Following the great success of Life Beyond the ND Bubble in 2018 (we had 400 attendees), the Alumni Association will again host the life skills event for our graduating seniors Saturday, Feb. 2 to help prepare them for managing their world outside Notre Dame and all of the challenges that come with it—from retirement planning and budgeting to professional dress and home management. We are presenting the event in coordination with the Office of Student Affiars and the Senior Class Council.

We are grateful to have a group of wonderful presenters joining us:

• Erling Wu-Bower ’05, three-time James Beard Best Chef nominee and owner of Pacific Standard Time restaurant in Chicago, will ignite passions for simple, healthy cooking in a time-compressed world;
• Ed Gavagan ’86, a featured speaker for TedX and the Peabody-award-winning Moth Story Hour on NPR, will talk about the unpredictability of life and how he fought back to recapture his after a violent encounter on the streets of New York;
• Carl Ackermann, finance faculty member, will show why he is probably best known to ND students as a personal financial management guru;
• Samuel Awad ’85, retired Senior Managing Director with Accenture, will advocate for financial responsibility and money management for young professionals; (pending)
• Denise Murphy and Kevin Mospan ’08, ND Human Resources Director, will set expectations for impending choices for benefits and insurance;
• Bridget Casey ’15, EJ Gallo Marketing Manager, will help our seniors grow in their appreciation and understanding of wines

The event is from 11 am-4 pm in the Dahnke Ballroom in the Duncan Student Center. It is free, and students can come and go throughout the day. Macy’s and Target will join us to share advice on dressing for the workplace and decorating a small space on a budget.

You can learn more at bubble.nd.edu. We will release the full schedule there early next week. If you have an interest in dropping by, please do so. We’d be excited to have you.

In addition to Target and Macy’s, there will be lots of prizing from our sponsors at VenueND, Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore, and the Morris Inn. Students will have time scheduled to visit and learn from our tabling partners—the Grotto Network, IrishCompass, Liberty Mutual, Mendoza’s Master of Science in Management, Notre Dame Clubs, ND Human Resources, Senior Legacy, and VenueND.