Moreau Integration One Joanna Nguyen-Tran Moreau Professor Reaume 15 October 2021 How my Core Beliefs Play A Factor In My Experience At Notre Dame Coming into Notre Dame, I didn’t know what to expect since I was the first one in my family to attend college. I always heard about how Notre Dame students were “A force of good” in the world, but I never completely understood it (Video: “Two Notre Dames: Your Holy Cross Education” by Fr. Kevin Grove- Moreau Reflection Week 5). I entered believing that I had to receive good grades and be on top of my work to succeed in life. However, after coming here, I realized that I had a difficult time adjusting to the shift in the workload and realizing that sometimes things don’t always go according to plan. The first week in, I discovered that I wanted to pursue another field and proceeded to change my major. ( Moreau FYE Reflection Commentary- Week 2). I told myself that it was fine to change my major since I believe that I grow by challenging myself while pursuing my interests. As Father Pete said, “Father Pete said, “The greatest journey is the one of self-discovery.” (Video: “The Role of Faith in Our Story” by Fr. Pete McCormick- Moreau FYE Reflection Week 3). Throughout these 7 weeks in Moreau, I was able to reflect on certain things about myself and others that I didn’t think about before. Ever since I changed my major, I felt that I was slipping into an endless void of time. I wasn’t taking care of my health, and I wasn’t where I needed to be. This experience would have been easier if I opened up to my professors and friends sooner. All of my life, I had a difficult time being vulnerable because it felt like a weakness (Moreau FYE Reflection Commentary Week 1). At home, I never felt comfortable being vulnerable because I was afraid that I would be judged by my family. When I was feeling extremely stressed, I felt like I had a hard time being vulnerable because I was new to this environment, and I felt that no one would understand. Joanna Nguyen-Tran Moreau Professor Reaume 15 October 2021 However, by going through these hardships, I learned to prioritize my health and reach out to others when I need it. Therefore, I now know that the Notre Dame faculty as well as my classmates are there to help me whenever I am struggling or when I just need someone to talk to. The Notre Dame experience would be incomplete without the faith aspect. As someone who grew up in a Catholic household, faith was always an important part of who I was. Therefore, I believe that having faith in God or just having faith in other people helps build overall character. Going to mass every Sunday or just praying every night was a part of the context of where I’m from. Being Asian and Catholic has always been a part of who I am, so I’ve learned to appreciate everything I have, even the opportunity to attend this institution (FYE Reflection Poem- Week 6). Since I never attended a Catholic school before, I thought that it would be an exciting and different experience. In addition, I wanted to “cultivate the mind and heart.” (FYE Reflection Commentary- Week 3). I believed that I would gain something from this experience. On that same note, “A catholic education means that every discipline that searches for truth, shares in that final and most beautiful truth that calls us to serve each other in love.” (Video: “Two Notre Dames: Your Holy Cross Education” by Father Pete McCormick- Moreau FYE Reflection Week 5). Father Sorin founded Notre Dame because he envisioned that it would be a college where it “would be a force for good.” (Text: Fr. Sorin Letter to Bl. Basil Moreau, - FYE Reflection Week 5). Thanks to all the support I received throughout my life, I’ve learned how to build better relationships with those around me. Therefore, I believe that I forge life-giving relationships by listening to and respecting other people around me. Growing up, I witnessed the exact opposite of a life-giving relationship in my own household. My parents https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=859bc1a8-0d0f-4eb4-a1c1-d0a45c429187 Joanna Nguyen-Tran Moreau Professor Reaume 15 October 2021 would argue all of the time, and it was extremely hard for me to witness that as a child ( Moreau FYE Reflection Commentary- Week 4). In a way, this made me want to avoid making the effort to build relationships at all. However, I learned that not all relationships are negative and that I should work to improve the relationships I have and will make in the future. On that same note, in terms of being a student at Notre Dame, I believe that we all have a responsibility to protect one another if we ever see incidences of another student being in potential danger. ("It's On Us ND- The Three D's of Being an Active Bystander" - Moreau FYE Reflection - Week 4 ). I also believe that being part of a community means looking out for one another throughout the ups and downs. As in most relationships, there is an aspect of truth that we hope to attain. Personally, I believe that truth can be pursued through clarification or by knowing without assuming anything about others. For example, in the “Danger of A Single Story,” Chimamanda made a good point about how a single story is not exactly incorrect, but incomplete. Many times, it’s so easy to assume something about someone overall when they’ve only heard one particular story related to them. (“Video: “Danger of a Single Story” (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, TED) - FYE Reflection Commentary Week 7). In many ways, I have been a victim of the “single story” because some of the kids in school would assume that I was a “chino” or made generalizations about me because I “was Asian.” (FYE Reflection- Week 7). Thus, this was very inaccurate because they most likely were basing it off a single story/encounter with another Asian who happened to be smart. From this, I learned that I shouldn’t assume things about others and that we can clear up those misconceptions by informing others as well. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Qk5iI7HctYydSB3xYZs5hNClJ-uo5Hq4/view https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Qk5iI7HctYydSB3xYZs5hNClJ-uo5Hq4/view https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/28311/modules/items/105570 Joanna Nguyen-Tran Moreau Professor Reaume 15 October 2021 On a similar note, these implicit biases may arise because everyone on campus is so different from one another. I believe that we all have different strengths and weaknesses, and we use them in a way that benefits us. For me, my strengths seem to be a love of learning and teamwork ( VIA Character Strengths Survey- FYE Reflection Week 2). We can use our strengths to become either like Adam 1 or Adam 2. While Adam 1 aims to be ambitious, and create innovation. On the other hand, Adam 2 is the side that aims to make a positive difference in society. I believe that we should strive to be a good mix of both, and finding that balance is important, but it’s also beneficial to focus on what is important so that we don’t lose focus (“Should You Live for Your Resume or Your Eulogy? By David Brooks- FYEC Reflection Week 2). Therefore, I aim to be a good mix of both but there are certain situations where I have to be one more than the other. In the final analysis, I believe that all the beliefs that I stated here will help me grow as a person throughout the rest of my life. I know that some of my beliefs may be changed over time, but they will not stray much away from my core morals and who I am as a person. https://www.viacharacter.org/survey/account/register?registerPageType=popup https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlLWTeApqIM Joanna Nguyen-Tran Moreau Professor Reaume 15 October 2021