Gonyea Capstone Integration Gonyea 1 Erik Oswald FYS 10102 64 29 April 2022 Achieving My Mission: A Worthwhile Journey As my first year of college comes to a close, I have begun to reflect on the impacts each new aspect and experience has had on my life. Moreau, being something I have experienced throughout not just one semester, but both, has certainly given me lots to reflect on. Moreau has taught me about my values, ways I can live a better life, and much more. Most importantly, Moreau class has given me the opportunity to generate and grow my own beliefs, wants, and needs. In fact, I have developed my own mission statement using this quote from the Notre Dame Mission Statement as inspiration, “[t]he University prides itself on being an environment of teaching and learning that fosters the development in its students of those disciplined habits of mind, body, and spirit that characterize educated, skilled, and free human beings” (“University of Notre Dame Mission Statement” - Moreau FYS Week 13): My mission in this life is to not only concern myself with the groups I identify with, but to support and fight for those groups which I do not. I aim to show my beliefs through my actions. Rather than following in another’s lead, I will tread my own path, acting for myself, rather than others. This being said, my actions will reflect my values, not the benefits I selfishly wish to receive from them. I will put others before myself, but will also prioritize self-care, being aware of when I need to internally check-in with my own body, mind, and spirit. I will build relationships with others for genuine reasons, surrounding myself with people I deeply trust and adore. I will work to share my resources with others, making generosity a habit of mine. I will also become more comfortable with asking for help from others, as there is no shame in this. To live a https://www.nd.edu/about/mission/ https://www.nd.edu/about/mission/ Gonyea 2 well-lived life, I will follow the above guidelines, working to improve and implement them each and every day. The beginning part of my mission statement was inspired by Dean G. Marcus Cole. In one of his articles, he states “[i]t is urgent that we recognize that human rights are under threat all around the world, including here in the United States. This reality must be acknowledged, and addressed. To do so, I want to restore Father Hesburgh’s original vision for Notre Dame Law School by taking three steps” (“Dean G. Marcus Cole: ‘I am George Floyd. Except, I can breathe. And I can do something’” by Marcus Cole - Moreau FYS Week 12). From this I reflected on the fact that previously in my life I really have not done enough to aid the restoration of human rights. As a white person, I am aware that I will never truly know what oppression or racism feel like, as Dr. Robin D’Angelo discusses, but that is no excuse not to help prevent them for others (“Why It’s So Hard to Talk About to White People About Racism” by Dr. Robin D’Angelo - Moreau FYS Week 10). In my remaining three years at Notre Dame, I plan to join different cultural organizations as an ally. My roommate is very involved in the Filipino club here, FASO. I think this is a good place for me to begin my endeavors and support communities other than my own. By joining these organizations and clubs, I am also giving myself the opportunity to learn about different cultures and backgrounds, another way I can support other communities. Adding on to what I have stated above, over the next three years I aim to use disagreement as an opportunity to understand a group or individual better. As is said in the Hesburgh movie, “peace is important, that human life is important and sacred, that we have to learn to talk to each other” (“Hesburgh” produced by Jerry Barca and Christine O’Malley - https://law.nd.edu/news-events/news/dean-g-marcus-cole-i-am-george-floyd-except-i-can-breathe-and-i-can-do-something/ https://law.nd.edu/news-events/news/dean-g-marcus-cole-i-am-george-floyd-except-i-can-breathe-and-i-can-do-something/ https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bdVnfLDrJUJhd-4UtYb_kfRpcFgOoOeY7O1WT8_d3iw/edit https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 Gonyea 3 Moreau FYS Week 2). This quote has allowed me to aspire for the peace that is mentioned. In order to fulfill this aspiration, I will use tense conversations as an opportunity to improve my communication skills. For example, if I am in class and there is a controversial topic being discussed, rather than sitting silent to avoid tension, I plan to insert myself into the conversation. I will state my viewpoint as well as work to understand the perspectives of those around me. Going off of this idea of peace, Pope Francis said that “happiness can only be discovered as a gift of harmony between the whole and each single component” (“Why the Only Future Worth Building Includes Everyone” by Pope Francis - Moreau FYS Week 7). Integrating this into my above goal, during these conversations, I will make sure everyone involved is given the opportunity to share their own perspective, this way, as a group, we can be as harmonious as possible. One last aspect I will integrate into these disagreements is the ability to draw from my own personal experiences. Steve