Keely McGlone
Father Kevin
Integration 2
3 December 2021

The Power of a Year’s Time
Almost a year ago, I visited Notre Dame during the height of the pandemic with my dad. I applied here on a whim because the school is in my family. I knew little about it, but my parents told me to give it chance. I made the 12-hour drive to South Bend with my dad to stay in the Morris Inn. I remember being confused on campus: what building was which, how to get from the bookstore to the dome, and what made Notre Dame so special. The architecture was beautiful, yet the visit left me with a looming sense of uncertainty. Now, I lay my head to rest every night in Ryan Hall, directly next to the Morris Inn. I pointed at Ryan Hall last year and asked my dad, “Dad, are those dorms? Do people live in that building?” He wasn’t sure, so I never got an answer. Today, I sit in my dorm room typing this paper, realizing that so much has changed sense my first encounter with Notre Dame. I couldn’t imagine the ways in which Notre Dame would change me then, but now that I know, I am grateful. 

“What am I made for?’ is a question we are all raised to answer, yet at nineteen years old I am still unsure of the correct response. The truth is, we are made for many things in life and what we are made for in the eyes of each person we connect with may be different. Something we are made for leads us to a vocation. This is the reason why what we are made for is up to ourselves, not others. Individual passion is necessary, but sometimes others have perspectives we were too narrow-minded to view. 

I asked one of my best friends the daunting question: “What am I made for?” I already had two concrete answers in my head, but I was curious to see what those closest to me thought. She proceeded to say that I am made to promote social change. The answer surprised me. I thought she would comment on something career oriented because that is such a large part of a college student’s life. Yet, the answer was reassuring because I agreed with her. This was before I came to Notre Dame and I wasn’t sure why I agreed, but I blew it off, assuming one day I would find the answer.

Since being at Notre Dame, I’ve found the answer. While my potential for social change has been stagnant from my visit last year until today, it has changed as I grow and as I find myself here. I’ve learned through Moreau that I am a relatively socially conscious and aware person who seeks to understand why people act in certain ways. I immerse myself in social situations and want to understand both sides. In Week 7, “Identifying Perspective,” I revealed this aspect of myself. While I was writing it, I wasn’t thinking that my thoughts could be pointing towards what I am made for. I label awareness as foundational. This is most likely because it is a solid part of my foundation as a person that allows me to be immersed in social consciousness, so I know the benefits and want others to be able to experience them. I have since concluded that I am made of perspective. During Week 12, we were given the daunting task of writing rules for life. I didn’t know where to begin because I didn’t know how a list of rules for life could be constructed so easily. I decided one of mine would be: “if you must, choose rationality.” Father Kevin left a comment that confirmed I am made of perspective: “I especially am fond of ‘if you must, choose rationality.’ It reminds me that we have a choice and that we veer from our better instincts (to think it through with perspective) when we don’t value truth or love, but something more expedient.” I had a similar thought in mind when writing my reflection this week. We have a choice to choose perspective; in my case, I chose it.

While what I am made for internally is important, it would be irrational to ignore what I am made for in a career as a college student. After all, it is one of the reasons I chose to go to a prestigious academic institution. My internal desires support my academic desires even if they are “separate” areas of life.

From an academic standpoint, I believe I am made for helping people, but not in the expected way. It may seem questionable that I claim I am made for a future of helping people because I am an Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics major. This is not a typical career path acknowledged for helping others like a doctor or an educator, but I know I have the potential to make what I desire of it. My dream with this major is to work with data in ways that help people find truth by creating tangible methods and through proper analysis.  In Week 10 and 11, I address Notre Dame’s mission of the pursuit for truth. This search for truth supports students as they change personally and academically. My time thus far as a student at Notre Dame has given me the best possible model of the search for truth. I have realized that it is not just a want of mine, rather a necessity. I will not be fulfilled unless I complete this idea because it is what I am made for. Even if I were to lose interest in my major and the idea of working with data, I wouldn’t be lost because I am grounded in my desire to help people find truth. 

Aspects of what I am made of like my competitiveness and my empathy for others that I have come to appreciate and despise will help me achieve this goal. Competitiveness isn’t a bad thing, but it can be taken too far at times. I have learned that this semester at Notre Dame; not everything needs to be a competition and it is better to be collaborative and supportive of others around us. Yet, this competition is what gives me the fuel to go after what I am made for, and it pushes me to work harder. Our perception of ourselves compared with the perception of ourselves from others was analyzed in my Week 9 QQC. From my reflection, I learned that I want to love others because I prioritize the way others view me over the way I view myself.  This empathy is good in social scenarios, but it will also be applicable in what I am made for career-wise.