Capstone Integration Capstone Integration One Year at Notre Dame: A Reflection on What Comes Next A mission statement is an articulation of one’s goals and values. For the University of Notre Dame, that mission is drawing inspiration from the Catholic faith, pursuing truth, advancing knowledge, and creating a welcoming community for all (University of Notre Dame Mission Statement - Moreau FYE Week Thirteen). For me, my mission in life is to have a successful career, cultivate meaningful relationships with others, be a good person, and make the most of every moment. The first prong of my mission statement is to have a successful career. In this context, successful means both challenging and rewarding. As an engineer, I look forward to a career that forces me to think critically and gives me the opportunity to develop solutions to society’s problems. By the end of my career, I would like to be able to look back on the projects that I’ve worked on and the impact they’ve had and feel a sense of pride and accomplishment. Over the next three years, this aspect of my mission will animate my life as I remain focused on academics and take advantage of the resources offered by the career center. I plan on majoring in Electrical Engineering and minoring in Engineering Corporate Practice, and through these studies, I hope to put myself in a position to work at the intersection of engineering and business. Although I have a sense of direction when it comes to my career, I’m not completely sure of what I want to do, which is where the career center comes in. As I continue my discernment journey, I’ll continue to ask myself three questions: What brings me joy? What am I good at? What does the world need me to be? ("Navigating Your Career Journey” by the Meruelo Family Center for Career Development - Moreau FYE Week Four). In order to carry out my mission to have a successful career, I need to ensure that I not only enjoy my work, but also that my skills can be put to use and that my job is beneficial to society. Another important step to leading a successful career is making use of input from others. Having conversations with alumni and utilizing IrishCompass will serve as a useful tool to learn about the careers of those who were in my shoes not so long ago. Additionally, asking those who know me what they could see me doing in the future is an informative experience, which was the case with the Week Five Discernment Activity. I spoke to my parents, and they observed that I favor my math and science classes over any other subject, and they reaffirmed my choice to study engineering. When it comes to making sure that my career benefits others, I can look to the example set by Fr. Hesburgh. His work went far beyond himself and the University of Notre Dame and impacted the entire world in the realms of civil rights and Catholic education, and as an incredible leader with the ability to connect people, no matter how different they might be (“Hesburgh” produced by Jerry Barca and Christine O’Malley - Moreau FYE Week Two). Over the next three years, I plan to work towards my mission of having a successful career by applying myself in my classes, utilizing the resources offered by the career center, having conversations with alumni and other people in my life that can help me in my discernment process, and following the examples set by people like Fr. Hesburgh. https://www.nd.edu/about/mission/ https://www.nd.edu/about/mission/ https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 The second tenet of my mission statement is to build meaningful relationships with others. Part of my definition of a life well-lived means that there are people in my life who support me and that I can support in return. This idea of mutual support arises in the concept of accompaniment. In a partnership, people bring different skill sets and attributes to the table, but that isn’t a bad thing. Whether I’m the one being accompanied or accompanying someone else, I need to be willing to share my strengths so that development can take place (“Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together” by Professor Steve Reifenberg - Moreau FYE Week Nine). Throughout my life, I want to continue to create bonds with those around me. Up to this point in time, that has primarily been my family and friends that I’ve known for years. During college so far, I’ve tried to interact with those in my dorm by joining interhall sports teams and attending masses in our chapel. I’ve also started interacting with my professors by attending office hours and asking questions. Additionally, I’ve been making an effort to meet people through my classes and different clubs and organizations. In the future, I’ll also have to build relationships with my coworkers. This relationship-building portion of my mission statement will animate my life throughout the next three years specifically by encouraging me to continue to broaden my horizons and expand my network. This means that I have to be willing to be vulnerable and step outside of my comfort zone in order to meet new people. An important part of forming relationships is being able to refrain from judgment. Fr. Greg Boyle echoes this sentiment in an excerpt from Tattoos on the Heart when he says that if we close our eyes to judgment, “our sphere has widened, and we find ourselves…in a place of endless acceptance and infinite love” (Chapter 8: Jurisdiction by Fr. Greg Boyle - Moreau FYE Week Seven). For the next three years, I plan to build meaningful relationships by making an effort to have conversations with those around me, whether it be in my dorm, in my classes, or in another setting, and always striving to be open-minded and refrain from judgment. The third part of my mission statement is to be a good person. By this I mean