Bellarmine University Alumni

Today’s features Mary Jo Burke ’74, ’85! Mary Jo will be awarded a Bell award, this October, for her life of service to the Sister Visitor Center.

Join us in congratulating her on this amazing achievement! 👏🏻⚔️

On Saturday, September 7, all Honors and Cardinal Sections Alumni are invited to join us for a reunion, being held in the Honors Lounge, B Level of the W. L. Lyons Brown Library.

Reconnect, reminisce and celebrate the past, present and future of the Honors Program. Come visit our new lounge and meet our students!

Register today: www.alumni.bellarmine.edu/alumni24

As the keynote speaker, Jay Bilas will be speaking on the following topics: current status of D1 Athletics, the transition to D1, NIL, and the transfer portal. Bilas was a pivotal voice in Bellarmine Athletics' very own transition to Division 1 and he continues his efforts in coming to speak with the Bellarmine community.

Register by September 2 and secure your spot today!

Renowned ESPN analyst, best-selling author and leadership expert Jay Bilas to deliver 2024 Wyatt Lecture at Bellarmine University Jay Bilas, Emmy-nominated college basketball analyst for ESPN, leadership expert and author of the New York Times bestseller Toughness: Developing True Strength On and Off the Court, will deliver the 2024 Wyatt Lecture at Bellarmine University on Friday, Sept. 6, in Bellarmine’s Frazier Hall. 

Start off the new school year with a blast! 🎆Alumni and neighbors are invited to enjoy Sparks at Knight on August 24 from 7:00-9:15 pm in the Quad. The fireworks start at 9:15 pm. ⚔️

Register now: www.alumni.bellarmine.edu/sparks24

We’ve crafted up an awesome lineup for Brew at BU! 🍻 Join us on Saturday, September 7th at 7:00 p.m. for a night filled to the brim with local beer, wine and food. Register now: www.alumni.bellarmine.edu/alumni24

Thanks to the who served as mentors at tonight’s Alumni Networking Dinner for Early Arrival Program! ⚔️

That’s right! We’re only 25 DAYS AWAY from Alumni Weekend and the excitement is real! Get ready to relive the good times and create unforgettable memories! ⚔️

Follow this link to register for Alumni Weekend TODAY -> https://www.alumni.bellarmine.edu/alumni24

BOOM! 🎆 You’re invited to Sparks at Knight! Join us for a FREE FIREWORKS SHOW on Saturday, August 24th as we gather to celebrate the end of summer. Register NOW!

Sparks at Knight

Today’s features 2013 Alumna Arielle Clark who received a $10,000 grant from American Express, in partnership with Main Street America, for her business Sis Got Tea.

Congratulations, Arielle!

We’re just over 1️⃣ month away from Brew at BU (September 7th at 7:00pm)! Our annual festival is filled to the brim with awesome beer, wine and food. 🍻 Register Now: www.alumni.bellarmine.edu/alumni24

Look at this 👀

Join us in congratulating Bellarmine .rsb Alumna Liz Cheser ’06, ’09 MBA on becoming the Director of Food and Agribuisness Operations at Farm Credit Mid-America!

Congratulations Liz!

Dzaflo Larkai ’08, a former Bellarmine men’s basketball player for two seasons, will be on the bench of South Sudan’s men’s national team during the Olympic Games in Paris.

Larkai serves as an assistant coach for the team, who will be participating in their first Olympic Games since their formation in 2011.

Tune in today at 3:00 p.m. as Team South Sudan takes on Team USA.

We want to congratulate Will Saucer ’13 on starting a new job as a Solutions Architect at Kardex Solutions LLC.

Want to be like Will and be featured as a ? Click the link in our bio to fill out a Class Note today!

Good luck to former Knight Dzaflo Larkai and the South Sudan Bright Stars in their first Olympics! Larkai will be serving as an assistant coach when they take the floor on Sunday against Puerto Rico. 🇸🇸

Thank you to all of our amazing members of the Alumni Board who came out to for our Alumni Board Retreat!

Good times, ideas and discussions were spread all around. We can’t wait for what’s to come this year!

It's always great to see these guys on the court repping the Scarlet & Silver. Thank you to all of the Bellarmine fans and alumni who came out to support UKnighted! ⚔🏀

Yesterday's Knight at the Bats was a HOME RUN! ⚔ ⚾️ Thank you to all of our amazing and friends who came out to watch the Louisville Bats at Louisville Slugger Field!

There is still time to join us TOMORROW for Bellarmine's KNIGHT AT THE BATS! Beautiful weather, great company, and lots of Bellarmine fun. We hope to see you there, Knights!
Register now: www.alumni.bellarmine.edu/bats24

Wishing all of our Alumni Association a happy and safe Independence Day! 🇺🇸🎆🎇

We know these guys! 👀 We're very excited to see our former Knights return home and lead UKnighted in the TBT Tournament.

Come out, join us, and rally behind our talented coaching staff and team!

