Bennett Schmitt, a student from Jasper, Indiana, has been selected as the salutatorian of the 2025 University of Notre Dame graduating class. With majors in environmental sciences and applied mathematics, and a minor in energy studies, Schmitt will graduate summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA. He has been actively involved in research on sustainability, clean energy, and agrivoltaics policy. Schmitt is also a co-author of a paper on clean energy storage technology and has presented his research at various conferences. Notably, he has conducted research on scalable green hydrogen production during his time at University College Dublin. Schmitt's passion for sustainability was further solidified during a trip to Puerto Rico, where he witnessed the challenges of the island's electric grid and contributed to installing solar panels for vulnerable families. Post-graduation, Schmitt plans to conduct research in Kenya on carbon cycling before pursuing a master's program in urban sustainability at Trinity College Dublin. His dedication to environmentalism and sustainability is evident in his academic pursuits and extracurricular activities, making him a deserving salutatorian.