As their classmates prepare for law school, medical school and other corporate careers, seniors Clare Cullinan, Regina “Regie“ Hammond, Dylan Taylor and Luke Strawn are heading into communities across the country to serve. “Th
Each is pursuing a post-graduate service program rooted in education, ministry and social impact, and each credits their time at Notre Dame for shaping the values that led them to this decision.
Cullinan, a global affairs major and studio art minor from South Bend, will serve through Amate House in Chicago. She will teach and serve as a campus minister at Our Lady of Tepeyac High School, a girls’ school in the Little Village neighborhood.
Cullinan has also been named valedictorian of Notre Dame’s class of 2025.
“I’ll be teaching a senior service course involved in theology and religion and all things campus ministry,” Cullinan said. “I’m also hoping to be a choir director and a basketball coach.”
She was drawn to the program because of its emphasis on community and inclusivity.
“Amate means ‘to love’ in Latin, and their catchphrase is ‘putting love into action,’” she said. “You live in community with others who are serving across different sectors — not just education. I loved that diversity of experience.”
Cullinan said her understanding of service shifted while at Notre Dame.
“I’ve struggled with the definition of service, because for so long we thought of it as one person in a hierarchical relationship giving to someone of a lower standing,” she said. “But what I’ve learned here is embracing the concept of accompaniment — walking together, being willing to be vulnerable and recognizing I don’t have it all figured out.”
Hammond, a neuroscience major with minors in sustainability and Latino studies from Nashville, will teach fourth through eighth grade science at Assumption School in San Leandro, California, through the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) Teaching Fellows Program.
“I really enjoyed my SSLP,” Hammond said, referencing Notre Dame’s Summer Service Learning Program. “It was formative. It helped me realize how much you can gain from giving — and not receiving a lot.”
Hammond said she was especially drawn to ACE for its holistic approach. “You don’t have to be Catholic, but having that foundation — the moral grounding of caring for your neighbor — really matters,” she said. “Formation as a person and as a teacher are equally important.”
She hopes to take away both professional and personal growth.
“One thing I struggled with in college was organization,” she said. “And it’s essential to teaching. I’m really excited to strengthen those skills.”
Taylor, a science preprofessional and English double major from Houston, will also join ACE, teaching high school chemistry in Jacksonville, Florida.
“I’ve always wanted to go into education and ACE gives me a chance to do that before medical school — or maybe instead of it, who knows?” Taylor said. “It’s about developing compassion and giving back.”
Though he was hesitant at first, Taylor said he realized that a more winding path could be just as valuable.
“Life is way too short to try to get to the finish line,” he said. “Do what your heart is telling you. It’s not a race to the end.”
Taylor said the placement wasn’t what he expected — but that only affirmed his decision. “On my ACE application, I said the two places I didn’t want to go were Florida and Louisiana,” he said with a laugh. “And when they told me Jacksonville, I felt a sense of relief. Like, this is where I’m supposed to be.”
He hopes to bring energy both inside and outside the classroom. “I’m hoping to do maybe some football coaching,” he said. “I might not be the most athletically gifted, but if I can bring some energy, I’ve succeeded.”
Strawn, a neuroscience major, will teach middle school math and science in Atlanta through ACE.
“I think being a Catholic school teacher in this day and age is really important,” Strawn said. “You wouldn’t be at a place like Notre Dame without a teacher who made an impact. I want to be that person for someone else.”
Strawn attended Catholic school from kindergarten through high school and two of his English teachers left a lasting impression.
“They pushed me and helped me get to Notre Dame,” he said. “They’re why I want to give back.”
Strawn’s excited and nervous about the work ahead.
“It’s not easy to be thrown into a classroom of middle schoolers, especially having never taught before,” he said. “But I think it’s going to be a really beautiful process.”
Strawn sees teaching as an act of humility and openness and he’s open to where the path leads.
“Service is something that is uncomfortable, but you do it because you have the courage to go into something fearful, knowing the impact can be greater than yourself,” he said. “I do plan to go to med school, but I’m also open to the fact that I may end up loving teaching.“
Despite varied majors, placements and long-term plans, all four students share a commitment to presence, compassion and accompaniment.
“Doctor means teacher in Latin,” Strawn added. “Sometimes the most powerful thing a doctor — or anyone — can do is say, ‘This is difficult, but I’m going to walk with you through it.’”
Taylor hopes to gain humility. “At Notre Dame, it’s easy to pat yourself on the back,” he said. “But ACE is a reminder that it’s not about you — it’s about making sure everyone in your classroom has a voice.”
Hammond is excited to grow. “I’m just so excited to get to know the community and the students,” she said. “And I’m hoping to be as much of a force for good as possible.”
Cullinan summed up the group’s spirit. “Each relationship you have is another person who contributes to the common good — and that’s what being a force for good really means,“ she said.
