THE LASTING IMPACT OF A NOTRE DAME/MARIST EDUCATION

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May 6, 2026

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here.

A record of outcomes told through alumni voices: Graduates cite academic rigor, faith formation and personal support — and most especially, teachers — as defining advantages.

As a new class of Notre Dame Prep graduates prepares to cross the stage May 17, their milestone day marks not just the culmination of four years, but the continuation of a pattern documented across decades: alumni consistently point to their high school experience at NDP as foundational to their success in college, career and life.

Across many hundreds of published stories in its news archive, Notre Dame Preparatory School has recorded a consistent message from its graduates: the experience extends well beyond high school.

From recent alumni of NDP to graduates of its heritage schools, including Pontiac Catholic High School and Notre Dame High School in Harper Woods, former students repeatedly point to the same combination — academic preparation, personal formation and a deeply supportive community — as central to their success.

“I would not be where I am today without my Notre Dame Prep education,” said Bill Holland NDP’00, an award-winning artist and film/video producer.

That refrain appears across years of alumni features, reinforcing a pattern rather than an isolated sentiment.

Academic preparation that extends into college and career

Alumni frequently connect their postsecondary success to the rigor of Notre Dame Prep’s academic program, particularly its International Baccalaureate curriculum and college-preparatory focus.

Notre Dame Prep grad Demi Outman NDP'13 works at Boeing as an engineer supporting architecture development work on the E-7 Wedgetail/AWACS Program located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She said there are two experiences she had in high school that primarily shaped her foundation for college, her career and her personal life.

"The IB program and the robotics team," she said. "I was challenged both academically and personally throughout NDP's IB Diploma program. The IB History, English and Theory of Knowledge courses especially pushed me to think critically, which is such an important skill in STEAM fields because you need to be able to analyze problems and their available solutions mindfully and concisely to effectively solve problems."

She added that along with critical thinking, the IB program required her to practice effective communication, which isn't typically associated with the engineering field.

Teachers making a difference

Fellow engineer Luke Moriguchi NDP’12 said his high school experience also served as a catalyst for later achievement.

“Through academics, my teachers and extracurricular activities at Notre Dame, I learned countless life skills that would later be reinforced throughout college and my intern experiences,” he said. “First and most importantly, NDP taught me to set high goals for myself as well as critical time-management skills.”

Moriguchi balanced two varsity sports, multiple music programs and theater while maintaining strong academics — a workload he said prepared him directly for college leadership roles.

“Without the discipline and time-management skills I learned in high school, finding success in these areas going forward would not have been possible,” he said. “When I went on to become a student leader in the Purdue band’s drumline, which demanded a lot of time as well, I was able to maintain my grades, and I directly attribute that to the time-management skills gained at NDP.”

Similarly, pharmacist Marisa Sochacki NDP’06 connected her academic preparation and study habits to her success in higher education.

“My academics and advanced placement courses at ND Prep certainly helped ease my transition to college courses,” she said. “The study habits I developed at NDP greatly assisted me in maintaining an excellent GPA through both high school and college.”

Academic habits that sustain long-term success

Amy Kuechenmeister graduated from Notre Dame Prep in 1999. Since then, she has made a number of important strides in her life that ultimately led to a family and a career as a medical doctor. She is forever grateful for the education she received at NDP and believes the school and its teachers were critical factors in the success she found in college and in life.

"Notre Dame prepared me for this journey not only academically, but emotionally," she said in a 2016 interview for IRISH Magazine. "Academically, the education I received at Notre Dame was completely unmatched by anything I have experienced in my life thus far.”

Kuechenmeister also said her faith in God, which she said was consistently reinforced throughout her time at NDP, was just as important to her educational — and spiritual — journey through her life.

Where academic rigor meets personal and spiritual growth

That connection between academic rigor and personal and spiritual development is echoed across generations — including alumni of the school’s legacy institutions.

An alum of Notre Dame High School in Harper Woods, Bill Hammers ND68 said he recalls a balance of discipline and support.

“Although I always felt very awkward and a bit high-strung in high school, I was surrounded by a caring Marist staff and excellent teachers who provided velvet-glove discipline and mutual respect,” he said.

A much younger fellow alum had a similar assessment of his high school advantage.

"NDP vastly prepared me for the rigor of college," said Jermaine Johnson II NDP’15 in a 2019 interview with IRISH Magazine. "I made the Dean’s List during my freshman year and I owe a lot of that to the strong foundation established in high school. While occasionally there were times when I struggled because LMU (Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles) is such a super challenging school, I always felt, thanks to NDP, that I always had the right tools necessary to succeed."

A school that builds confidence and opportunity

Graduates also describe how Notre Dame Prep equips them to take initiative before and after they leave campus.

Natalie Burg NDP’23, who attended the College of William & Mary, said the mindset she developed continues to shape her college experience.

“At college, I learned that the worst someone can say is no,” Burg said.