NEWS | UKnighted’s full coaching staff announced ahead of TBT opener on July 20

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📰 bit.ly/3L7tYPx

It's a HOME RUN DEAL! Join us for our annual Knight at the Bats baseball game on Thursday, July 11th! Don't miss:
⚾️$2 beers
⚾️$3 nachos and chicken tenders
⚾️Special treat
⚾️Bellarmine giveaway
REGISTER NOW:

Knight at the Bats Bring your family and friends, wear your scarlet and silver, and join for the annual Knight at the Bats Game.

Batter up! Join us for our annual Knight at the Bats baseball game on Thursday, July 11th! Don't miss:
⚾️$2 beers
⚾️ $3 nachos and chicken tenders
⚾️Special treat
⚾️Bellarmine giveaway
Register NOW: www.alumni.bellarmine.edu/bats24

Let's UKnight and represent the scarlet and silver by filling Freedom Hall with Knights Nation! Tipoff has been set for Saturday, July 20 at 1:00pm (Session 1)!

Use code TBTLOU15 to receive 15% OFF TBT TICKETS (next 72 Hours Only)

𝐔𝐊𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐯𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞

It's going down in TBT's first round at Freedom Hall on July 20, live on FOX.

Full regional bracket & more ➡️ bit.ly/4eATjPn

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We've got a home run deal for Knight at the Bats! Join us on Thursday, July 11th for just $12 a ticket, which includes seating in the Bellarmine section, a great giveaway, a fun treat, and so much more. REGISTER NOW: www.alumni.bellarmine.edu/bats24

Bellarmine received the following email from Regina Ostertag, a local resident. We are proud of Jacob Gagel, the Assistant Director of Alumni Engagement for Bellarmine University Alumni, and members of Louisville Parks and Recreation for assisting Ms. Ostertag.

I am a 68-year-old woman who lives within a disability community located behind Walgreens at Poplar Level & Trevilian. I use a power chair for mobility 24/7 due to a leg amputation and am unable to wear a prosthetic. A lot of my days are spent going on nature walks (rolls) through Joe Creason Park, the Louisville Nature Center, and the Louisville Zoo. I live a very active, participatory lifestyle as a fiber artist and local disability advocate, serving in a few groups such as the Mayor’s Commission for Persons with Disabilities and Louisville’s Age-Friendly group for senior citizens. However, the majority of my life’s enjoyment comes from visiting, relaxing, and working on my projects in the aforementioned settings.

Bellarmine has always been a continuing influence in my life. Although I am not a graduate, I took many courses while in my twenties and more continuing adult courses in the past few years. I was part of a Bellarmine-sponsored amputee program when I first lost my leg. Classes based on Thomas Merton have always been a personal favorite to attend. All this brings me to tell you about an incident that happened last Friday, June 7th, as I was rolling through Joe Creason Park. I had decided to roll my chair into the grass next to a park bench to spend a bit of time working on my latest project. The path I was on was close to Newburg Road but pretty far into the interior not visible from the road. As it was mid-afternoon and fairly warm, I had only seen one other person as I traveled.

Unfortunately, my left rear tire got caught in a mud spot, and I was stuck, not able to move my chair in any direction. I wasn’t sure who to call as there was no one I knew who would be able to find me and help me out. I considered calling 911 but knew it would be very hard to give them directions to where I was. I was in no immediate danger, but things could have gotten a lot worse if no one had come by to help. After ten minutes or so, I saw a person traveling the path around the corner a few hundred or so yards away and hollered that I needed help. He came right away. He explained that he worked at Bellarmine, and by chance, it was a half-day Friday, and he decided to take a peaceful walk through the park after work. My chair was so stuck he could not help in moving it from its spot. He then volunteered to follow up the path a good distance to find assistance at the main building. There, a receptionist told him she would call Maintenance, and they would come and help me out. But that is not the end of this story or the main reason I am writing to you.

He took the time to come back and stay with me until help arrived, and I was free to move once again. We talked, and I greatly enjoyed our conversation, hearing about his experiences at Bellarmine, how he came to be where he was, and how he enjoyed meeting people and listening to their stories. In short, he not only rescued me from what could have been a nightmare situation, being left alone and vulnerable by myself but instead turned it into a very pleasant memory I will keep in my heart for the rest of my life. He might think of it as just a small act of kindness, but in my view, it was a tremendous act of the generosity of spirit that Bellarmine University exemplifies. I want to commend Jacob Gagel for his shining example of human grace and let you know what an excellent choice you have made in employing such a fine person on your staff. Please thank him again for me and let him know how much his time with me meant.

A week after the incident, the group was able to meet up again at the park.

🎉 Happy , Valor! 🎉

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We want to shout out this amazing alumna, Heather Riczo ’11, ’20! Heather recently accepted a position as a Business Analyst at the University of Michigan.

Congratulations Heather on this new and exciting opportunity!

This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase your local business to the Bellarmine Community and receive the support you deserve. Let’s come together to celebrate our alumni’s businesses!

Email Jacob Gagel, [email protected], to get involved!

Congratulations to Bellarmine University Rubel School of Business Accounting & Economics alumnae Dr. Jason Browning ’02 on being appointed as the inaugural Chief Data Officer at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana.

Want to join Jason and be featured as a ? Gotten married? Achieved a major career milestone? Submit a class note today at www.alumni.bellarmine.edu/BUclassnotes