Moreau Integration 2


 Moreau FYE

Oh The Semester Has Flown

One of the most important questions I’ve asked myself this semester is what my goals
were and if they were realistic. I have always struggled with expecting too much of myself or
trying to make myself fit into the expectations of others. When I came into college I had this idea
of the perfect student, who does all of these activities and clubs, gets perfect grades, and plays on
a varsity athletic team all while maintaining an active social life. I had this expectation that I
would be able to do all of these things, but when I actually got to college I realized that not only
were the classes difficult, so was the time commitment for clubs and I never got the opportunity
to walk on to the varsity golf team. I had to take a few weeks to realize that maybe these all
weren’t exactly things that I wanted, but more were things that I thought others expected of me.
“You can’t live your life according to the expectations of others. When you do, you aren’t living
your own life — you’re living someone else’s life.” (“Why Letting Go of Expectations is a
Freeing Habit” by Julia Hogan - Moreau FYE Week Nine). This quote from this article really
spoke to me, especially in this context. I realized that it was okay to be imperfect and that as long
as I put in a lot of effort to do things that I really cared about it didn’t matter what other people
thought. Personally, I thought that the best part about being in college is that my parents weren’t
there to constantly see what I was doing, meaning that the onus was on me to put effort into the
things that I really wanted to do. I think that this added freedom aspect helped me to realize that
some of the things that I did in high school were a product of trying not to disappoint them rather
than doing something that I actually enjoyed. My biggest takeaway from all this was that firstly I
need to take responsibility for my expectations and make sure they are realistic. Secondly, I
learned that outside expectations are just noise that you have to tune out because if you focus too
much on them you can lose your true goals.

As an international student, I feel that I place much greater importance on my roots and
my homeland. My first experience at Notre Dame was meeting the international students during
international orientation, but when I actually integrated into the student body I could feel the lack
of diversity a little more. I felt this a little amplified because I am not a catholic, I felt a little left
out when all of my friends went for mass on Sundays and I didn’t attend due to my personal
beliefs. I found comfort however in the welcoming and accepting nature of everyone at this
school. This is best characterized by this quotation: “Namely, a genuine recognition of our
common humanity as created in the likeness and image of God.” (“Should Catholic Schools
Teach Critical Race Theory?” by Christopher J. Devron, S.J. - Moreau FYE Week Ten). I thought
this quote was a brilliant description of the way I felt accepted at Notre Dame. The ideas of

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
https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2021/06/03/critical-race-theory-catholic-high-schools-black-lives-matter-240792
https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2021/06/03/critical-race-theory-catholic-high-schools-black-lives-matter-240792


 Moreau FYE

family and community fostered by Notre Dame are prominent if you experience life as a student
at Notre Dame. At Notre Dame people are more respectful of their differences and have the
curiosity to learn about other cultures and traditions.
Despite being an agnostic I can be included in all events at the University, this makes me
appreciative of the values that Notre Dame as an institution is built on, values of accepting
people from different backgrounds and faiths. Yes, I sometimes feel like I am a foreigner in a
faraway land, but I choose to look at that as a positive. It brings me closer to my roots and makes
me proud to be from Singapore.

I always believed that my passion within engineering was computers, but once I joined
the Notre Dame Formula SAE racing team this belief was questioned. I went in with a love for
computer programming and hardware, but the more I explored this club and got really into the
literature provided I began to question this. I was placed on the engine team and talking about
cars, engine output, and turbocharging had me really excited. However, I still had a love for
computers and I wasn’t sure whether I was either in the wrong major or the wrong subsystem
team within my club. There was a point at which I was feeling really hopeless and I had no idea
what kind of classes I wanted to take during the second semester, or if I should swap the team I
was in within the club. It was then that I realized something best said by this quotation “The
contemplation of new ideas and needs beyond our comfort zones requires a sacrificial
willingness to put at risk everything that we think we already know.” (“Holy Cross and Christian
Education” by Rev. James B. King, C.S.C. - Moreau FYE Week Twelve). I need to put myself
outside my comfort zone and feel hopeless to come to a realization about what I truly want. My
passion for engineering isn’t black or white, computer or mechanical. My interests are more
nuanced and it is a hybrid. I like to work with computers and code but I also enjoy the challenge
of getting my hands dirty and trying to construct an engine for a racecar.  I realized it is possible
to have more than one passion in a field, and instead chose to leverage my club members to learn
something that I might not have been able to from my major.

Most of my friends are not hugely similar to me in terms of age or background. Most of
them are from the US and are between 18 and 19 years old. I am a 21-year-old ex-military kid
from Singapore. This leads to some dissimilar experiences and causes a little bit of difference of
opinion in the way I think and act in comparison to them. The particular instance that first comes
to mind when I think about this is the views on war and conscription that they had. I was all for
it, having done the training and felt the patriotism of donning the uniform. Some of my friends,
however, were talking about diplomacy as a better solution for international conflict and it led to
a bit of a heated discussion. It was only when I actually argued against one of their points in a



 Moreau FYE

philosophy paper only to get a grade less than expected that I realized the benefit of having
dissimilarities and how it can strengthen our bonds with people. “But when I fall, I see a secret
hidden in plain sight: I need other people for comfort, encouragement, and support, and for

criticism, challenge, and collaboration. (“Thirteen Ways of Looking at Community” by Parker J.

Palmer - Moreau FYE Week Eleven). It is clear to me now that having people around with
whom you have a strong personal bond despite dissimilarities is the most important thing when
trying to develop as a person. If you fail and there is nobody to help pick you up it takes even
more effort to be able to have the willpower to force yourself to pick yourself up. It is much
better to work with someone to solve a difficult problem than to try and go at it alone. The most
important thing is that without others, it is unlikely we will have the correct environment to
succeed, and being able to leverage an environment of dissimilarity and come out together better
is extremely important.

http://couragerenewal.org/parker/writings/13-ways-of-looking-at-community/