Reifenberg said, “[d]rawing from personal experiences gives new meaning to the possibility of engaging in a complicated world – to help someone else discover and tell her own story, to walk together in the search of new, better paths forward, and to broaden the scope of our collective ambitions” (“Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together” by Steve Reifenberg - Moreau FYS Week 9). Rather than conforming to others’ experiences and perspectives, I will speak from my heart, using my own beliefs and experiences to guide my contributions to these conversations. Continuing with the theme of embracing discomfort, I have noticed over this past year at Notre Dame that I typically avoid conflict. I do not like facing the negative aspects of life, and instead ignore them. Sister Theresa Aletheia Noble, however, has inspired me to become comfortable with these darknesses. She stated that “it’s actually in facing the darkest realities of life that we find light in them” (“Meet the Nun Who Wants You to Remember That You Will https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/edit https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/edit https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html Gonyea 4 Die” by Ruth Graham - Moreau FYS Week 3). Over the next three years at Notre Dame, I want to make this a habit of mine. To do this, I am going to lean on my friends for support. I will use them for accountability, as they are the people who notice when I am avoiding a certain gloomy situation. I will also utilize my family, specifically my mom. For example, if I receive a less than ideal exam grade, I plan to call my mom and talk with her about it. This way, I am giving myself the opportunity to think through the situation, and therefore realize some light in it. For situations that are out of my control, such as a University outbreak of the flu, I will remember Tasha Eurich’s claim that asking why something happened causes a person to get stuck on an occurrence rather than healthily move on from it (“The Right Way to be Introspective (Yes,There’s a Wrong Way)” by Tasha Eurich - Moreau FYS Week 6). I will practice asking “what?” questions rather than “why?” questions. Moving onto the self-care portion of my mission statement, I have a few ideas as to how I will achieve this goal. I have put an emphasis on it in my mission statement because this year there have been many times where I have not prioritized my own health, and nothing good came from those experiences. I tend to put school work before all else, even if that is not the healthiest option. In one conversation with my mom, she stressed how I have always been my own toughest critic (“Conversation with Mom, February 05, 2022, Week 5”). Due to this, I am always working to be better, even if it is at the price of my mental health. I want to improve my self-care habits by setting out chunks of time each week designated to relaxing downtime. Over the next three years at Notre Dame, depending on my class schedule each semester, I will set aside at least five hours a week for self-care. During this time, I will put my work away and focus on myself, whether that be watching a show, going on a walk, or doing some other activity to help me destress. I was reminded of this need for a break by Pico Iyer when he said “[y]et it’s https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html https://ideas.ted.com/the-right-way-to-be-introspective-yes-theres-a-wrong-way/ https://ideas.ted.com/the-right-way-to-be-introspective-yes-theres-a-wrong-way/ Gonyea 5 precisely those who are busiest, I wanted to tell her, who most need to give themselves a break” (“Why We Need To Slow Down Our Lives” by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week 1). The last habit I want to implement into my next three years at Notre Dame is trusting myself and doing what I feel is right, just like Eitan Hersh’s father does when he watches continuous political news channels (“Passion Isn’t Enough” by Hidden Brain Media - Moreau FYS Week 11). This can be applied to many situations, such as when I eventually have to choose my career path. For this example, I must remember that a specific major does not equal a specific career path, as the Meruelo Family Center for Career Development made me aware of, and that my future is in my own hands (“Navigating Your Career Journey” by Meruelo Family Center for Career Development - Moreau FYS Week 4). This practice is intertwined with all of the above habits I have discussed, since for all of them it is up to me whether I achieve them or not. I also must trust my own beliefs and values to lead a life I am passionate about and proud of. As I grow up, the importance of values have become more and more prominent. A person can be well defined by their values and beliefs. Knowing this, as well as being prompted to by Moreau class, I have reflected a lot on myself over this past year. I truly plan to implement all of the above practices into my life over the next three years, and then after, because I know they are a huge step towards achieving a life well-lived. https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://hiddenbrain.org/podcast/passion-isnt-enough/ https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/