Capstone Integration - Pedro Augusto Bolsonaro


Capstone Integration
Moreau First-Year Experience
Pedro Augusto Leone Bolsonaro

Life After Notre Dame: Dissecting my Mission Statement

As my time as a first-year student comes to an end, time is ripe to look back and reflect
on my experiences at South Bend this past year. I remember that when I first landed in Indiana, I
visualized the future with overwhelming excitement but also a smear of disorientation and
anxiousness. Ever since, I have leveraged my classes and professional and campus-related
activities to clear the mist of uncertainty. In Week 13 of the Moreau First-Year experience, I
brainstormed and condensed all these considerations into a three-sentence mission statement that
encapsulates how I want to orient my life, not only personally, but also professionally and
spiritually. In this capstone integration, I will dissect my mission statement by reflecting on the
questions proposed by the capstone orientation with insights from the content covered
throughout the semester. The mission statement will then serve as an objective that I aim for not
only for the next three years at Notre Dame, but also my entire life. My mission statement reads
as follows:

“Highly-motivated, curious, and creative problem-solver. Strongly believes in the importance of
family, genuine friendships, and fostering a close relationship to God to live a good life. To be

successful is first-and-foremost to achieve intrinsic happiness.”

“Does my mission statement accurately and totally describe how I want to orient my life?”

The mission statement was the outcome of a long process of deep introspection, particularly into
finding the things in life I valued the most. It was particularly hard to decelerate from the hectic
pace brought about by school, far-away family, internship application, social life, relationships;
take a step back and look at the person I want to become. As Pico Iyer argues in his essay, “it’s
only by stepping farther back and standing still that we can begin to see what that canvas (which
is our life) really means, and to take in the bigger picture.” (“Why We Need to Slow Down Our
Lives” by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week One). This period of meditation taken to derive an
all-encompassing mission statement has helped me accurately discern the way in which I want to
orient myself. To achieve the end-product of my mission statement called for inspiration from
not only key introspective questions, but also those who pursued and lived a life well-lived. In
Week 2 of the course, we looked at examples of individuals who were bold in their perception of
what is right and put themselves at the service of others. I was particularly fascinated by the story
of Matt Conaghan, a Notre Dame alumni who, driven by the values cultivated here at South
Bend, now leads an NGO that helps charities grow by harnessing the power of spare change

https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41005/modules/items/144072
https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41005/modules/items/144072


(“Gallery: Notre Dame Alumni Association’s “Domer Dozen” by Young Alumni Recognition
Initiative - Moreau FYE Week 2). His story inspired me to go out and kickstart my own
organization, the Brazilian Student Association at Notre Dame, to promote Brazilian culture on
campus and advance my fellow Brazilian student’s professional aspirations. Finally, I used the
content from Week 3 of the course, where we discerned our professional aspirations by
pondering on critical questions such as “is this a source of joy?” and “is this something that taps
into your talents and gifts?” (“Three Key Questions” by Father Micheal Himes - Moreau FYE
Week 3). These questions made me realize that it is not any particular occupation that will
magically make me happy. As long as I am putting myself at the service of others and my work
yields positive fruits for society, then I will find happiness in doing it. This is reflected in my
mission statement when I say, “to be successful is first and foremost to achieve intrinsic
happiness”.

Later on in the semester, we were called upon to write an eulogy, envisioning ourselves in the
future looking back at our accomplishments and the way we lived our life. This activity was
particularly enlightening - though quite frightening - because I could just picture myself at the
deathbed, looking back and visualizing what my life was like. Although it is difficult to predict
what the future holds, it is a worthy exercise to see if the conception I hold of a life well-live will
be enough to warrant passing away at ease with what I achieved throughout my life. As I stated
in my eulogy in Week 8, “I know that the only way of finding out is taking life head-on and
courageously navigating its uncertainty so that when you lay on your deathbed you can look
back and reminisce about your life well-lived”. This way, through trial-and-error, I am able to
tinker with my mission statement by pushing it forward in time and seeing if the things I stated
would make for a satisfactory life.

How would others be able to see my mission in action?

