Updates from Notre Dame's Washington Office

September 2026

FEATURED | DC BRIDGE BUILDERS

Inspired by University President Father Bob Dowd's call to be bridge-builders, our office highlights Notre Dame community members making a difference in public service, policy, and beyond.

Meet this edition's DC Bridge Builders: Maria Rossi '20 and Maggie Kmetz MGA '22.

This was one of our biggest years for summer interns and we kicked it off with a welcome dinner co-hosted by the Notre Dame Washington Office, Keough School Washington Office, and Notre Dame Club of Washington, DC. ND students are eager for internship opportunities in Washington, so please contact our team if your office is looking for great undergraduate talent!

Meet some of the students who interned in DC this summer >

Students learned about the University's growing presence in DC and made new connections as part of a summer welcome dinner hosted at the Washington Office. 

Reps. Brendan Boyle (ND '99) and Jeff Hurd (ND '01) met with Notre Dame students as part of the Washington Office's bipartisan "Meet the Member" series, sharing their candid advice on public service and policy careers in Washington.

In July, Rep. Brendan Boyle (ND '99) spoke with students about his work in Congress. Hear his advice for students interested in policy careers > 

In June, Rep. Jeff Hurd (ND '01) shared his experiences as a freshman Member of Congress. Get to know Rep. Hurd, including his favorite campus spots >

Four Notre Dame student athletes representing women’s tennis, women’s volleyball, and football and several Athletics staff visited Washington in July for the 2026 ACC Unity Tour, a DC immersion focused on sports, leadership, and diplomacy. As part of their visit, the students toured the Supreme Court and the U.S. Capitol and met with a Member of Congress.

Notre Dame student Michael Fishburne (ND '28) led the students on a tour of the U.S. Capitol.

The students met with Rep. Pat Fallon (ND '90), a member of Notre Dame's 1988 national championship football team.

A group of students from the Keough School and O’Brien Notre Dame International Security Center (ONDISC) gained firsthand insight into national security and public service careers during a summer career trek in Washington.

The students met with professionals at the CIA, Congress, the Pentagon, and leading think tanks and nongovernmental organizations. Throughout their visits, they were able to learn from Notre Dame alumni with national security backgrounds across government and industry, including staff at Notre Dame's Washington Office.

Keough School and ONDISC students participated in a national security career trek led by Amy McAuliffe, center, distinguished visiting professor of the practice at the Keough School.

More than 100 members of the Notre Dame community gathered on the Washington Office rooftop in July to celebrate the strength of the Irish network in Washington. Thanks to everyone who braved the DC summer heat and joined us!

The Notre Dame Club of Washington, DC hosted its annual Student Send-Off at the Washington Office in August, welcoming new first-year and graduate students from the DC area before they headed to campus this August.

Hear the DC alumni marching band's Fighting Irish send-off > 

SAVE THE DATE

Stop by the Notre Dame Washington Office rooftop on Wednesday, October 21 for our Sunrise Social. Current students will be in Washington during fall break exploring careers in policy and public service, so join us for coffee and pastries and connect with Notre Dame students and alumni. Register here to join.

EVENTS FOR YOUR RADAR

Check out upcoming events hosted by our Notre Dame partners in DC!

The University of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs, the Kellogg Institute for International Studies, and Vanderbilt University's Center for Global Democracy, in partnership with Inter-American Dialogue, invite you to join policymakers, congressional staff, scholars, civil society leaders and democracy practitioners for The Pulse of Democracy in the Americas, a policy forum marking the release of the 2026 AmericasBarometer regional report. Register here to join. 

Join admissions directors from Notre Dame’s Graduate School and professional programs on Wednesday, September 23 to explore your next chapter, discover the power of the Notre Dame network, and learn what it means to be a force for good. Application fee waivers will be given to attendees. Register here to join.

Programs Featured: The Graduate School (Arts & Letters, Science, Engineering), Online Data Science M.S., Law (JD & LLM), Mendoza College of Business (MBA and Specialized Master’s), Keough School of Global Affairs (Global Affairs & Sustainable Development), ESTEEM (STEM Entrepreneurship), Echo Graduate Service Program, and the Alliance for Catholic Education.

Know someone in DC who should be on our list for news and events? Please forward this email and encourage them to sign up for our newsletter. 

Learn more about our Washington Office team, and contact us at washingtonoffice@nd.edu.

We invite you to follow us on LinkedIn and connect with our partners at:

Alumni Club of DC | Washington Program | Keough School Washington Office

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