Undergraduate Student Perspective: Cleveland Sellers IV ’25

Using Business as a Catalyst for Change

At the intersection of purpose, leadership, and impact stands Cleveland Sellers IV, a member of the Class of 2025 at Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business. A former Division I soccer player, business analytics major, and Africana Studies minor, Sellers spent his time at Notre Dame doing more than excelling in the classroom and on the field. He’s been building organizations, uplifting communities, and driving social change.

Leading with Faith, Purpose, and Community

Recruited to Notre Dame to play Division I soccer, Sellers was initially drawn to the University for its balance of athletic excellence, academic rigor, and Catholic identity.

“When I got here, I really got to lean into all three,”  Sellers says. “But I primarily leaned into the faith and academic sides of what Notre Dame offers.”

His spiritual journey was particularly nurtured through the Notre Dame Christian Athletes (NDCA) group, where he served on the leadership team for three years. With support from Cleveland and the leadership team, NDCA grew into a vibrant community of 60+ student-athletes who gather weekly for Bible study, to build community, and offer support.

“We provide community to athletes,”  Sellers explains. “The goal of the group is helping us stay rooted in faith as we navigate the trials of being a Division I student-athlete.”

Sellers launched the Black Student Athlete Coalition in his junior year. The group provides a space for community-building, shared experiences, and professional growth. “Our mission is to be a support system where Black student-athletes can share their triumphs and trials and lift each other up,”  he explains.

In connection with that mission, Sellers also became involved with the Make A Play Foundation, a national nonprofit that equips collegiate athletes from high achieving backgrounds with professional development skills and connects them to employers. Through Make A Play, Sellers landed an internship—and ultimately a full-time role—with Deloitte.

“I learned how to present, interview, and develop business acumen through Make A Play,”  he says. “It’s one of the most impactful professional experiences I’ve had.”

Going Global with Changing Lives GH

Sellers’ vision and values took on global dimensions through Changing Lives GH, a nonprofit he co-founded alongside teammates Daniel Boateng and Liam Egan. The Ghana-based organization leverages the universal appeal of soccer to create access to healthcare and education.

The organization’s signature event is held annually in Ghana. CleanPlay hosts community soccer tournaments to attract participants for free health checkups, educational workshops, and youth mentorship. In just two years, the group has conducted over 750 complimentary health checkups and will launch its largest event to date this summer—Beyond the Field—with the support of partners such as Bank of America.

For Sellers, Changing Lives GH has been both a meaningful service opportunity and a powerful business learning experience. “It’s been my first real taste of international business—I’m excited to go to Ghana and finally put boots on the ground, do the good work, and spread our mission.”

Empowering Local Youth Through Financial Literacy

Closer to home, Sellers co-founded Alora Finance with teammate Mateo Acosta after winning Notre Dame’s annual Grow the Good in Business Case Competition as sophomores. Each year, the competition challenges students to use business as a tool to solve real-world problems and uncover innovative solutions to everyday issues.

The competition led to the creation of their startup, which helps high school students—especially those from underbanked communities—build financial literacy through engaging software-based curriculum.

As part of their pilot, the team taught classes at South Bend high schools and at the local Boys and Girls Club. “It was eye-opening,”  Sellers reflects. “Financial inclusion is a real issue, and being part of the solution was extremely rewarding.”

Sellers’ impact extended to the local preschool level as well. For two years, he volunteered weekly at La Casa de Amistad, a South Bend-based Hispanic community center. “It may seem small, but that weekly volunteering was one of the ways I felt I could truly grow the good,”  he says.

Looking Ahead

Now preparing to begin his career at Deloitte, Sellers plans to stay connected to the nonprofit world while building his foundation in consulting. “Notre Dame’s mission to ‘grow the good in business’ is what shaped me,”  he says. “That won’t stop just because I’m stepping into a new chapter.”

Post-graduation, Sellers remains a proud advocate and supporter for Changing Lives GH. He also plans to continue to serve on the junior board of directors for Make A Play, helping lead programming and recruitment efforts to support the organization’s growth and mission.

Faith remains central to his journey as he reflects on his investments of time at Notre Dame as well as what lies ahead.

“Staying rooted in God directed my efforts and the impact we made are all to His glory,”  says Sellers. “Everything I do in life is supposed to point back to God. It fuels my fire to do more than what I think I’m capable of to put a smile on my face and do the work that needs to be done.”

Advice to Future Students

How did Sellers balance it all—academics, athletics, nonprofits, startups, and service?

“That’s a question I get all the time,”  he says with a smile. “And I’m not sure if this is a good answer, but it’s my answer: I just followed my passion. I stayed focused on what gave me energy and meaning. That’s how I made time for everything that mattered.”

Sellers encourages students to lean into the Notre Dame community, one that wants to see students succeed in whatever path they choose:

“It’s really just reaching out to people and finding your community that will encourage you in your journey of self-exploration, because that’s a really daunting task to do by yourself. But the good thing about the Notre Dame community is that you never have to do anything by yourself. The faculty, staff, classmates, teammates—that’s why I’m here today.”