First and foremost, it is important to make the distinction between others being able to see my
mission in action, and how much I care about the opinion and views of others upon my actions. I
believe that you should do whatever makes you happy, regardless of the opinion of others. If you
live the life that other people want you to live, you will never maximize your potential. In Week
10 of the course, we learned through the powerful story of Jacob Walsh, who grew up
constrained, afraid and ashamed of his homosexuality. After he embraced God’s love, decided to
love himself for who he was, and refused to hear anyone that judged him, his life was reinvented
(“Growing up and Gay and Catholic” by Jacob Walsh - Moreau FYE Week 10). Although
Jacob’s internal struggle is far more complex and difficult than my own, there is value to extract
from his experiences and his story. One should embrace themselves for who they are, and refuse
to let others tell them otherwise. This applies to your personal construction as a human being in
every sense; from your relationships with your co-workers in a professional environment to the

https://domerdozen.nd.edu/
https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41005/files/468567?module_item_id=144085
https://grottonetwork.com/keep-the-faith/community/reflective-narrative-about-being-gay-and-catholic/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022


our closest friends. Another way of knowing how other people are looking at your mission is to
simply talk to them. We practiced a crucial activity in talking to important people in your life to
get their insight on ourselves (“Week 5 Discernment Conversation Activity” by Notre Dame -
Moreau FYE Week 5). Often, an honest outside perspective on our actions is invaluable to our
development as human beings. I practiced this activity with my girlfriend who knows more about
me than anyone else on campus. This was an eye-opening experience as it really highlighted
features of my personality that I had not noticed how visible it was. It made me realize how
much others perceive me and how much of that is reflected in my mission statement.

Finally, in Week 7, we focused on how to incorporate others into our idea of a life well-lived. It
got me thinking about how to leverage my Notre Dame education and the professional
opportunities that I will strive for in order to put myself at the service of others. The content of
this week was extremely insightful, particularly as we got to listen to Pope Francis’ teachings on
his vision for the future. His Holiness placed a lot of emphasis on the prioritization of others,
particularly those most vulnerable. He also mentioned the concept of power - which I interpreted
as the power of education, money, wisdom, and consciousness. He warns that power, when in the
wrong hands, is capable of making you go greedy, egotistical, and capable of pushing and
harming others for your own benefit. However, as he says, “through humility and concrete love,
[...] power – the highest, the strongest one – becomes a service, a force for good.” This is what I
am striving to achieve. I hope that my education here at Notre Dame will empower me to pursue
my passions and secure a good financial future for myself and my family. However, what will
determine my success will not be the digits on my bank account or the professional connections I
made throughout my years, but rather the people I helped along the way and the good service
that my work has brought about. I wish to harness the intellectual power into a machine for love
and goodness, which I hope will be looked upon positively by those around me.

When will it be most difficult to live this mission?

When things are easy and life is on track, it is very simple to live by the mission statement we
have constructed. It is under bleak situations that our commitment to the mission statement is
tested. We tend to isolate ourselves from loved ones, question and challenge the authority of
God, and doubt our own abilities. In Week 6 of the course, we considered some obstacles that
will challenge our mission and our idea of a life well-lived. It is important to build mechanisms
that, in times of turbulence, prevents us from drifting away from our dearest values and
objectives. For example, a skill I have developed through the course is to take a 5-minute break
in order to strengthen my mindfulness and allow me to escape the heat of the moment to avoid
making rash decisions (“Mindfulness Menu” by Notre Dame’s McDonald Center - Moreau FYE
Week 6). Another example is my agreement with my mom that whenever I feel too stressed by
school, work, or personal difficulties, I hop on a call with her and she refuses to hang up until I

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yZ7hqvx-u4EuW2nlK-fRbWFiurQm1mZv_KpoeeiN4So/edit
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SEXhurkurERNVdy8sgNwZaAKTAr-385q/view


calm down. This is an important activity I have noticed that helps we always look at the bigger
picture, and be appreciative of all the blessings God has bestowed upon myself and my loved
ones. This makes me face the hardest of challenges with optimism and confidence.

However, there are some difficulties that challenge my mission statement that springs from
without; events in our community or across the world that makes our mission look trivial when
placed in context. In Week 12 of the course, we read Law School Dean Marcus Cole’s powerful
article on the brutal death of George Floyd (“‘I am George Floyd. Except, I can breathe. And I
can do something” by Marcus Cole - Moreau FYE Week 12). This experience galvanized me to
get more involved with underrepresented communities on campus to understand more about the
struggles of living as a minority. I got particularly engaged with the Latino community, where I
felt included and we shared our difficulties of living far away from our native environment. I
hope to continue solidifying my bonds with the Latino community throughout the next three
years on campus to advance my mission of “fostering genuine friendships” by sharing
experiences and promoting constructive dialogue.

