For Jackie, being a student at Notre Dame College means that she is more than a number. This personal touch was the deciding factor for Jackie when she was choosing a college.

Jackie plays soccer for Notre Dame, but almost chose to play for another college until she visited that college’s campus. “I was ready to go there, but my visit wasn’t pleasant. I didn’t feel as though I was included in anything. They didn’t even call me by my name. They kept calling me ‘the recruit.’ I wanted to say ‘Hey, I have a name!’”

A week later, she visited Notre Dame and immediately noticed the difference. “Everybody was really nice. They took the time to find out about me as a person.”

Today, Jackie is a communications major and also a student worker in Notre Dame’s admissions office. She uses the experiences of her college search and a sense of humor on campus tours to help prospective students learn about Notre Dame College. “I like the tours because I can run my mouth on and on and nobody will tell me to be quiet,” she says with a laugh.

But all kidding aside, she wants everyone to understand that “Around here, you are not known by your social security number and you are not ‘the recruit.’ You are a person with a name, and at Notre Dame, people are important.”