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Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger, an alumnus of Notre Dame University, motivational speaker, and the inspiration for the movie “Rudy” came to offer words of wisdom, encouragement, and resiliency during an Evening of Inspiration held in April at ��ǧɫ’s Downers Grove Campus.

Kathleen H. Goeppinger, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of ��ǧɫ, welcomed the audience and Mr. Ruettiger. She expressed appreciation for the unique opportunity to host an external guest who could offer valuable insights and ideas and provide students with inspiration to help get through their upcoming exams. 

Mr. Ruettiger expressed his appreciation of ��ǧɫ’s commitment to educating the next generation of healthcare professionals and the overall feeling of support. “The people have a purpose here and reason to come here. It's neat when you come to a campus like this in this type of culture,” he said. 

He reminisced about his childhood growing up in Joliet, IL as one of 14 children in a Catholic family and learning to set goals and have dreams. He shared the importance of the values of hard work, dedication, and continuous improvement. “I learned you don't have to be the smartest to be somebody, and you don't have to be the quickest guy to play for Notre Dame or the biggest guy. Just show up and get up when you get hit.” He stressed the importance of resilience in the face of adversity and moving forward when something negative happens.

Mr. Ruettiger also spoke about the importance of gratitude and building relationships along the journey of life, and how some connections helped him achieve his dreams, first for playing college football and then getting his story made into a movie. He also shared how he worked hard to train and earn entrance to Notre Dame, noting, “You know what I was against. I'm not supposed to be there academically or athletically, but because of relationships that I've built, people got me there.” 

Despite achieving his dreams, he has encountered detractors who minimized his accomplishments and reports receiving feedback from people saying he did not do anything but play in a football game for 27 seconds. “It took me 27 years to play 27 seconds, which meant I had to do a lot to get those 27 seconds,” he said.  

Mr. Ruettiger emphasized when people know how much you care about a dream, they also want to see it come true because they care about you, and then they are more willing to give you an opportunity. “That was the key, showing up. You don't know what you're going to miss. You never know the relationship you're going to build. You don't make it alone. You make it through other people helping you,” he stated. Reflecting on his own challenges with dyslexia, he encouraged the audience to seek assistance when they struggle with learning a topic. “Get around the right people, so you can do what you need to do in order to be what you want to be,” he advised.

Mr. Ruettiger continued to stress the importance of surrounding oneself with positive people and experiences. “We all have a purpose. Once you know that, you will live your life differently and look at people differently. Look at the positive and bring that out.” He expanded upon this and spoke about the power of surrounding yourself with good music and songs for a positive attitude. “Change your thoughts. Change your life. Change the music in your brain. Change the feeling in your heart,” he said.

Through events such as An Evening of Inspiration, ��ǧɫ offers opportunities to encourage students, staff, faculty, and the broader community to believe in themselves and their abilities, goals, and dreams to achieve success as healthcare professionals or in other capacities.