Along those same lines, in Week 9 of the course, we tackled the issue of suffering, straining
particularly the connection between faith and misery. With abundant suffering in the world, both
within our community (homeless in South Bend) and throughout the world (Ukrainian refugees),
our efforts to make the world a better place seems almost futile. Just like professor Reifenberg
explained the challenges of his trip to Chile geared towards improving the lives of at-risk
children, I want to escape my comfort zone and help in any way possible the people who most
suffer in this world (“Teaching Accompaniment - A Learning Journey Together” by Steve
Reifenberg - Moreau FYE Week 9). This aspect of my personality is reflected in the first
sentence of my mission statement, where I wrote, “highly-motivated, curious, and creative
problem-solver”. These three characteristics are essential features I constantly work on to
improve in order to apply them in the real world, both to my own professional aspirations and
my desire to help others, particularly those especially in need.

How might my mission be strengthened, challenged, or changed by my remaining time as a Notre
Dame student?

As I very well understand, to believe this mission statement is an immutable, all-righteous set of
guidelines to follow is an imprudent thought. My view on the world and myself has changed
dramatically from what it was five years ago and will certainly be different five years from now.
I must be conscious and witful enough to understand how to build on my mission in a
constructive way, and further clarify what a life well-lived actually means to me. As I continue to
discover myself, I want to open myself to new perspectives and really prioritize the incorporation
of others into my mission as that is an aspect of myself I see bring out a lot of joy.

https://law.nd.edu/news-events/news/dean-g-marcus-cole-i-am-george-floyd-except-i-can-breathe-and-i-can-do-something/
https://law.nd.edu/news-events/news/dean-g-marcus-cole-i-am-george-floyd-except-i-can-breathe-and-i-can-do-something/
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/edit


As we discussed in Week 4 of the course, one’s professional career is one of the most important
decisions one can make. It will be what we will commit most of our time for decades to come,
and to get it exactly right is a task that few accomplish. But still, there is a very severe
misconception we discussed thoroughly in class, that whatever we study at university will
determine our occupation for the rest of our lives. This is also acknowledged in the
Undergraduate Career Services Notre Dame webpage, where they explore the major-deciding
process, “contrary to popular belief, deciding on a major does not determine the rest of your
life.” (“Navigating Your Career Journey” by Undergraduate Career Services - Moreau FYE
Week 4). I know that this is not true because both my parents work in areas they had absolutely
no contact with while at school. My mother, who studied communications, now heads a
small-business textile company in Brazil. My father, a mechanical engineer by trade, is now
owner and principal of a technology school in Brazil. Nevertheless, it was very important to hold
this discussion and see what my peers thought about what a meaningful career meant for them
and how I could assimilate some of their perspectives into my own judgment.

Another critical way to be challenged, strengthened or changed in my remaining time as a
Notre Dame student is to allow myself and my ideas to be constructively criticized by others.
Notre Dame (and the United States as a whole) is living a period of extreme political and cultural
polarization, sparked particularly by devastating events that have happened in the past few years.
Especially in these bleak times, to grow in wisdom and bridge the gap between our polar
differences we must first and foremost actively try to escape my echo chamber of information.
An echo chamber is detrimental to intellectual and personal growth because, as Professor Paul
Blaschko explains, “in surrounding ourselves with people we agree with, we are losing our sense
of how someone might reasonably disagree.” (“Big Questions, Part 2: How to Avoid an Echo
Chamber” by ThinkND - Moreau FYE Week 11). This leads to a severe detachment from the
state of our reality, which is inherently diverse in ideas and nature, and drifts our society further
apart. To grow in wisdom we must allow our ideas to be challenged, and to grow as a person we
must allow ourselves to be criticized. As I stated in my mission statement, “strongly believes in
the importance of family, genuine friendships, and fostering a close relationship to God to live a
good life,” I believe that family and genuine friendships are bastions of trustworthiness,
especially when it comes to constructive criticism and wanting you to become the best version of
yourself.

Word Count: 2561

https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaIVxQcqnLs&t=1s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaIVxQcqnLs&t=1s