Undergraduate Success Stories

Michael Subialka

Class of 2006
Italian, Philosophy
Ph.D. Student, Committee on Social Thought and the Department of Italian, University of Chicago

When I first came to Notre Dame, I was enrolled as a business student. I also knew that I wanted to study abroad with the Rome program, so I took the introductory Italian sequence. Ironically, I never did end up studying in Rome, but I did quickly switch majors. After only a few courses in the Italian department, I knew that studying the language was much more challenging and rewarding than most of my other coursework.

It is impossible to describe how wonderful all of my courses and professors were! When I think back to my class on Dante with Christian Moevs, I am always amazed by how many fantastic opportunities the department afforded me.At the end of every Dante course, Iwould have this strangely tingling sensation that I had just encountered fundamental truth. Each class was an exploration of the most meaningful and important issues that any human being can ever face, and Professor Moevs’ guidance helped me to see how a person can read literature and thereby understand life. I have never been more convinced that the university’s approach to Catholic education actually brings students into contact with the most fundamental questions of spirituality. I