Capstone Integration Moreau FYE April 29, 2022 To Learn to Learn Throughout Moreau this semester, I have spent much time reflecting on where my life is headed. Over the course of the class, I have come to the conclusion that I do not yet know what I want in life. So, when I contemplated my mission statement, I realized that what I value most is simply learning, and that I can use the knowledge I find to figure out the future later. With that in mind, I have come to understand the value of community within learning and the need for communication to drive a community forward. My mission statement is as follows: As I continue in life, it is my mission to recognize the importance of learning and intellectual discussion in my life and use it to drive me toward finding solutions for global issues. I seek to stay open to opportunities that frighten me and to remain unswayed in my confidence and core values despite hardship I may face. I will look toward risk with more excitement than I have had in the past and strengthen my internal confidence when I feel that others will judge me. I will discover when I can discover, lead when I can lead, encourage when I can encourage, support when I can support, and always attempt to achieve and maintain a content state of mind to ensure I can continue on the next day. On my mission to expand my ingenuity in the face of adversity, I will remember the importance of connectedness within a community and do my best to maintain relationships, both challenging and loving, to strengthen my place in society and ensure I can keep moving forward with innovation for the world. The most important part of my learning mission statement is recognizing the necessity of reaching out into the community to grow. In Week Nine, we learned that “we need to walk together and learn together, and maybe, together, envision and create something better” (“A Learning Journey Together” by Steven Reifenberg – Moreau FYE Week Nine). In this scenario, you are able to share ideas and learn from each other, so both people are able to grow, which I think is important. In order to grow as people, we also have to reach out and help those suffering around us. As Reifenberg argues, it is so much easier to help and be helped when you are accompanied by the other because you can accomplish things together. Additionally, in Week Seven, we focused on relationships, something people do not always take the time to develop. (“Tattoos on the Heart” by Fr. Greg Boyle – Moreau FYE Week Seven). These relationships are a key aspect of learning because no one person knows everything. Even if you have no shared interests to discuss, you can still learn from each other about how to develop personal relationships and how to be successful in living. One big life interest of mine is helping with the energy crisis and being part of the move toward renewable energy. My mission statement directly applies because I barely know anything about energy right now, and I am so excited to integrate more into the community to learn. I joined the Energy Studies minor and the Student Energy Board to get more engaged and to learn from my peers. I met with Anne Pillai many times to discuss, and she mentioned that the minor shares my same values; the minor is a chance for people from all majors and backgrounds to come together and discuss energy. There is no better way to learn than through intellectual discussion with everyone involved, and I am so excited to be a part of this. Additionally, as I use my environmental knowledge to help those struggling in the world, I can learn from them about https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/edit https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/edit https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41005/files/523987?module_item_id=168024 the environment and about energy in their community to expand my knowledge and further understand how to best attack the issue of climate change through energy. As I look more and more toward innovation, I am proud to be part of the Notre Dame community. Among many other benefits, the Notre Dame community comes with a huge network of collaborators and innovators ready to help lead the world, which can help me in my mission statement. As Jennifer Tank from H2O@ND said, “Notre Dame is ideally positioned to be an international leader for innovative water-related research” (Moment to See, Courage to Act Symposium Summaries – Moreau FYE Week Twelve). The quote speaks to why Notre Dame should involve itself in this important research, which applies to Notre Dame being in a position to be a world leader for important change in general and how being involved in the community can help me to learn from and engage further in the world. I think it is effective and courageous to use tools like Notre Dame’s position in society to better get your message across, as Tank and others involved in the symposium did. Having these resources and gaining the confidence to use them will definitely support me in my mission. The final piece of my mission statement has to do with recognizing my own boundaries and keeping myself mentally and physically healthy to be able to help save the world. “The World Health Organization has been widely quoted as stating that ‘stress will be the health epidemic of the twenty-first century’” (“Why we need to slow down our lives” by Pico Iyer – Moreau FYE Week One). I definitely need to take time to relax and not get overwhelmed. Additionally, I have come to realize other mental health issues that I have been dealing with. As I go forward, I will pay more attention to them to make sure I am living my best life. While there is pressure to work and neglect personal mental health, it is so important to pay attention to my own needs to avoid putting myself in a situation that I may not come out of. As I have learned https://provost.nd.edu/about/provosts-initiatives/moment-to-see-courage-to-act/msca-symposium/ https://provost.nd.edu/about/provosts-initiatives/moment-to-see-courage-to-act/msca-symposium/ https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ more about how my own mind works, I have come to recognize the role emotion plays in the lives of everyone. In an interview, Eitan Hersh said, “In real politics, anger, righteous anger and emotion, are something you leverage into action” (“Passion Isn’t Enough” by Hidden Brain Media – Moreau FYE Week Eleven). Many times, I have seen people judging others’ characters based off of a political label and refusing to have a discussion about their actual ideals. Growing in wisdom, as I hope to do through my mission statement, is learning to instead use that frustration to drive a conversation to educate the other person or to educate yourself. It is important for everyone to recognize how their emotions play into their life and to use them for good, as I hope to do. Overall, my mission is to continue to grow in wisdom by reaching out into my community and learning from others, all while maintaining my own mental health, to eventually lead me to help change the world for the better. This mission comes with a huge interest in the environment and sustainable energy, as well as a newfound discovery and appreciation for the abnormalities in the way my mind functions. As I continue on my journey at Notre Dame and beyond, I am excited to see where life takes me and am certain that I will continue to love learning as I go on. https://hiddenbrain.org/podcast/passion-isnt-enough/