that I want my actions to be guided by faith, I want to continue to grow in wisdom, and I want to always do the right thing. Part of the Catholic faith is viewing everyone as a creature of God and respecting and welcoming all without regard to any differences (The Spirit of Inclusion at Notre Dame - Moreau FYE Week Ten). With this in mind, being a good person means fostering an environment where everyone is included. No matter how different someone might be from me, my faith reminds me that they too are created by God and are worthy of all my kindness and respect. When it comes to forming opinions and growing in wisdom, it is important to consider where our information is coming from. Dr. Paul Blaschko describes that bubbles of like-minded individuals can quickly turn into echo chambers that actively discredit other viewpoints and make no effort to tolerate the opposing side at all (“How to Avoid an Echo Chamber” by Dr. Paul Blaschko - Moreau FYE Week Eleven). The takeaway here is that we need to be intentional about how we form our opinions. Only surrounding ourselves with people who agree with us does no good in becoming wiser. Alternatively, we should seek out the other side and truly gain an understanding of their perspective. The mission of the Congregation of Holy Cross also provides some notable information, such as, “as disciples of Jesus we stand side by side with all people” and “disciples must have the competence to see and the courage to act” (“Constitutions of the Congregation of Holy Cross” - Moreau FYE Week Twelve). These excerpts serve as reminders that we should strive to support everyone and we must be able to see when something isn’t right and be able to act to address it. These resources provide a solid outline on https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/edit?usp=sharing https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/edit?usp=sharing https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41005/files/523987?module_item_id=168024 https://dulac.nd.edu/university-mission-and-vision/spirit-of-inclusion/ https://dulac.nd.edu/university-mission-and-vision/spirit-of-inclusion/ https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41005/modules/items/144176 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41005/modules/items/144194 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41005/modules/items/144194 how I can go about being a good person, and these are steps that I intend on taking throughout the next three years (and throughout my life as a whole). I plan to always seek to include everyone regardless of any differences, expose myself to a variety of viewpoints so that I can gain an understanding of the perspective of others and not just my own, and actively try to identify injustices and have the courage to do something about it. The final part of my mission statement is to make the most of every moment. With such a busy schedule, it can be easy to keep thinking about what’s coming up instead of the current moment. This is what usually happens to me over the weekend; although I might not have any assignments due, I start looking to the next week and working on those assignments that are coming up. While planning ahead is certainly not a bad thing, sometimes it’s better to slow down. Pico Iyer really captures the importance of slowing down when he writes, “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 One) In music, rests are just as important, if not more so, than the notes that are actually played, and this is true in life as well. Rest and time for reflection are vital to living a successful life. Sister Theresa Aletheia Noble practices “memento mori”, which means “to intentionally think about your own death every day, as a means of appreciating the present” (Meet the Nun Who Wants You to Remember You Will Die by Ruth Graham - Moreau FYE Week Three). Her view is that we will eventually run out of moments, so it’s essential to make the most of each one of them. Something that I can do over the next three years to rest and appreciate the current moment is incorporate mindfulness into my daily routine. Some possible activities include meditating, breathing exercises, or praying the Rosary (“Ways to Practice Mindfulness” by the McDonald Center for Student Well-being - Moreau FYE Week Six). Practicing mindfulness is a great way to set aside time for reflection and being in the present, and it’s definitely something that I can see myself doing throughout the rest of my time in college. In conclusion, my mission statement has four parts to it, each of which will animate my life for the next three years. Firstly, I want to have a successful career that allows me to be challenged and solve the problems facing society, and I will work towards this by focusing on my studies and taking advantage of the resources offered by the career center. Second, I want to cultivate lasting and meaningful relationships, and to do this I’ll make an effort to step outside of my comfort zone and interact with those around me, without judgment. Third, I want to simply be a good person, which I can accomplish by fostering a spirit of inclusion, educating myself on a variety of perspectives, and having the courage to act and stand up for what’s right. Lastly, I want to be able to make the most of every moment, which I can do by practicing mindfulness and remembering to live in the present. Overall, my first year at Notre Dame has allowed me to learn a lot about myself, and I look forward to applying what I’ve learned and working towards my mission over the next three years and beyond. https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SEXhurkurERNVdy8sgNwZaAKTAr-385q/view?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SEXhurkurERNVdy8sgNwZaAKTAr-385q/view?usp=sharing