Professor Espeseth
Capstone Integration
April 24, 2022


	After spending an entire school year at Notre Dame, I have changed my root beliefs in a beneficial way that will change the course of how I am going to pursue a life well-lived. I’ve found that accepting failure, to focus on work that is both intrinsically rewarding and rewarding to society, and taking risks for both the betterment of myself and others as well. I think that one quote that reflects the importance of community on campus is “I’ve come to realize that one of the central things I learned in Chile was how well I had been accompanied, and as such transformed” (“Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together” by Professor Steven Reifenberg- Week 9). While having as supportive of a community as Notre Dame, we learn to be accompanied and to accept accompaniment in all aspects of life such as school, work, and social life, that I will continue to use for the remainder of my time at Notre Dame.
	Notre Dame’s focus on doing work for the common good is emphasized in the characteristics of living a life well-lived. I’ve learned that being successful doesn’t just mean achieving a numeric goal, but by having a positive impact on the people around you as well. This means that your work is positively contributing to society, while simultaneously being intrinsically fulfilling. If work is not both enjoyable and externally rewarding to others, then that work cannot be called successful. As noted by Pope Francis, “When one realizes that life, even in the middle of so many contradictions, is a gift, that love is the source and the meaning of life, how can they withhold their urge to do good to another fellow being?” (“Why the only future worth building includes everyone” by Pope Francis-Moreau FYE Week 7). This means that inherently, human beings must give in order to give love and life a life well-lived. Additionally, as noted by Notre Dame’s Meruelo Family Center for Career Development, “the only way to know more about yourself is to test the waters - just get out and experience life!” (Navigating Your Career Journey - Moreau First Year Experience Course by Meruelo Family Center for Career Development-Moreau FYE Week 4). This implies that these significant milestones reached by taking risks assists self-growth by learning what you are and are not capable of doing. In instances of intrinsically satisfying work, we should feel a balance between work and downtime. “The more time I spend away from my work, the better that work will be,” implies that when you take time away from your work, it gives you time to reflect on its importance, as well as giving you time to do other life-fulfilling activities (“Why we need to slow down our lives” by Pico-Iyer-Moreau FYE Week 1). For the remainder of my time at Notre Dame, I will carefully analyze how I can take advantage of the resources available to me regarding the steps I need to take towards meaningful contributions to my community, such as considering how I can work in business in an ethical way that benefits my community. For instance, I intend on working in the business sector of the fashion industry, which is known for its unsustainable practices. In order to contribute to the common good while pursuing this desire, I intend to take advantage of the sustainability courses offered at Notre Dame. 
	After stressing the importance of finding a meaningful career, it is just as important to find meaningful ways to fill your time away from work. After learning about the importance of community here at Notre Dame, I intend on taking the important lessons learned during the past year and apply it to other communities I belong to. One quote that stood out to me about the importance of community is, “Christians have found their life together enriched by the different qualities of their many members, and they have sought to increase this richness by welcoming others who bring additional gifts, talents and backgrounds to the community” (“The Spirit of Inclusion at Notre Dame”, du Lac: A Guide to Student Life-Week 9). Especially in a Catholic community of people, we have been taught to contribute our best attributes to make the community of Notre Dame a better place. Looking forward, I intend to not only continue to do this, but to bring the attributes of others here at school back home to my family and friends. Just as we are called to contribute to our community, we are also responsible for protecting it. We have a “Christian responsibility to care for each of God’s creations, especially in instances of prejudice, famine, warfare, ignorance, infidelity, abuse, natural calamity (“Constitutions of the Congregation of Holy Cross”- QQC Week 12). This is a call for action for us to look out for each other, especially in bad times. An instance where I will implement this on campus is in times of witnessing any unequal treatment of discrimination. Although it is much more rare for me to witness this on campus, there are still instances of microaggressions I witness myself or that my roommate tells me she faces. I think that to combat this, it is important for equal treatment of all is still a relevant conversation that needs to be maintained on campus. The importance of communication is emphasized by the words of Dean G. Marcus Cole, "I am convinced that men hate each other because they fear each other. They fear each other because they don’t know each other, and they don’t know each other because they don’t communicate with each other, and they don’t communicate with each other because they are separated from each other" ('I am George Floyd. Except, I can breathe. And I can do something' by Dean G. Marcus Cole- QQC Week 12). At the same time, I find that it is important that we don’t treat people with different beliefs within a given community differently because of these beliefs. Rather, I think it is good to use communication to find the best aspects of each perspective. A good criticism of this battle between perspectives that we typically find is, “We treat politics like entertainment, following the latest updates like we follow our favorite sports teams” (“Passion Isn’t Enough” by Hidden Brain Media- Week 11). When we stop looking at different political perspectives as opposing teams pinned against each other, and as a spectrum of different perspectives that have something to offer, we will move towards real change.
With taking risks inevitably comes failures. Accepting failure takes a different level of maturity that can realize failure is not always a bad thing, but is informative for later experiences. As discussed in Hesburgh Film, “it’s impossible to have a complete and honest human story if one doesn’t speak of human failings as well as human success” (Hesburgh Film by Jerry Barca and Christine O’Malley-Moreau FYE Week 2). I relate this claim that when viewing the entirety of the human life experience, most times we can look at the failures of their life and see how this contributed to the successes they achieved later on. I will use this message for the next three years, by viewing every failure I face in college as a way to ensure I don’t make this same mistake when I am in my career later on. Although taking risks can be daunting in any scenario, whether it be taking a challenging course or asking someone on a date, you cannot reach significant milestones without doing so. When putting into perspective the short span of time we have on earth by intentionally thinking “about your own death every day, as a means of appreciating the present and focusing on the future,” we can think about how small the stakes are for taking risks (“Meet the Nun Who Wants You To Remember You Will Die” by Eurich-Moreau FYE Week 3). With taking risks comes less extreme self-analyzation, as “research suggests that self-analyzers tend to have more anxiety, less positive social experiences and more negative attitudes about themselves” (“The Right Way to be Introspective (Yes There's A Wrong Way” by Eurich-Moreau Week 6). By taking more risks, we are able to become less anxious with ourselves and closer to a life well-lived. By reducing the amount of stress we place on each of the decisions we make for ourselves, we are able to live a better balanced life.