She Believed She Could so She Did I believe that I am made in the image of God and called to live a life rooted in faith. This idea comes from my Catholic faith and from God’s teaching that every human has inherent dignity and worth. We are all made in the image of God and with that knowledge, we are called to treat everyone around us with respect and compassion. As Father Pete McCormick acknowledges, “faith is a transformed mind, a mind filled with the light of God,” and is a something that is immensely fulfilling and empowering (“The Role of Faith in Our Story” by Fr. Pete McCormick, C.S.C. - Moreau FYE Week Three). Throughout my life I turn to my faith for guidance and perspective whenever I am feeling lost or uncertain, and I find that although it might not give me perfect answers, it gives me a sense of comfort and hope. My faith not only allows me to grow closer to God, but also to those around me. Whether it is through attending dorm mass or by participating in campus ministry, I have found fulfillment and community through my faith. By recognizing that I am made in the image of God, along with everyone around me, I gain a deeper sense of unity and connection. My faith has instilled a sense of appreciation for those around me and has allowed me to gain deeper insight into each person’s unique identity. I have even greater admiration for the myriad of diverse identities that make up God’s creation. I believe that I forge life-giving relationships by being my authentic self. As Brene Brown poignantly states, “the one thing that keeps us out of connection is our fear that we’re not worthy of connection” (“The Power of Vulnerability” by Brene Brown - Moreau FYE Week One). By being my authentic self and recognizing my unique abilities and strengths, I can form deeper and more meaningful connections. I have come to this conclusion through my past relationships, and I have found that by being unapologetically confident in my identity and being https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcZMeqWWOIs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0&list=PLmiPsabET-W_hjesjTZaITh2s1WbM-Kd0&index=2 true to myself has yielded the closest and most rewarding relationships. However, being authentic requires vulnerability and this has been challenging in the past. Vulnerability requires confidence and courage. It requires someone to be a peace with their abilities and recognize their self-worth. However, I know that I am not alone in this struggle. When discussing the idea of being vulnerable in Moreau class, I realized that most of my peers also find it difficult to be open and are working on being their authentic self. I really enjoyed taking the character strength survey, and it helped me gain a better understanding of how I can forge deeper relationships through my strengths. For instance, I can use my strength of wisdom to guide others and connect. I also believe that using my strengths and living authentically aids in the “perpetual self- confrontation between external success and internal value” (“Should You Live for Your Resume or Your Eulogy?” by David Brooks - Moreau FYE Week Two). Oftentimes in life it can be difficult to prioritize internal value and strong relationships in a society that is fast paced, competitive, and power hungry. However, I have already found at Notre Dame that developing my inner strengths and using those to deepen my faith, connect with others, and demonstrate compassion has been highly rewarding and validating. I believe that I pursue truth by deepening my education. I believe that education is key to finding truth, growing spiritually, deepening relationships, and gaining wisdom. Not only has education allowed me to understand life around me, but it has also instilled in me a mentality of wonder and awe of the surrounding world. Deepening my education allows my curiosity to blossom and learning about the surrounding world creates a sense of appreciation for God’s creation. “An education is a work of the resurrection… it leads us out of darkness of ignorance and sin,” (“Two Notre Dames: Your Holy Cross Education” by Fr. Kevin Grove, C.S.C. – Moreau FYE Week Five) and through our studies we develop lifelong skills that allow us to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlLWTeApqIM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlLWTeApqIM https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=859bc1a8-0d0f-4eb4-a1c1-d0a45c429187 serve each other in love. Despite, our different interests, education brings us together and reveals to us different perspectives and ways of living. Through my Notre Dame education, I strive to gain greater cultural relativism and awareness of the world around me. Whether it is by attending guest lecturers, participating in a discussion, or even through a chemistry lab, deepening my education reveals truth about the world around me and empowers me to live out my life with a deeper purpose. I believe that I am responsible for being an active bystander and treating everyone in my life with the compassion they deserve. I believe that everyone deserves to be treated with love and care, and sadly this is sometimes not the case on college campuses. Seeing statistics of assault and abusive relationships is extremely concerning and has further motivated me to be proactive about my role as a bystander. It is my responsibility to step in and protect those around me since “assault can happen to anyone, anywhere, by anyone and it’s on us to be our brothers and sister’s keeper” (“It's On Us ND: The Three D's of Being an Active Bystander” by Notre Dame - Moreau FYE Week Four). Although it is not always easy to step in and take action, if we all cumulatively adopt the mindset of being an active bystander it becomes a lot easier to not only stop violence and injustice on campus but also to prevent it in the future. I strongly value treating everyone with kindness and respect whether this is by actively intervening or by merely doing random acts of kindness each day, such as asking someone to get lunch. You never know what someone else is going through and even the slightest kind act can make a huge impact. I also aim to be a resource for anyone feeling trapped in an unhealthy relationship and to be someone who can listen and care unconditionally. I believe that my community has shaped who I am. The people around me, throughout my life, impact the person I am today. The “Where I’m From” poem (“Where I’m From” by https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Qk5iI7HctYydSB3xYZs5hNClJ-uo5Hq4/view - Moreau FYE Week Six) has helped me identify how the people, places, and experiences in my life have shaped my beliefs and identity. I really enjoyed seeing how my hometown of Houston and its diversity helped expand my perspectives and how my family and friends instilled important values of perseverance and determination in me. It is beneficial to evaluate the formative experiences in my life and reflect on how they shaped me into the unique person I am. I know here at Notre Dame, there will be many experiences that will shape who I am, and I am excited to take advantage of the many opportunities for growth. I am excited to grow closer with others who come from different backgrounds and who have been shaped by different experiences and learn more from them. I believe that I am called to promote justice in my community. Social justice is something I feel very passionate about, and I feel that it is my responsibility to promote equality and unity in every aspect of my life. As Adichie acknowledges in her ted talk “there is never a single story,” (“The Danger of a Single Story” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Moreau FYE Week Seven). I strive to remember this sentiment and open myself up to learning about the beauty in the diversity of the world and learning from different perspectives. Throughout my Notre Dame education, my goal is to be vulnerable and open to being challenged or to admitting lack of awareness on certain ideas. I also aim to acknowledge my implicit biases and grow from this knowledge. We are all different in our unique ways, but these differences should bring us closer together rather than dividing us. Even in talking to fellow peers in Moreau, I was able to learn so much about different ways of life from their experiences. Everyone has a different story and different identities. However, on the outside it is not always visible. Talking with people from various identities allows me to educate myself so that I can pass this awareness on to others and hopefully reduce discrimination and injustice. The systemic injustice in America is a huge https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story problem, and if I can do my part towards a promoting a culture of inclusion and equity, then it is a step in the right direction. Although it is impossible to synthesize all of my beliefs, ideas, and experiences in a singular paper, these core beliefs encapsulate some of my strongest feelings about my identity, how I view life around me, and my goals in making the world a better place.