Luke Moriguchi ’12 (NDP) is in front of the Purdue ‘Big Bass Drum.’ At more than ten feet in diameter, it is branded as the world’s largest drum.
Purdue University junior Luke Moriguchi, a 2012 graduate of Notre Dame Preparatory School, is well on his way to a career in engineering. He’s had successful internships at two manufacturing companies thus far and his college GPA is still strong. And while academics have kept him extremely busy, he still finds time to play in Purdue’s marching band. He said NDP has helped both in the classroom and in the band room.
“Besides taking classes, I am also the section leader of the Purdue cymbal line in the drumline for the band,” Moriguchi said. “At NDP, I had great opportunities to be a leader, serving as the NDP drumline section leader and varsity team co-captain, both for two years. Not only did participating in extracurricular activities at NDP help me become more well-rounded, it also helped me learn how to better manage my time and how to work with other people.”
Moriguchi said his experiences in the last two years-plus at Purdue have been nothing short of eventful, exciting and challenging.
“Academically, I’ve been doing well and maintaining my grades,” he said. “Honestly, the classes I’ve had to take so far have not been easy, but I’m proud to say that I’ve been able to pull through the last two years with a good grade point average.”
He’s majoring in mechanical engineering at a university with one of the top M.E. programs in the country, so the classes are pretty tough. But he credits his high school for giving him a head start.
“At NDP, I learned a lot academically, but I truly feel that the most important thing I learned was the mind-set of how to approach classes and how to learn to adjust to new classes with new material. Different subjects call for different study habits and this mind-set has helped me tremendously with keeping up in tough classes.”
Counseling department a big help
Moriguchi said he also credits NDP—specifically the counseling department—with helping to get him into Purdue in the first place. “Mr. [Vlado] Salic helped me a lot with making sure I got into Purdue University and he continues to support me as a graduate of NDP,” he said.
His matriculation to Purdue has in turn helped Moriguchi get a couple of prestigious internships during the past two summers.
“The College of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue is second to none,” he said. “Its reputation and tradition of excellence has helped me work two internships after two years in college—one at American Axle & Manufacturing in Rochester Hills and the second at Gulfstream Aerospace in Savannah, Georgia. I am currently seeking a third internship for this summer.”
Moriguchi said that along with his high school academics, it’s just good old-fashioned hard work that has helped him thus far in college and with those internships.
“As simple as this may sound, the strengths that have helped me succeed in the workplace with the internships are being hardworking, diligent, eager to learn, and having a sense of urgency. During my first two internships, these four strengths allowed me to have more opportunities and to learn much more during each three-month term.”
He said that while it was rewarding to know that people felt he was a reliable source for help on their assignments, the experience he gained through these extra assignments as an intern are what has stuck with him and “will help me continue to succeed later in my career.”
Notre Dame memories
Moriguchi said he looks back very fondly to his time at Notre Dame Prep. He worked as the head sound engineer for two NDP musical productions, “Grease” and “Beauty and the Beast.”
“I worked with Nick Finn and Mike Klepp, who were both in my sound crew,” he said. “I learned so much about acoustics, leadership and theater during those experiences and I still remember how exciting it was to have been a part of that.”
Moriguchi also has realized how important alumni are to an educational institution.
“As a band student at NDP, I got to meet many of its alumni and I was quickly exposed to how much they supported us,” he said. “This trend has continued during my time at Purdue. The drumline at Purdue receives a lot of support from alumni, which allows us to have great equipment, movie nights, and other great experiences. Without the generosity of our alumni, these things likely would not be possible.”
During his first two summers after graduating from NDP, Moriguchi has returned to his high school to help with the school’s band camp and to be an instructor for NDP Band Director Joe Martin’s drumline. “While the summer internships have made this harder and harder each year, I still try to stop in whenever I have a chance.”
Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org.
Follow Notre Dame on Twitter at @NDPMA.
About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division 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's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.