Joseph Dachnowicz '29

Biography

Joseph Dachnowicz ’29 is from Basking Ridge, New Jersey, and studies Political Science and Economics with minors in Theology and the Hesburgh Program in Public Service. His interests center on political polarization, civic trust, and how economic decisions affect American families. He is a Tocqueville Fellow and inaugural member of the Corde Scholars Program. As a member of Notre Dame’s Federal Reserve & Fiscal Challenge team, Joseph presented debt-reduction proposals to leading policymakers in Washington, D.C., where his team placed second among 150 teams nationwide.

While studying international economics in Berlin, Joseph conducted Nanovic Institute-supported research on reunification and the enduring divisions between East and West Germany. This spring, he returns to D.C. through Notre Dame’s Washington Program to take classes and intern on Capitol Hill. A Navy ROTC midshipman, he serves as a squad leader and fitness command leader within the battalion. He also serves as a Eucharistic Minister and Confirmation sponsor and competes as a sprinter with the ND Running Club. Joseph enjoys lifting, following the New York Yankees, and debating questions about the good life over coffee. Joseph hopes to carry his Catholic commitment to service into the Navy, then into a career in law and public life.