Fighting Irish for All

Presented by Office of Public Affairs and Communications

As Eric Kim started his junior year at Notre Dame, he didn’t know how he could accomplish what most students take for granted – welcoming his parents to Junior Parents Weekend (JPW) in February.

Flying from California to South Bend was not a cost his family could absorb. The absence would sting because Kim was leading the committee hosting the weekend’s events and would therefore be a featured speaker at one of the dinners.

Kim’s father sells T-shirts at outdoor markets and his mother translates documents for the county government. Neither had studied in the U.S., so they couldn’t guide him in the complicated process of applying for financial aid and college. Still, Kim received nearly full support to attend Notre Dame, and a scholarship from the Orange County alumni club covered much of the rest.