Huang 1 Mr. Lassen Moreau First Year Experience 25 November 2021 Reflection on My First Semester at Notre Dame This past semester at Notre Dame has been an extremely fun, challenging, and transformative experience. Being thrust into an environment where I’m constantly learning new things has been overwhelming at times, but this fresh start has pushed me to reflect on important questions and priorities in life. Throughout high school, getting stellar grades was very important to me. I would put schoolwork ahead of social activities because I viewed the latter as a distraction from the former. However, after living and learning from my peers in college, I’ve realized that building strong relationships is equally as, if not more important than academics. Community is the part of Notre Dame that will become part of who I am and will also be a big way I contribute to the campus atmosphere as a whole. Right now, grades feel very important, but ten years into the future, it’ll be the friendships I’ve formed that will truly matter. As community is “not a goal to be achieved but a gift to be received,” I need to make myself available to receive it (“Thirteen Ways of Looking at Community” by Parker J. Palmer – Moreau FYE Week 11). This includes making it a priority to eat dinner with friends and setting aside time to talk with roommates after a long day. While I still put forth my best effort with schoolwork, I’m now better about not stressing over assignments when I’m spending time with others. The “capacity for connectedness” comes “through contemplation,” and being able to reflect on challenges with http://couragerenewal.org/parker/writings/13-ways-of-looking-at-community/ http://couragerenewal.org/parker/writings/13-ways-of-looking-at-community/ Huang 2 each other strengthens our relationships at Notre Dame (“Thirteen Ways of Looking at Community” by Parker J. Palmer – Moreau FYE Week 11). Though academics may no longer be what I focus on the most, it is still one of my main priorities as a student. In the context of the university’s mission for being a force for good, an important question has emerged as a result of my Notre Dame journey: how can I use my academic interests to benefit society? I’ve experienced some internal dissonance over this issue, as business (my primary major and passion) is an inherently profit-driven industry. With post-grad job recruitment starting sophomore year and the wealth of opportunities available on campus, I’m torn between using my little free time to join business-orientated service groups versus pursuing professional ambitions through career exploration and networking. It’s easy to say things like “trust yourself…look at all of the options out there for living life and pick the ones that you feel called to” (“Why Letting Go of Expectations is a Freeing Habit” by Julia Hogan – Moreau FYE Week 9). But in reality, it’s hard to follow through on this advice due to many considerations like job stability, family obligations, and the potential opportunity cost of taking risks. This is a question I’ll continue contemplating during my time at Notre Dame, and being open-minded about new opportunities will be an important part of that process. Making sure I don’t “let [my] life be dictated by expectations” will broaden the scope of what I can achieve, and this is a good mindset for finding creative ways for using my skills in service of others (“Why Letting Go of Expectations is a Freeing Habit” by Julia Hogan – Moreau FYE Week 9). Over the past few months, time management has been my biggest struggle and is something that used to be “black and white” but is now very complicated. I’ve had to upgrade http://couragerenewal.org/parker/writings/13-ways-of-looking-at-community/ http://couragerenewal.org/parker/writings/13-ways-of-looking-at-community/ https://grottonetwork.com/navigate-life/health-and-wellness/letting-go-of-expectations/?utm_source=fall_2021&utm_medium=class&utm_id=moreau https://grottonetwork.com/navigate-life/health-and-wellness/letting-go-of-expectations/?utm_source=fall_2021&utm_medium=class&utm_id=moreau Huang 3 old habits as I continue experimenting with finding a good work-life balance. In high school, it wasn’t too hard to pursue my interests and also have time to take care of myself. But with endless classes, activities, and events now at my disposal, I struggle to leave time for taking care of myself amidst a desire to take advantage of all these unique experiences. When I’m feeling particularly stressed, I’m able to stay hopeful through faith. Knowing that God made it possible for me to have this buffet of opportunities and that His plan is greater than anything I could imagine, allows me to live and grow in hope. Just like C.S. Lewis stresses how humans are at their best when they “still obey” in times of difficulty, I grow in my relationship with God by relying on Him to show me the path He has prepared for me (“The Screwtape Letters” by CS Lewis – Moreau FYE Week 12). As my friends and I talk about difficulties with finding stability and routine at Notre Dame, I’m often there to offer a hug or shoulder to cry on. “The Lord’s choicest blessings come through the crosses we bear out of love for him and love for others,” and being able to be there for my classmates through their struggles makes me feel less alone in mine (“Holy Cross and Christian Education” Fr. James B. King, C.S.C – Moreau FYE Week 12). Supporting each other also helps combat external dissonance in our community, as “the most surefire way to combat imposter syndrome is to talk about it” (“What is imposter syndrome and how can you combat it?” by Elizabeth Cox – Moreau Week 9). So though the whole concept of time management and figuring things out has become more ambiguous since arriving at college, it’s been a blessing to work through these issues and in the process, grow closer with both God and my peers. On the other hand, something that was once confusing that’s now been made clear is how to live in harmony with roommates. Being assigned to one of the only quint-rooms on campus, I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQUxL4Jm1Lo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQUxL4Jm1Lo Huang 4 was nervous about how the five of us were going to get along. But having spent the past four months with them, I’ve found that rooming with such a diverse group is not as hard as it sounds. (Part of the reason is that I’ve been blessed to have been assigned great people as roommates in the first place!). Something that has helped me is to let go of small insignificant issues. If a roommate, for example, makes a mess on the floor right after I vacuumed it, I try to check myself first by “call[ing] on [my] conscience to explore [my] convictions and how [I] express them” (“Wesley Theological Seminary 2012 Commencement Address” by Fr. John Jenkins, C.S.C – Moreau FYE Week 10). By first evaluating whether my ideas are coming from a place of love versus annoyance, I’m then able to express them in a way that helps us solve the issue rather than starting an argument. Furthermore, even though we come from homes spanning the East Coast, West Coast, and Midwest, represent over three different ethnicities, and come from families from the bottom to the top of the socioeconomic ladder, we’ve been able to become friends by “trust[ing] in our human and God-given capacity to relate to others outside our identity group” (“Should Catholic Schools Teach Critical Race Theory?” by Christopher J. Devron, S.J. – Moreau FYE Week 10). It’s been fun to hear stories about where my roommates are from and how that has shaped their perspectives on even simple things such as daily life habits. And when we do run into issues, they are usually resolved by compromise and trying to understand the other person. Thus, though Notre Dame has introduced many big questions and made life seem more complex, rooming with others is one area that has become less ambiguous and actually quite exciting. Overall, the challenges I’ve encountered over the past few months have also been extremely rewarding growth experiences. Being exposed to so many new people, perspectives, https://president.nd.edu/homilies-writings-addresses/wesley-theological-seminary-commencement/ https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2021/06/03/critical-race-theory-catholic-high-schools-black-lives-matter-240792 Huang 5 and possibilities means that I’ve normalized challenging my previous ways of thinking. Heading into the second semester, I’m excited to continue prioritizing relationships, identifying career paths also do good for the world, improving my time management, and learning from my roommates.