--Moreau FYE--Integration 1


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Professor Taylor

FYS 10101-31

12 October 2021

Who I Was, Who I Am, and Who I Will Be

Throughout the Moreau First Year Experience thus far, I have had much time for

reflection and self-discovery. This has come in the form of writing QQC reflections but also in

listening to my peers’ beliefs in class and having discussions with them about our beliefs.

Moreau has been an enriching experience that I have been so grateful to have. It is a time where I

can reflect upon who I am and who I want to be. I look forward to discovering more about

myself in the rest of the course, as I still have much to learn. In the last two months, however, I

have identified or reaffirmed several root beliefs that I hold dearly.

I believe that I am searching for my purpose in life. I know I am meant to serve God and

help others, but I am searching for the best way to do so. Like David Brooks discusses in his Ted

Talk “Should you live for your résumé … or your eulogy?”, it is more important to focus on the

kind of person you are rather than what you have achieved in life (“Should you live for your

résumé … or your eulogy?” by David Brooks - Moreau FYE Week Two). Ultimately, the world

remembers people more for the kind of people they were rather than what they accomplished

during their lives. I want to be remembered as someone who was a faithful servant of God and

also as someone who always tried her best to help others and who made a positive impact upon

others’ lives. This desire stems from my Christian faith but also from the joy I receive from

making others’ lives better. This joy I have in helping others is a large part of why I want to

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlLWTeApqIM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlLWTeApqIM


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pursue a career in medicine where I can hopefully conduct research but also be deeply involved

in patient care. I would also love to host free clinic days as a doctor to help those who do not

otherwise have access to affordable, quality healthcare. In improving others’ lives, I serve others

and God, which is ultimately at the heart of all I hope to do in life. This path is not always an

easy one to walk. Sometimes, it is difficult to tell how I am meant to help someone or if I even

can help someone. I also sometimes fail to help someone when I should due to short-sightedness.

It is more difficult to see how I can serve someone else when I myself am struggling in some

facet of my life. However, I have also learned that by leaning on others and allowing them to

lean on you, whatever burden you might be carrying can be made lighter. This is true of my faith,

in which I trust God and offer up my struggles to God. God is always present in everyone’s lives.

He never abandons us. Even though it might feel like we are alone, we never are. This sentiment

was shared by Nyah, a Notre Dame student in “Student Reflections on Faith,” and when I read

her description of this sentiment, I instantly resonated with it and recognized its truthfulness in

my own life (“Student Reflections on Faith” curated by Campus Ministry - Moreau FYE Week

Three). Also, I know that there is a lesson to be learned in every struggle and that I can improve

myself through withstanding each obstacle, as reflected by Carla Harris in her Laetere Medalist

Address (“2021 Laetere Medalist Address” by Carla Harris - Moreau FYE Week Five). God has

a plan for each of us, and even though that plan will not be devoid of struggles, if I remain open

to the lessons God intends to teach me through each obstacle and not only help others but also

lean on others when I am struggling, I can build my character, strengthen my faith in God, and

learn how to better serve others in the future.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YVemqUBaAs5DNBPYm806TyQZr3F0xElP/view
https://youtu.be/UjSwjn-SyB4


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I believe that I am responsible for my actions, which include helping others and trying

my best in all that I do. As mentioned in the video “It’s On Us ND- The Three D’s of Being an

Active Bystander,” we all have a responsibility to help others when we see them struggling (“It’s

On Us ND- The Three D’s of Being an Active Bystander” by the Gender Studies Program at the

University of Notre Dame - Moreau FYE Week Four). Whether people are being bothered by

others or they are struggling to understand class concepts, we have a responsibility to help them

in any way we can. If someone is bothering someone else, we can intervene by being an active

bystander. This does not mean we must be confrontational. In fact, we can intervene peacefully

without drawing more attention to the situation, which is sometimes best. We must do something,

though, instead of leaving someone alone or to fend for themselves when someone is bothering

them or making them feel unsafe. Also, if someone is struggling to understand class concepts, we

should offer to help them if we have a stronger understanding of the material. Already, some

friends of mine have struggled to understand certain concepts from our chemistry class, but I

have offered to help them with the material. I have spent time with them answering their

questions and helping them feel more competent with the subject. This is not only helpful to

them but is also helpful to me because in teaching the material, I understand it better, too. I

helped others in this way in high school and have been blessed not only with my understanding

of difficult material but also in my ability to help others understand it. I believe that we all have a

duty to use our God-given abilities and gifts to serve others and that I can do so by using my

understanding of certain concepts to help others understand them. I enjoy helping others in this

way. Also, in trying my best in all that I do, including in my schoolwork and helping others, I

feel I am taking responsibility for my education and also for my actions as someone who desires

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Qk5iI7HctYydSB3xYZs5hNClJ-uo5Hq4/view
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Qk5iI7HctYydSB3xYZs5hNClJ-uo5Hq4/view


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to serve God and others above all else. It is difficult when I myself do not understand class

material at times and therefore cannot help others understand it. Also, sometimes, I am stressed

with my own work that I must complete so that when others ask me for help I feel that I am

unable to help them because I have too much work of my own to do. However, I have found that

I always have time to answer a question or two, and even if I cannot spend much time helping

someone, helping in little ways is still meaningful and better than if I had not helped at all. Even

if it is in small ways, helping others makes a positive impact on their lives and on my own life. I

plan to continue trying to help others in any way I can in the future, even if I am only capable of

doing so in a small way at the time, because any act of service is meaningful and impactful.

