and Excitement for the Future

For Matt Kloser, the Hackett Family Director of Notre Dame’s Institute for Educational Initiatives (IEI), Catholic education is a vocation—shaped by faith and inspired by the call to serve. His own journey to teaching began at home in a family of educators committed to making an impact through the transformative power of education.

In this episode of For Good, Matt reflects on his path from Notre Dame pre-med student to Catholic school educator, shares his vision for the Institute and its flagship program, the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE), and expresses his optimism about the future of Catholic schools. 

Join us as Matt explains how Notre Dame is working to strengthen Catholic education by building bridges—between research and practice, public and private, science and faith—and, in the process, bringing hope to students and school communities across the country and around the world. 

0:00 Meet Matt Kloser

7:37 ACE formation and experience 

14:05 History of Remick Commons and IEI mission

17:12 Optimism amid the challenges facing Catholic education

20:13 Local and global reach of ACE

24:28 Bridging research and practice in Catholic education

26:43 Building bridges and a hopeful future

30:53 Supporting the Institute for Educational Initiatives (IEI)

For Maria Fernanda Zamora ’25 and Kellogg Institute visiting fellow Juan Sebastián Chamorro, free speech is both a danger and a source of power—one that has allowed them to shine a light on the injustices they’ve experienced and witnessed firsthand. 

Their lives—separately shaped by the same oppressive regime in Nicaragua—are united by a shared belief in the importance of using the power of their voices to write, to teach, and to protest. Both Maria and Juan paid a steep price for refusing to remain silent. Yet both found in Notre Dame a safe refuge and a community of support where they could speak out in the name of freedom, justice, and human dignity. 

In this episode of For Good, Maria and Juan share their powerful stories of forced exile, unimaginable courage, unwavering faith, and relentless hope.

Join us for a Notre Dame story unlike any other.

0:00 Meet Maria Fernanda Zamora

7:42 Meet Juan Sebastián Chamorro

25:38 Fleeing Nicaragua, finding Notre Dame

34:59 Notre Dame as a home, a place of faith, a community of support

39:43 Cultivating hope and overcoming fear

Don’t look now, but Notre Dame has become a fencing school.

For the fourth time in the last five years—and the sixth in the last nine—Notre Dame Fencing stands on top of the college fencing world, winning the program’s 14th NCAA team national championship earlier this spring. Only one program remains ahead of the Irish on the all-time titles list, and with the championship culture established by head coach Gia Kvaratskhelia, no record is safe.

On this episode of For Good, Coach Gia reflects on the traditions and values that define his team and shares how Notre Dame Athletics’ most global program continues to form champions both on and off the fencing strip.

Tune in to meet Notre Dame Fencing’s humble and inspiring leader, and get ready to cheer on the Fighting Irish as they pursue their 15th national title at the 2026 NCAA Fencing Championships, hosted right here at Notre Dame.

0:00 The Notre Dame fencing success: one team, one heartbeat

3:14 Meet Gia Kvaratskhelia

7:03 High expectations of fencing program

10:05 Team traditions

12:14 Hosting NCAA National Championship in 2026

13:23 Fencing 101

17:27 Vision for next fencing season

20:19 Academic excellence of fencing student-athletes and Olympic presence

23:02 Being a head coach at Notre Dame: contributing to students happiness

23:56 A special memory from Notre Dame fencing

26:05 Notre Dame coaches stand by each other

29:36 Supporting the Notre Dame fencing program

From its world-class location in the Eternal City at the heart of global Catholicism, Notre Dame Rome offers students an unparalleled opportunity to experience and learn from more than two millennia of history, art, architecture, and culture. Surrounded by the ancient ruins of the Roman Empire and the sacred sites of the Vatican, Notre Dame students are cultivating new perspectives, deepening their faith, and discovering their true calling.

In this episode of For Good, we continue our global journey with a visit to Notre Dame’s Villa on the Celio for conversations with Silvia Dall'Olio, director of Notre Dame Rome, and junior Margarita Miyares. Together, Silvia and Margarita share how the Rome program has become a dynamic hub of both scholarly and experiential learning—a living classroom that bridges the classical and the contemporary worlds. 

Join us to see why Notre Dame Rome is more than just a study-abroad program—it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience that can only be found at Our Lady’s University.

0:34 Villa on the Celio, the historic home for Notre Dame students in Rome

5:40 Meet Silvia Dall’Olio and Notre Dame Rome

7:57 Rome as a living classroom

10:37 Studying and living in the center of global Catholicism

13:15 Intercultural experiences and multidisciplinary studies

19:17 Vision for Notre Dame Rome

22:01 Meet Margarita Miyares

24:53 Notre Dame journey and pursuing passions

28:35 Student experience in Rome

In the heart of one of the world’s most historic and cosmopolitan cities, Notre Dame students are living out an unrivaled global experience—broadening their horizons, deepening their faith, and seizing once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that will shape their lives long after graduation.

In this episode of For Good, we take our show on the road to London—the largest of the University’s global locations—to hear from Josh Copeland, executive director of Notre Dame London, and Connor Casey, a Notre Dame junior currently studying abroad there. Together, they offer a behind-the-scenes look at what makes Notre Dame’s London program so distinctive—from world-class course offerings and immersive cultural experiences to the familiar rhythms of residential life that help make London a true home away from home.

Join us as Josh and Connor share how Notre Dame London has become a global hub of learning, formation, and community for generations of Notre Dame students.

