Alumni Engagement Summer Updates!
The Alumni Engagement Team at Notre Dame has some exciting news and updates as we are in full preparation for the upcoming academic year!
First, we have a new member of our team joining us! The new member of the Alumni Engagement Team is Meagan Jenkins. Meagan is our new Constituent Engagement and Events Coordinator. Coming in with a few years of experience in collegiate events, Meagan is excited to be working with the Alumni Engagement Team, as well as the Reunion Committee, to help plan and execute Alumni Weekend. We would love for you to meet her during Alumni Weekend 2025, happening October 3-5. Registration is now open for Alumni Weekend, and early bird pricing available until August 18th!
As we look ahead to the 2025-26 academic year and beyond, we are taking a fresh look at our alumni focused events, participation, and communications, so please feel free to contact us if there is anything on your mind regarding alumni engagement and programming. As our alumni network expands, we want to ensure that we are providing resources and opportunities that match what you are looking for. Cheers to you and to another exciting academic year for Notre Dame!
Sincerely,
The Alumni Engagement Team
Volunteer With Us Share Your News Update Your Info
Get Ready to Celebrate 130 years of Notre Dame at Alumni Weekend 2025!
Are you excited to be back on campus this fall? Alumni Weekend will be held on October 3 - 5, and registration is now open! We have a jam-packed weekend full of the events you know and love mixed with brand-new activities. The weekend is open to all our alumni from any class year! It's a time to reconnect with old friends and make new memories.
The highlight of the weekend will be our 130th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, October 4. The evening will begin with a reception under the tent on Doyle Lawn with our alumni, current and former faculty, and friends of NDMU. Immediately following, we invite you to join us in a beautifully decorated M.B.K. Gym for dinner, live music, awards and programming honoring 130 years of Notre Dame.
Follow along on our Facebook and Instagram pages to meet the Reunion Committee! The committee is comprised of alums celebrating their reunion year, class years ending in a 0 or 5, who help the Alumni Engagement Team plan the weekend.
Check out our website for more information on the schedule of events, FAQs, registration, and more!
Did you know that there is a competition every year at Alumni Weekend between all the classes? Alumni compete to see which class can win the highest attendance, highest donor participation, and highest total giving. The three winning classes will rename three circles on campus with their class year. In addition to attending, giving is a significant part of "showing up" at Alumni Weekend. Why? When individuals support Notre Dame financially, it shows the strength of our alumni community to prospective students. It also increases our community’s opportunities to receive grants, which help support current students’ needs. Showing up in person is additionally important to form new bonds with alumni and students, and to reconnect with old friends.
This year’s participation goal for reunion giving for each class ending in a 0 or 5 has been set to 10%. Any gift made between now and October 3, 2025, will count towards this competition.
Congratulations to our newest alumni who graduated on May 20 at the Baltimore Convention Center! Leading up to commencement, they enjoyed various celebratory events, including the Tower Photos Celebration event hosted by the Alumni Engagement and Student Life offices, and the inaugural Almost Alumni Social. Awards were given to our graduates, the School of Pharmacy had an on-campus Doctor of Pharmacy Hooding Ceremony, and many additional events recognized our newest alumni.
Check out our Class of 2025 spotlights highlighting graduates from a variety of programs across campus were also posted to the NDMU website in the week leading up to commencement. We're so excited to welcome every single graduate into our alumni family!
Sister Miriam Jansen: In Memoriam
It is with great sadness that we inform your that Sister Miriam Jansen, cherished long-time faculty member and retired Director of International Programs and the English Language Institute, passed away on June 25th, 2025, in St. Louis.
From 1973-1979, Sister Miriam served the Diocese of Jefferson City, Missouri as superintendent of schools. In 1979, she was elected provincial leader in St. Louis, concluding the ministry in 1987. From 1989-1992, she served as the curriculum director for Sister Thea Bowman Catholic School in East St. Louis, Illinois. In the fall of 1992, Sister Miriam became Director of International Programs for the College of Notre Dame of Maryland in Baltimore, a role she held for nearly 20 years. Since 2011, she had continued in educational consulting while residing in Towson, Maryland.
Sister Miriam was a beloved friend who graced this campus and countless individuals with her wisdom, compassion, quiet strength, and a great sense of humor that never lost its youthful and impish vigor. She was not only deeply devoted to God, but she also nurtured hearts and minds and built communities large and small. Please keep Sister Miriam, and her family, and the School Sister of Notre Dame in your prayers.
The Daily Record Honors NDMU Alumna as One of Maryland’s Top 100 Women
BALTIMORE, Md. – The Daily Record has named Nicholé C. Gatewood, Esq. ’01, a highly accomplished attorney, civic leader, and Notre Dame of Maryland University alumna, to its prestigious 2025 list of Maryland’s Top 100 Women. This honor recognizes her extraordinary professional achievements, community leadership, and unwavering commitment to mentorship.
Alumna Named Maryland's Top Elementary Math Teacher
When Chelsea McDonald M’15 was named the 2025 Elementary School Outstanding Mathematics Educator, it confirmed what her mother had always believed—that she was born to teach. A proud alumna of the master’s in leadership in special education program at Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU), McDonald has been a teacher in Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) for 11 years. She is the first educator from the district since 2020 to receive this honor from the Maryland Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Alumnae Serve as Panelists at Former High School’s Career Day
President of Mercy High School, and Notre Dame class of 1989, Mary Beth Lennon was joined by her fellow alumnae at their former high school’s career day. Dr. Cindy Field ’96 and Jennifer Waldt Zellinger ’01 shared their educational experiences and careers with the students.
