The academic year culminates in one of the most distinctive events at the University of Notre Dame — Commencement in Notre Dame Stadium. Before the conferring of thousands of degrees, the inspired and meticulous work of thousands of University employees orchestrates an unmatched experience for the graduates and their families.

In this special episode, we take you behind the scenes to explore the sounds of the 178th Commencement Exercises: from the preparations to the ceremony to the celebration after.

This special episode takes a look at the University's presence in London. We spent some time with a few of Notre Dame's students there, following them to different locations on that most iconic mode of transport, the Underground. Along the way, we explored the home of a major Premier League football club, the Houses of Parliament, and the thriving London art scene. We found that the Tube makes the best kind of journey possible: the one that takes you somewhere new.

In this episode, we chat with Dean Shepherd, the Ray and Milann Siegfried Professor of Entrepreneurship in Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business. Professor Shepherd recently published research into the organization of sex work and human trafficking in India. The study draws from interviews with girls and women forced into the sex industry, human traffickers, brothel managers, doctors, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and police officers, in an effort to better understand the cycle and ultimately invoke change.

We round out our time in Ireland by exploring Dublin, from its familiar sounds to its famous Georgian homes. One such home is the first stop for Notre Dame students studying here: O'Connell House, the former residence of Daniel O'Connell, known as "The Liberator." As we found out, students are using the structure much in the same way O'Connell did: as a place where knowledge is made to serve the common good. To learn more about Notre Dame's presence in Dublin, head to dublin.nd.edu.

In episode two, we explore Notre Dame students' work on environmental issues in Ireland. None is more pressing than the role of bogs, a quintessential feature of the Irish landscape. They've been plowed over for generations to harvest the underlying peat for fuel. As the practice is phased out, one Notre Dame graduate student is studying how to restore these crucial pieces of carbon-storing habitat. But her work is only part of the University's effort to care for our common home.

There’s a traditional Irish blessing that begins, “May the road rise up to meet you.” It’s meant to convey well-wishes for a smooth journey…both literally and figuratively. But yet, there’s something to be said for choosing to go off the beaten path. For intentionally taking the road less traveled. In the first part of our look at Notre Dame's relationship with Ireland, we focus on Kylemore Abbey, a Benedictine monastery in the Connemara region. Students and scholars from every academic discipline come to Kylemore for the space they need to focus on their work and experience the cultural heart of Ireland.

For a University with Ireland in its DNA, a presence on the Emerald Isle is only natural. But Notre Dame doesn't just have a presence in Ireland; it has a relationship with it. In East and West: Notre Dame in Ireland, we take a look at how the University is making an impact in Dublin and in the western part of the country.

Today we feature the story of Temitayo (Tayo) Ade-Oshifogun, president of the Black Graduates in Management Club at the Mendoza College of Business. Tayo shares how he came to ND and offers some perspective on the Black experience on campus. Later in the episode, we present a trailer for the series East and West: Notre Dame in Ireland.

The Notre Dame Law School seeks to "educate a different kind of lawyer." Part of that process is training in the realm of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Max Gaston joins us to talk about his role as the Law School's director of DEI, and how his podcast gives a window into his work. Find The DEI Podcast with Max Gaston wherever you get your podcasts. For more about the exoneration work referenced in this episode, read Wrongful Convictions.

The new year is a time for resolutions and renewal. We spoke to a certified wellness coach from the McDonald Center for Student Wellbeing for advice on seeking a fresh start in the new year. Known on campus as "McWell," the McDonald Center provides a variety of services for students aimed at promoting adaptability, wellbeing and the education of the whole person.