0:00 Meet Josh Copeland

3:58 Notre Dame London programming

5:40 The importance of studying abroad

6:41 The distinctive Notre Dame London experience and courses

10:42 Speakers, leaders, and faculty connections

15:06 Geopolitical influence

17:24 Vision for Notre Dame London

22:26 Meet Connor Casey ’26

25:27 Major and extracurricular activities

28:36 Deciding to study abroad

Science at Notre Dame just got a lot more exciting thanks to Kate the Chemist. As the University’s first-ever Professor for Public Understanding of Science, Dr. Kate Biberdorf is on a mission to ignite curiosity, break down barriers, and make science fun and accessible to all.

In this episode of For Good, Kate shares her journey from chemistry lab to national TV and explains how her new role at Notre Dame will celebrate the power and importance of science. 

Join us as Kate showcases her signature energy, passion, and explosive personality—along with a few fiery demonstrations—underscoring that science education can be both impactful and exciting, with a little danger thrown in for good measure.

0:00 Meet Dr. Kate Biberdorf, aka Kate the Chemist

3:50 Becoming Notre Dame’s first-ever Professor for Public Understanding of Science

8:12 Media and show appearances

10:16 Powerful Notre Dame Science stories

12:03 How Kate’s interest in science started

12:25 The new hybrid lab-studio

14:47 Kate’s vision for her role and exciting partnerships

17:56 Importance of safety

20:34 Experiment #1: Alcohol Cannons

24:00 Experiment #2: Fire-Breathing Dragon

25:55 Experiment #3: Thundercloud

With the recent conclusion of a wildly successful Notre Dame football season and the ongoing dominance of the highly ranked women’s basketball team, Notre Dame Athletics is in the midst of a historic year—which is saying something for an athletics program as tradition-rich and accomplished as that of the Fighting Irish.

In this episode of For Good, Pete Bevacqua, the James E. Rohr Director of Athletics, shares how Notre Dame continues to reassert its relevance, its importance, and its independence within the world of collegiate athletics, even as seismic changes threaten to alter and disrupt the sports landscape.

Join us as Pete discusses how Notre Dame is navigating the evolving world of NIL and the transfer portal, ensuring that student-athletes thrive both on and off the field, and preparing for the future of college sports—all while staying true to the mission and values that set Notre Dame apart.

00:00 - Welcome Back, Pete Bevacqua

1:14 - 2024 Football Season and the Bright Future of the Program

6:28 - Unique Student-Athlete Experience

9:56 - Upcoming House Settlement: Transforming Challenges into Opportunities

23:40 - Changing Landscape of Competitive Sports

27:16 - Transfer Portal and Recruitment

30:12 - A Message to the Notre Dame Family

32:22 - Women’s Basketball Success

34:42 - Update on the Swimming and Diving Program

37:22 - Upcoming Lacrosse Season

As Assistant Vice President for Campus Ministry, Rev. Pete McCormick, C.S.C. helps infuse the sacred into the everyday at Notre Dame, seamlessly connecting the University’s Catholic tradition with the dynamic and diverse experiences of students. Father Pete’s joyful presence and genuine connection to the student body have made him one of the most beloved and influential figures on campus.

In this episode of For Good, Father Pete reflects on the profound opportunities for evangelization that Notre Dame provides. From offering dorm Masses with the promise of banana bread to serving as chaplain for the men’s basketball team, he shares how his ministry at Notre Dame involves meeting students on their terms and building bonds of trust in order to plant the seeds of faith. Join us as Father Pete discusses how he approaches his leadership role with humility and why Campus Ministry at Notre Dame continues to be his true calling.

00:00 Meet Father Pete

3:31 Integration of Sacred and Sport at Notre Dame

5:54 Seeking Meaningful Connections with Students

13:23 The Log Chapel: A Powerful and Historic Space

16:20 Rekindling Faith to Combat Disaffiliation

19:17 Campus Ministry Programs 

21:07 Pod Quad Podcast

22:54 Being Team Chaplain for Notre Dame Men’s Basketball

27:27 Rectorship and Residence Hall Life

29:00 Weddings, Baptisms, and Funerals: Bringing People Together

31:10 Serving as a Disciple of Christ

32:17 Beauty of the Advent Season

For decades, the Notre Dame Alumni Association has cultivated one of the most passionate and engaged alumni and friends networks in the world. Under the leadership of Executive Director Dolly Duffy, this vibrant community thrives through a shared commitment to service, faith, lifelong learning, and the enduring spirit of Notre Dame.

In this episode of For Good, Dolly shares her inspiring journey from small town South Dakota to leadership at Our Lady’s University, showcasing the transformative power of the Notre Dame experience. 

Join us as Dolly discusses the innovative programs connecting Notre Dame alumni worldwide, the stories that make the Alumni Association unlike any other, and the deep sense of purpose that fuels her tireless efforts to engage with each and every member of the Notre Dame Family.

00:00 - Meet Dolly Duffy

4:33 - Importance of Financial Aid

6:32 - Keeping Notre Dame’s Spirit Alive

8:07 - Alumni Reunions

10:19 - FaithND and Sacred Stories

16:13 - IrishCompass and Alumni Network Engagement

17:37 - ThinkND

19:41 - Global Day of Service

22:33 - Family Volunteer Camp and the Value of Service

24:44 - ND Alumni Association Clubs

29:41 - Engagement for Engagement’s Sake