Thank you, PDUB and Welcome Weekend! | Stories & News | Visit & Engage | Undergraduate Admissions

At 7:30 AM on my first Friday morning since returning to South Bend as a senior, I threw on my Pasquerilla West sweatshirt and joined my roommate Ellie on a brisk walk onto campus. It was surprisingly chilly. We remarked that our move-in day three years prior was sweltering and that the freshmen class was lucky…for a plethora of reasons. This was my first time back on campus since I left to study abroad in Angers, France. The energy of the first day of Welcome Weekend sprung to life around us – golf carts buzzing down the street carrying students in green polos, other students sporting hall t-shirts and holding signs. Even the trees on God Quad seemed to eagerly await the arrival of the class of 2028.

As we approached my dorm, memories of past move-in days flooded back. I had always been around PDUB for Welcome Weekend–as a nervous and amazed freshman in 2021, the hall vice-president in 2022, and last fall as a member of the Saint Andre Welcome Weekend committee preparing for my final semester on campus. This year living off-campus, I thought I’d miss out on the tradition. But thanks to an invitation from a friend and RA in PDUB, Ellie and I found ourselves back in the thick of it.

We joined the enthusiastic crowd of RAs and underclassmen ready to welcome the newest “Purple Weasels.” As the first car pulled into the circle, we erupted in cheers. Watching the freshmen and their families, I was transported back to my own move-in day. I couldn’t help but feel a little jealous that these students have four more years of adventures awaiting them at Notre Dame.

I remembered driving up from Louisville, Kentucky with my dad, stepmom, mom, and grandmother. We actually arrived a day early so that I could take a placement test. Therefore my move-in day was a lot quieter, yet just as meaningful. My RA, Annie, had helped me loft my bed and then invited me to North Dining Hall for the famous Southwest Salad–a rite of passage for Notre Dame students. That simple act of kindness had made me feel instantly at home. I couldn’t believe that a senior in my hall would want to get lunch with me on day one.

As I helped new students settle in and chatted with parents, I wanted to share my belief in the magic of Notre Dame and dorm-life. I told them about late-night conversations in the hallways, impromptu parties in the lounge, and the girls I met in my section who remain my best friends three years later. I advised them to join the hall council and participate in events—even if they seemed silly. I told them “you’ll never forget going down water slides on South Quad with your friends, wearing formal dresses to North Dining Hall for a dorm dinner, or dancing under the Dome after winning Women’s Hall of the Year.”

Now, living off-campus in an apartment with two of those same girls, I appreciate the benefit of more space and privacy. But there’s a part of me that would love to go back to the “Dub”–the more than 200 familiar faces, Wednesday morning bagels with our rector, and even my weekly shifts in the mailroom.

Although I am no longer directly a part of dorm-life, I’m relieved to know that the community of Pasquerilla West Hall extends far beyond three or four years on campus. Although my generation of weasels is more dispersed in South Bend and soon around the world, there is always a place for us. And as I watched the class of 2028 begin their journey, I felt grateful for the chance to pass on the love, passion, and sense of community that had welcomed me just three short years ago.