Activities that translate into lifelong skills

That willingness to pursue opportunity is often tied to a broad range of extracurricular involvement.

Sochacki also said her teachers and participation in athletics, academics and service helped develop essential life skills.

“These activities fostered development for me of crucial life skills,” she said. “Things like time management, well-roundedness, leadership and community service.”

Her experience also shaped a broader sense of purpose.

“One thing I’ve learned as I’ve traveled the world is that who I am today is a result of my past experiences,” she said. “My values and passions for helping others are continually developing, but those seeds were first planted during my high school years at Notre Dame Prep.”

A community that shapes the whole person

Beyond coursework, alumni consistently emphasize the school’s focus on relationships, mentorship and belonging.

Pedro Escobedo NDP’22 described his experience in personal terms.

“NDP and its teachers gave me more than just a great education — it gave me a place where I felt safe, supported and believed in,” he said.

Relationships that endure across generations

That sense of community extends across generations, including graduates of Pontiac Catholic High School.

Colleen O'Brien PC’74, now a judge on the Michigan 2nd District Court of Appeals, reflected on the lasting importance of relationships formed during her high school years.

“I have many wonderful memories from my years at Pontiac Catholic,” she said. “Several of my closest friends, with whom I stay in close contact today, were my classmates.”

She also credited her high school faculty for shaping her academic foundation.

“I had many wonderful teachers at Pontiac Catholic,” she recalled. “Standing out is Sister Margaret, whom I credit with my strong education in English and the development of my reading and writing skills.”

Faith formation with lifelong influence

Faith-centered formation remains another consistent theme for alumni.

Alumni frequently describe how the school’s mission — forming “Christian people, upright citizens and academic scholars” — translates into real-world decisions and service.

Sochacki said that formation carries an ongoing responsibility.

“We Notre Damers have an obligation to ensure that others get many of the opportunities that we had — or better,” she said. “Our alma mater is like our family.”

A foundation that shapes character and service

For many graduates, the defining takeaway is not a single achievement, but a broader formation that continues long after graduation.

Jacob Anderson NDP alumnus and Michigan State University baseball player, recognized for national community impact, credited his high school experience with building a “firm foundation” for success.

“Notre Dame Prep is such a great community of people. My four years there changed the trajectory of my life,” he said.

That idea — foundation — appears repeatedly across alumni stories, often tied to both academic preparation and moral development.

Mentorship that leaves a lasting imprint

Alumni also point to the lasting influence of teachers, coaches and mentors.

Andy Durkin NDP’16, now a school principal and varsity coach, said lessons from his own mentors extended beyond athletics.

“Coach Buzz prioritized hard work and togetherness,” Durkin said.

Mark Binelli ND'88, a contributing writer for The New York Times and the author of “Just a Shot Away: Martin Scorsese’s Life in Film,” which will be published in November, speaks highly of Notre Dame's faculty but reserves a special place for his English teacher, the late Conrad Vachon.

"Everything pales before the legend of Vachon," he said in a 2013 interview with IRISH magazine. "I remember how he'd refer to Joseph Conrad as 'Joe Conrad,' and how he told us never to leave a movie before the credits ended, and of course, the poems we'd recite at the beginning of every class. Funnily enough, my girlfriend teaches high school English here in New York and I mentioned Vachon's poetry regimen — and she loved the idea and started doing it with her kids!"

Such mentorship reinforces the school’s emphasis on personal attention and community — a theme echoed across decades of alumni voices.

A consistent narrative for prospective families

Taken together, the school’s news archive presents a clear and consistent picture: alumni attribute their readiness for college and life to a combination of rigorous academics, faith-centered values and meaningful relationships.

That message spans generations and institutions within the Notre Dame/Marist tradition.

“I found that as a college student, Prep had prepared me well for the reading workload and extensive projects that every class would demand,” filmmaker Holland said.

For prospective families, the significance lies not in a single testimonial, but in the consistency of those voices — graduates who describe an education that prepares them intellectually, shapes them personally and stays with them long after they leave campus.

Conclusion: Measured impact, repeated over time

As the next graduating class prepares to join this network of alumni, their experience reflects a legacy already well documented.

While metrics such as college acceptance rates provide one measure of success, alumni perspectives offer a broader view.

They describe an experience defined not only by achievement, but by formation — one that equips students to succeed, contribute and lead with a Marist purpose.

And across years of coverage, that conclusion continues to be delivered in the words of those who have lived it.

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

About Notre Dame Preparatory School
"At Notre Dame Prep, we inspire our students to become the best versions of themselves. We challenge them through an experience of academic excellence, focused on active, project-based learning. We invite them to explore a world of opportunities beyond the classroom. We guide them as they grow in spirituality within a community strong in its Catholic and Marist identity."

Notre Dame Preparatory School is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School's upper school enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame Prep's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDP is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the National Association of Independent Schools. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School, visit the school’s home page at www.ndpma.org.