Dolezal balances academics, service and spirituality
By SCOTT BRODFUEHRER
Assistant News Editor
Valedictorian Tim Dolezal has lived in Carroll all his life.
In fact, he's lived in two communities named Carroll —a small Iowa town and Notre Dame's smallest residence hall. Both have helped Dolezal become the member of the senior class who will deliver Sunday's valedictory address.
Dolezal, a finance and business economics major with a 3.97 grade-point average, said his address will highlight the significance of the Notre Dame experience and discuss the responsibilities that are connected with earning a Notre Dame degrees.
Dolezal said he is very humbled to be named valedictorian.
"I don't think anybody with their feet on the ground can look at the mirror and feel worthy of being the valedictorian in the class of so many wonderfully talented people, so it's a very humbling feeling," he said.
A third-generation Notre Dame student, Dolezal knew that he wanted to come to Notre Dame at a very young age. His father, Fred, graduated in 1965 and his grandfather, Robert, graduated in 1926.
"My only dream my whole life was to come to Notre Dame. It was the only school I applied to, it was the only school I wanted to go to," he said. "[Being valedictorian] is definitely a storybook ending to my dream come true."
While at Notre Dame, Dolezal served as Carroll Hall president during his sophomore year and as hall liturgical commissioner this year. He was involved with Campus Ministry, where he led a team at a Notre Dame Encounter retreat, coordinated a senior retreat and served as an elementary school catechist for two years. He also participated in the Appalachia Seminar this spring, helping a family in Dungannon, Va., to improve their home.
Dolezal said that he is extremely satisfied with his four years at Notre Dame and said the only thing he gave up on during the last four years was sleep.
"What we all strive for is to really just milk the Notre Dame experience for all it's worth — in every facet, starting with dorm life, socializing, spiritually and with service and student government," he said. "If you want to look at what a successful Notre Dame career is, you have to look at all those elements and all those have an equal weight."
After graduation, Dolezal will stay at Notre Dame and work in the University's Investment Office where he will help manage the University endowment and analyze the market. Dolezal was hired after speaking to his applied investment management professor, Scott Malpass, who is also the University's chief investment officer.
"I started thinking about the idea of working for the mission of Notre Dame and using what Notre Dame has given me to help put the University in a position where it will be able to achieve it's dreams and that was all I needed," Dolezal said. "I was so excited and I told Mr. Malpass that if he offered the job that I'd take it on the spot and a few weeks later I was able to talk him into hiring me."
Eventually, Dolezal said he plans to attend graduate school to obtain his master's of business administration and said one day he hopes to manage an endowment fund or a pension fund.
The selection of the Notre Dame valedictorian begins in February, when the registrar's office generates a list of the two students with the highest grade point average in each college. These candidates then submit recommendations from the dean of their college, a peer and a draft of a 3-minute speech. The valedictory selection committee then anonymously ranks the candidates and the committee interviews the final two or three students. From these finalists, the committee selects the valedictorian and the second place candidate is asked to give the invocation at graduation.
All News Stories for Friday, May 17, 2002
