Captsone Integration Moreau FYE Capstone Integration The Path to the Best Version of Myself I am dedicated to always being open – open to learn, open to grow, open to adapt, open to pursue, open to follow, open to lead, open to accomplish. Upon the course of a lifetime, I wish to appreciate the world around me and use it for its resources. I believe that people are pushed to their fullest potential when they want to learn and they do everything in their ability to learn, in whatever way they can. Whether that means seeking advice from older members of society, listening and truly trying to understand thoughts of peers, or exploring the endless resources like the news and the internet, being open to and seeking knowledge will help continue to develop me as a knowledgeable and worldly person. I hope to push myself to be open to adventure – to seeing possibilities out in the world and not shying away from them. I believe that growth comes from experience – most often ones that push people out of their realm of comfort. In this way I hope to meet each new experience with an excited and grateful sense of being. I am also dedicated to always being determined. Whether it is the small task of making a family dinner, or the large task of fulfilling my dreams of becoming a doctor, I hope to carry out every action in life with determination. Having a sense of purpose through determination will keep my life moving in a forward direction and make meaning come from things accomplished in everydaylife. Through this all, I am also determined to stay connected to my faith. It is easy for life to get in the way – to feel like there is no time to stop – but I hope to remember the reason that I am where I am, and appreciate all that I have been given and will continue to pursue with the power of God (Mission Statement – Moreau FYE Week 13). What attributes to being open? While being open can span across many different things, there are two specific categories I hope to keep in mind. The first is being open to others. As I have learned throughout my college experience, the way to gain the most knowledge and to have the most fun is through knowing https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v-IFVgHj0IjB_yclYNFh6CMJEs2s3GI3WpYw8trVps0/edit https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v-IFVgHj0IjB_yclYNFh6CMJEs2s3GI3WpYw8trVps0/edit others. Whether that means learning about a classmate's experiences to gain perspective or reaching out to someone that becomes your closest friend, actively getting to know others is important in growing as a person. In addition, being open to others fosters a welcoming community – something that is mutually beneficial to you and others. As mentioned in a TED conference by Pope Francis, “We seek to create loving communities of kinship precisely to counteract mounting lovelessness, racism, and the cultural disparagement that keeps us apart” (“Why the Only Future Worth Building Includes Everyone” by Pope Francis – Moreau FYE Week 7). As so commonly focused on at Notre Dame, community is important. Within a community people can feel themselves and be lifted by the constant support around them. Within this community, everyone needs to be accepted, as the purest form of community involves every type of person. While there are many issues in the world today highlighting the unacceptance of certain groups of people, the first step to breaking that injustice is with personal change. As stated by Dean Marcus Cole, “One thing that each and every one of us can do is to end the cycle of hate by ending the separation that leads to it… Each of us needs to get to know people who differ from us. We must all make a conscious decision and effort to expand our circles” (“I am George Floyd. Except, I can breathe. And I can do something” by Dean Marcus Cole – Moreau FYE Week 12). Systemic injustice is not something that has an easy fix, but being actively aware of the small changes one individually can make is a good start. Pope Francis explains how, “We have a chance, sometimes, to create a new jurisdiction, a place of astonishing mutuality, whenever we close both eyes of judgment and open the other eye to pay attention” (“Why the Only Future Worth Building Includes Everyone” by Pope Francis – Moreau FYE Week 7). The community here at Notre Dame is what we make of it, and I hope to do what I can to help foster a welcoming, inclusive, and supportive community, whether that be through actively having conversations with others or engaging with different clubs and activities on campus. Being open to others also includes actively seeking conversation with others who hold opposing views. Instead of being trapped into one way of thinking, talking to people with opposing views is important in gaining insight into the other side of issues and challenging your own viewpoints – helping build strong foundational beliefs. Dr. Paul Blaschko mentions that, “In surrounding ourselves with people who agree https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/38593/modules/items/145635 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/38593/modules/items/145732 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/38593/modules/items/145732 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/38593/modules/items/145635 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/38593/modules/items/145635 with us, we’re losing our sense of how someone might reasonably disagree, which is accelerating political polarization.” (“How to Avoid Echo Chambers” by Paul Blaschko – Moreau FYE Week 11). Being open to others goes beyond being a smiling face in a crowd; it means truly trying to understand others in an attempt to broaden your perspective and challenge your viewpoints. In the same sense of trying to truly get to know others, a sense of accompaniment can be found. As told by Steve Reifenburg, “Not only is it important to walk together with somebody, but one must also learn how to be accompanied – to participate in the reciprocity of accompaniment” (“Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together ” by Steve Reifenburg – Moreau FYE Week 9). Through being open to others, a support system can be built that fosters accompaniment – a community attribute that helps people flourish. When I began at Notre Dame, I found a group of close friends within my dorm. It is a group of friends that I truly love still today, but it worked out that they are all students in the business school while I am a stem major. With this, I struggled the first semester finding friends within my classes and friends