Moreau Integration Three A Life of Service, Innovation, and Love: was a vibrant soul who could bring laughter to nearly any room. She had grown up during the rise of social media and technology that seemingly morphed to our brains. Yet, she acknowledged that “the need for an empty space, a pause, is something we have all felt in our bones; it’s the rest in a piece of music that gives it resonance and shape” (“Why We Need to Slow Down our Lives” by Pico Lyer– Moreau FYE Week One). This quote reflects the way that Katie lived her life, because she would put her phone down and connect with family and friends. Taking a break from technology was often needed as a student at Notre Dame, since many assignments revolved around technology. As a first year student in college, Katie made the goal to focus on being fully present and off her phone wherever she happened to be with others, and she has lived up to this goal. She was also a loving person who looked past the perceived differences between us. Katie had encountered people of many different ethnicities, religions, personalities, and backgrounds at Notre Dame, and this is how she showed her Catholic faith–through agape towards others. Father Hesburg described Notre Dame as both a lighthouse and a crossroads, ”a lighthouse that stands apart shining with the wisdom of Catholic tradition. While the crossroads is where differences of culture, religion, and conviction can coexist…” (“Hesburgh” Produced by Jerry Barca and Christine O'Malley–Moreau FYE Week Two). Katie took this aspect of Notre Dame and applied it to her life, where she could love others from different backgrounds, yet express her own ideas about the Catholic faith. She made the goal of living out a Catholic faith, which included loving others and sharing what she believes. The passing of Katie reminds us of our limited time in this world. We often like to push the idea of death and growing old out of our minds–thinking it is so far away. Yet, Katie did her https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41039/modules/items/149873 best to embrace this fact–through action in the present moment. Katie struggled with procrastination, saying that there would always be more time later, always less busy later. But she learned that the time to act would be the present–or at least at a set time in the future. “We naturally tend to think of our lives as kind of continuing and continuing,” but Katie was mindful that this was not the case in this world (“Meet the Nun who Wants You to Remember You Will Die” by New York Times–Moreau Week Three). This end of life is why Katie chose to go to Notre Dame, she knew her life would end, and she did not want to die without having at least given it her best effort to learn about God and how to live a good life. Katie has schoolmates lose their lives at a young age, and this reminded her of how we cannot know when we or others will leave this world, so we should be as spiritually prepared as we can be while showing kindness to all others. At a young age, Katie made the goal of prioritizing relationships with others and God, since she knew that is what she valued most and got the most fulfillment from. Katie had limited experience when it came to exploration, she had lived in the same city growing up and focused all her energy into school. She came to the decision to pursue some sort of engineering, but she had no engineering knowledge or experience upon entering Notre Dame. She came to the understanding that, “you have to know yourself first - your values, interests, personality, and skills (VIPS) - before you can make effective career choices. The only way to know more about yourself is to test the waters - just get out and experience life!” (“Navigating Your Career Journey - Moreau First Year Experience Course” by the Meruelo Family Center for Career Development –Moreau Week Four). She explored the different clubs at Notre Dame, and found herself enthralled by the Rocketry Team, where learned more about Aerospace Engineering and came to the understanding that she wanted her career to be something related to flight and engineering. This idea of exploring and testing out different options with careers also https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ applies to the way Katie decided to choose where to live. Just as she explored different engineering disciplines, she also explored living in the Midwest, West Coast, Hawaii, and eventually settled here in Oregon. During her first year of college, Katie had an insightful conversation, where she asked her mother, “what do you think I want to change in the world” ( “ Moreau FYE_Week Five_Discernment Conversation Activity_SP22” by Moreau Instructors–Moreau Week Five). Her mother answered, “I know you want to change the world for the better and help the less fortunate, but it is up to you on how that happens.” This response stuck out to Katie, and she tried to live this out through the education outreach on the Rocketry Team. She spoke with children about rockets and provided fun activities for children–an opportunity Katie had not had growing up. Later in life, Katie used her engineering skills to innovate an efficient jetpack that allows volunteers to reach all corners of the earth with aid. Katie made the goal of using her engineering skills for good rather than for war or money, and she has accomplished this through her innovations. Katie had been playing sports her entire life before going to college. But when her schedule became busy, she began working out less and less. This made her frustrated how her abilities had disappeared and she could not do everything that she used to be able to do. Katie found that by focusing on “what we can do already instead of what we cannot do and what we do not have yet” allows us to grow into the best version of ourselves (“5 Minutes” by Aira Swarr–Moreau Week Six). She believed that having a negative mindset stunted our growth, so we should be positive about the things we can do and the things we are working towards being able to do. This slow progress encouraged her to get back into shape and do the best she can at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yZ7hqvx-u4EuW2nlK-fRbWFiurQm1mZv_KpoeeiN4So/edit https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yZ7hqvx-u4EuW2nlK-fRbWFiurQm1mZv_KpoeeiN4So/edit https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/transform/why-does-god-allow-suffering/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022 whatever stage in her life she happened to be in. Katie made the goal of having a positive mindset and focusing on the positive, rather than the negative. Katie lived by showing kindness and tenderness to others. This was evident by her efforts to help her classmates, children in the South Bend community, and her service through the Church. She valued the help she received in her childhood, and spent her adulthood giving back to the community. A core belief of Katie’s was that “tenderness is not weakness; it is fortitude. It is the path of solidarity, the path of humility” (“Why the only future worth building includes everyone” by Pope Francis– Moreau Week Seven). Katie experienced how receiving and giving compassion allows for the growth of relationships and a sense of community. She would want us all to show tenderness and compassion, rather than indifference. Katie made the goal of rooting out her indifference for the condition of others, and she made the world a better place by doing so. 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