I believe that I forge life-giving relationships by being honest and vulnerable with others.

Like Brené Brown discussed in her Ted Talk “The Power of Vulnerability,” we must be our true,

authentic selves in order to form deep relationships (“The Power of Vulnerability” by Brené

Brown - Moreau FYE Week One). If we cannot be honest with others, we cannot be ourselves,

which means we will not be able to form satisfying relationships. In order to form solid and

satisfying relationships with others, we must be willing to be open and honest with them, but we

must also be honest with ourselves. Being honest with ourselves requires time spent reflecting

upon our beliefs, feelings, and attitudes. We must be patient with ourselves as we discern who we

are, what we want from life, and what we are meant to do. Exercises such as writing a “Where

I’m From” poem similar to the one George Ella Lyon wrote allow us to be introspective and to

examine our own backgrounds and beliefs (“Where I’m From” by George Ella Lyon - Moreau

FYE Week Six). The closest and most rewarding relationships in my life have been ones built

upon honesty and authenticity. If I have felt that I could not be myself around a person or be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0&list=PLmiPsabET-W_hjesjTZaITh2s1WbM-Kd0&index=2
http://www.georgeellalyon.com/where.html


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authentic around that person, the relationship has often either not worked out well or not been a

strong relationship that I have wanted to keep in my life or put much time into nurturing.

Therefore, I always try to be honest with others so I can develop stronger relationships with

them. I also try to be honest with myself so I can be true to myself and therefore be more honest

with others and have better relationships with them. It is scary being completely honest and

vulnerable with myself or others sometimes. However, even though it is frightening being

vulnerable and having difficult conversations, it is ultimately worth it because it leads to greater

openness and authenticity in a relationship. It allows trust to be built so the relationship can

strengthen and flourish. I still struggle with being vulnerable with others, but I am making more

of an effort to do so and have already had more opportunities to be honest and authentic with

others at the University of Notre Dame as I have developed friendships with others, including

people in my dorm (Badin Hall) and in my classes. I feel that I am able to be my true self here at

Notre Dame, and because of this, I am very happy here.

I believe that I grow by listening to others’ perspectives and incorporating them with my

own beliefs. I believe that I pursue truth by listening to others’ stories, perspectives, and beliefs.

By listening to others, I can learn about other perspectives besides my own. I believe that

everyone has a fascinating story to tell and that I can learn something from everyone. Already, in

my time here at Notre Dame, I have gotten to meet so many interesting people from across the

globe--whether they live an hour away from my hometown or are from a country that is on the

other side of the planet. I have learned something from each person I have encountered, and I

look forward to learning more from others in the future. Coming to college, one of the things

about which I was most excited was getting to meet new people from around the country and



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world and getting to hear about their lives and beliefs. I have been pleased to find that while we

have had our differences, culturally and belief-wise, we have had more in common than not. If

we are willing to listen to others, we can not only learn something new about the world and

ourselves and expand our own perspectives and beliefs, but we can also find common ground

with others. If people were more willing to listen to others in today’s world, I believe the world

would be a better place and that governments would be better able to affect positive and effective

changes. It is important to listen to numerous perspectives because it is impossible for one story

to summarize everyone in a certain group’s experiences. As Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie stated

in her Ted Talk “Danger of a Single Story,” to gain a more complete picture of a particular group

of people (whether that is defined by geography, culture, or another determining factor), we must

listen to numerous perspectives and stories from that group to gain a fuller understanding of the

group (“Danger of a Single Story” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Moreau FYE Week Seven).

This is especially important in government, where policies are created to help certain groups of

people but might not take into account everyone’s perspectives within that group and therefore

might cause much unintended harm to that group. Personally, I know that in listening to and

conversing with others, I have learned more about certain cultures and places than I ever could in

a classroom setting. Being at university is more than learning within the classroom; it is about

living with others and engaging in conversations with them about our lives, beliefs, and passions.

In doing so, we can learn more about the world and our place in it and we can examine our own

beliefs and preconceived notions that might be challenged by these new perspectives.

Sometimes, these conversations are uncomfortable ones, but they are necessary to our personal

growth and so that we might understand the struggles that people who are different from us face.

https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story


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In doing so, we can better serve others. I hope to continue to have interesting conversations with

others and to learn how to serve them more effectively so I can better help others in the future.

During my time in the Moreau First Year Experience course thus far, I have learned much

about myself and others. Whether it has been through the weekly QQC reflections or through

weekly class discussions, this has been a time of great self-reflection and self-discovery in

addition to being a fantastic time of learning about others and their backgrounds, beliefs, and

perspectives. I have greatly enjoyed this class and the self-awareness and global awareness it has

brought me and look forward to gaining a greater sense of these during the rest of this course.