that I could study with. While I made some friends during first semester, the lack of true connection led me to believe that I would just continue throughout my four years working independently. However, I came into second semester with an open mind, met others and truly attempted to get to know them, and now am overjoyed with the people I have found and friends I have made in my major. I hope to continue with this mentality into the rest of my classes to continue to build a support system. In addition to being open to others, I hope to stay open to challenges and the process it takes to get through them. College is a new experience – challenges are inevitable – but when approached with the right mindset, they can be vital learning experiences. As mentioned by Aria Swarr when people are brought down by challenges or adversity, “they often focus on the things [they] do not have.” (“5 Minutes” by Aria Swar – Moreau FYE Week 6). While it is hard to do initially, it is important to remember all the good that is happening in the world. Instead of focusing on what went wrong or what you could have done differently, it is important to focus on things you can control – the way you move forward. In addition, as told by The Meruelo Family Center for Career Development, it is crucial to https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/38593/modules/items/145716 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/38593/modules/items/145669 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/38593/modules/items/145669 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/38593/modules/items/145602 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/38593/modules/items/145602 remember that “Much as we present it with arrows from one step to the next, it’s important to keep in mind that it’s not always linear” (“Navigating Your Career Journey” by The Meruelo Family Center for Career Development – Moreau FYE Week 4) . Having an open mind about recovery and being ready to face setbacks along the way will help challenges be overcome. At the beginning of this semester, I was immediately hit and overwhelmed by my course load. After having the first test for all of my classes in the first week, I did not perform as well on them as I would have hoped. While I was very disappointed and thinking about all of the ways I could have studied more, I then realized that all I could control was working to improve my work throughout the remainder of the semester. Being able to put those first exams behind me has helped me move on with an open mind thinking about the success I knew I would be able to achieve in the future. As I figured out how to navigate my classes, I performed much better and grew as a student throughout the process – something that will be beneficial throughout the rest of my academic career. While it is important to approach challenges with an open mind, it is also important to know yourself and not push yourself too hard. As mentioned by Pico Iyer “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 Iyer – Moreau FYE Week 1). Being able to find balance in your life instead of always trying to do a million things at once is extremely important in reaching success. At the beginning of my first semester at Notre Dame, I felt the need to get involved in as many things as possible: clubs, sports, leadership, etc. However, after trying to carry all of these things on, I never had a chance to pause and realized that I did not have enough time to focus on my coursework, arguably the most important part of my experience here. In letting go of a few of these activities, I was able to create a more balanced schedule that allowed time for myself and allowed me to do well in my classes. I hope to always be open to challenge but also aware of my personal limits in order to lead a healthy life well lived. In addition to being open, I aspire to be determined and passionate. Having a drive in life is something of great importance to me and something that I think is a large contributor to a life well lived. With this, I https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/38593/modules/items/145485 hope to constantly look for activities that excite me and to surround myself with people that keep me determined. When talking to my mom about when she believed I was filled with the most joy, she explained that all instances were when I was around people who I loved and who uplifted me, and when I was doing something I am passionate about (Moreau FYE Week 5). Passion comes with joy. Whether that means getting involved with research that I find inspiring, joining a club sport to have a fun outlet, or choosing classes that I would look forward to attending, finding passion means finding joy and means staying driven. This drive can lead you to great success. As told by the Notre Dame Alumni Association in the “Domer Dozen”, “Resourcefulness, relentless drive, and service have guided Kiersten DeHaven ’14 throughout her young career” (“The Domer Dozen” by the Notre Dame Alumni Association – Moreau FYE Week 2). Notre Dame is filled with resources to help you achieve – being determined and actively seeking them will bring great success. When talking about making life decisions, Fr. Michael Himes stated that one should “Look for the task that will continue to stretch [them]” (“Three Key Questions” by Father Michael Himes – Moreau FYE Week 3). I hope to continue throughout my education at Notre Dame challenging myself within the realms of my passions. Doing so will continue to fill me with joy while developing me as a person. Through this all, throughout my journey in life, I hope to stay connected to God. I came to Notre Dame excited about the opportunity to pursue my faith individually. In staying connected to God is it important to have faith. As stated by Jacob Walsh “ You can’t convince yourself God loves you, but you can ask Him to show you” (“Growing up Gay and Catholic” by Jacob Walsh – Moreau FYE Week 10) Through exploring my faith in different ways – attending mass, joining a club, or just talking with my friends – I hope to become more engaged with God. By vesting my effort I will continue to see his love returned –one that will guide me throughout my life experiences. https://docs.google.com/document/d/18jKVBlUZWLARuaK13uN8kJfKa7Z8sbXetp15V2Dv-4Q/edit https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/38593/modules/items/145509 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/38593/files/470631?module_item_id=145531 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/38593/modules/items/145691