Class of 2025 Spotlights Highlight Four Accomplished Graduates
|
When Sarah Generoso ’25 began her journey at Notre Dame of Maryland University, she was looking for more than just a rigorous nursing program. She wanted a close-knit community where she could grow as both a student and an athlete. She found exactly that at NDMU, where she has thrived academically and athletically while building lifelong friendships along the way.
As a high school senior, Rebecca Becraft wasn’t sure what college would look like for her. But one AP Psychology class changed everything. Choosing Notre Dame was an easy decision for Rebecca. What truly drew Rebecca in was its tight-knit community, a unique history, and the abundance of opportunities and connections.
Growing up in Lagos, Nigeria, John Jegede, Pharm.D. ’25 always knew he wanted to make a difference in healthcare. In secondary school, he stood at a crossroads, choosing between business, science, or the arts. “My dad was a businessman, and I was good at business, so it was definitely an option,” he recalled. But everything changed one day when his older sister, a Doctor of Pharmacy student, helped him solve a particularly tough math problem. “I felt like I solved world hunger,” John laughed. “That moment pushed me to pursue science.”
Lavorette Preston ’00, M’03, D'25 describes her college journey as “an emotional rollercoaster ride unlike any other found in an amusement park that ended up being the most rewarding ride of my lifetime.” A human resources professional for more than two decades, Lavorette has spent much of her career hiring and mentoring young workers. It’s this experience that fueled her doctoral research in youth workforce readiness. |
Want more NDMU Stories? Read the Bulletin, a bi-weekly newsletter with more student, staff, and faculty updates!
Enhancing Managerial Skills and Promoting Neurodiversity in the Workplace
Wednesday, August 13 I 12 PM I Virtual
Register Here!
In this engaging webinar, with a special focus on Autism Spectrum Disorder, Mary Ann Newell, licensed counselor and contributing author to the book Neurodiversity and Work: Employment, Identity, and Support Networks for Neurominorities, will empower you to become an informed ally and cultivate a truly inclusive work environment. Whether you're a manager, team lead, HR professional, or a colleague eager to foster better understanding, this training will equip you with the knowledge and practical strategies to support and accommodate neurodiverse individuals.
Stop Networking, Start Thriving: Building Career - Propelling Circles of Collaboration
Tuesday, August 19 I 12 PM I Virtual
Register Here!
Are you exhausted by generic networking events, submitting endless job applications, or feeling stagnant in your career or business? What if there were a more effective, more fulfilling way to achieve your professional aspirations? The truth is, there is a better way – and it's the quiet superpower leveraged by top CEOs, visionary entrepreneurs, and impactful changemakers to ascend, even amidst the toughest challenges. In this game-changing webinar, Leslie Grossman, an acclaimed executive leadership coach, dynamic keynote speaker, and insightful co-author of Circles of Collaboration, will unveil the proven power of cultivating trusted, strategic relationships – the very connections that open doors, amplify your voice, and propel your most ambitious goals forward.
New Student Move-in Day
August 22 | 8 AM - 3 PM | NDMU Campus
Register Here!
Join us as part of the welcoming committee to our newest alumni-in-training! We would love for our alums to volunteer with us to help move new students into their residence hall rooms. Breakfast will be provided.
Getting Unstuck: How to Thrive in Times of Uncertainty
Tuesday, September 16 I 12 PM I Virtual
Register Here!
Many of us fear the unknown and search obsessively for answers to avoid the feeling of ambiguity. Though this is human nature, it's a tendency that holds us back from living our richest lives. In this insightful webinar, Elizabeth Weingarten, author and applied behavioral scientist, will share another strategy to navigate uncertainty: learning to love the questions. Inspired by Rainer Maria Rilke and drawing from her book, How to Fall in Love with Questions: A New Way to Thrive in Times of Uncertainty, this webinar will share scientific insights into our discomfort with uncertainty, personal stories, and practical strategies, including a "question map" and other tools, to help you listen to, reframe, and live with the most significant sources of uncertainty in your life. You'll leave with the ability to transform doubt into momentum even when the future feels unclear.
Your Hidden Genius: The New Science of Career Guidance
Tuesday, September 30 | 12 PM | Virtual
Register Here!
What if the career advice you’ve been following is fundamentally flawed? If you’re feeling stuck, unfulfilled, or uncertain about your professional direction, this groundbreaking webinar could be the catalyst you need. Please join Betsy Wills and Alex Ellison, co-authors of Your Hidden Genius, who will introduce Career Guidance 3.0—a revolutionary approach that utilizes science and data, rather than outdated assumptions, to unlock your true career potential.
Alumni Weekend
October 3 - 5 | All Day | Campus
RSVP here
Registration opens on July 1 and closes on September 28 at midnight. Register by August 18 to receive early bird pricing. The first 100 registrants will receive a guaranteed alumni gift at check-in. Alumni Weekend is for all alumni, and their family and friends. Anyone celebrating a milestone reunion that's from a class ending in a 0 or 5 is especially encouraged to attend! Join us for the weekend activities and special evening of celebration with President Yam on Saturday, October 4, 2025.
Do you have something you wish to share with us? You can also submit any updates for us to share with our community through Tower Talk!
Are you interested in being interviewed for an upcoming edition of Tower Talk? Please contact Meagan Jenkins at mjenkins@ndm.edu
If any contact information has changed, please let us know! Is there a better email or phone number we should have? Did you move recently or get a name change? Please inform us of any changes by updating your information.
Come back to campus this year and volunteer with us! We have a variety of ways you can give back some of your time to your Notre Dame community.
