Daily Archives: May 7, 2025

Congratulations Cade Czarnecki, PBK Public Service Scholar from the University of Notre Dame!

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Cade Czarnecki is a rising senior at the University of Notre Dame, where he studies Political Science and Economics. He currently serves as the president of BridgeND, a co-partisan organization aimed at fostering respectful political dialogue amongst passionate, young students and citizens. Combining his political fervor and quantitative proficiency, Cade will spend his senior year writing an Economics thesis that examines labor market outcomes across states in relation to federal funding disparities driven by their electoral vote significance. Cade’s previous professional experiences include interning for a judge in his home state of Ohio, working in the Office of the Executive Secretariat at the U.S. Department of Commerce, and gaining insight into the legal sector at a law firm. This summer, Cade will work as a Poverty Research Fellow at Notre Dame’s Lab for Economic Opportunity, focusing on evidence-based solutions to poverty.  After graduation, Cade intends to pursue a J.D. to translate his research experience into actionable policy change.

Chosen from over 800 applicants attending Phi Beta Kappa chapter institutions across the nation, the 2025 Key into Public Service Scholars hail from 16 states. These rising college juniors and seniors display notable breadth and depth across the arts and sciences in pursuit of their studies ranging from a double major in History and Anthropology with a minor in Global Health to a triple major in Economics, Political Science, and Sociology. Their career aspirations are just as diverse, ranging from serving as the Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for the Arizona Governor’s Office to Director of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

In celebration of their achievements, each 2025 scholar will receive a $5,000 undergraduate scholarship and will participate in an educational conference held in Washington, D.C., providing them with invaluable training, mentorship, and opportunities for reflection on pathways to active citizenship. Learn more at www.pbk.org/2025-kips-scholars.

Congratulations, Cade!

Congratulations to Epsilon Chapter Members, Clare Cullinan and Bennett Schmitt!

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Clare Cullinan of South Bend, Indiana, has been named valedictorian and Bennett Schmitt from Jasper, Indiana, has been selected as salutatorian of the 2025 University of Notre Dame graduating class.

The 180th University Commencement Ceremony will be held May 18 (Sunday) in Notre Dame Stadium for graduates and guests. During the ceremony, Cullinan will present the valedictory address, and as salutatorian, Schmitt will offer the invocation.

A smiling female student with long brown hair, wearing a green jacket, stands in front of a stone archway on the Notre Dame campus.
Valedictorian Clare Cullinan (photo by Michael Caterina/University of Notre Dame)

Cullinan, a global affairs major with a studio art minor, is in the first graduating undergraduate class of the Keough School of Global Affairs. She will graduate summa cum laude with a cumulative 4.0 grade point average. She has been a member of the dean’s list every semester and is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society.

Schmitt, who has majors in environmental sciences and applied and computational mathematics and statistics and a minor in energy studies, will graduate summa cum laude from the College of Science with a 4.0 grade point average. He is a Sorin Scholar with the Flatley Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement, a member of the dean’s list and a Phi Beta Kappa early inductee.

A smiling male student with short brown hair wearing a navy suit, blue patterned tie and lapel pin stands in front of a building with stone arches on the Notre Dame campus.
Salutatorian Bennett Schmitt (photo by Michael Caterina/University of Notre Dame)

The Epsilon Chapter is very proud of you, Clare and Bennett! Congratulations and best wishes!