As a child watching Fighting Irish football every Saturday, Mark Schermerhorn could never have imagined that one day he would sit in Notre Dame Stadium as a student, and that he would witness not one, but two incredible games against Clemson, all thanks to the generosity of a stranger.
With both parents and a sister as alumni of Our Lady’s University, Mark had built up sizable expectations of what Notre Dame would be like. Remarkably, these enormous expectations were blown away by his experience on campus. Despite COVID dramatically changing what college looked like for him, it did not diminish the opportunities offered by Notre Dame or the meaningful relationships Mark built as part of the Fighting Irish family. From campus ministry to the running club, Mark was able to build an experience that has forever shaped the person he will become.
Mark gratefully looks back over his four years at Notre Dame and realizes that all of these experiences were made possible through the Florence Dailey Scholarship. Since the inception of the Dailey Scholarship, over 11,000 students have been empowered to build their dreams at Our Lady’s University.
Mark characterizes his experience by saying, “I have learned so much through my classes, but also about myself. I've had the opportunity of a lifetime to live under the gaze of Our Lady and venture forward into the unknown with everything I have learned while here at Notre Dame. While my time here is coming to a close, I look forward for what is to come.”
