Moreau First Year Experience


Me, Myself, and I

These past few weeks have made me go in-depth about my beliefs and my character.
Before taking this class, I always had moments where I just reflected alone in my room and was
thinking about life itself. What was I going to do with my life, how am I carrying my life, am I
taking advantage of my time, what can I do right now to have a better future. I always asked
questions, but these questions from each assignment in Moreau made me feel more open-minded
about the world and people themselves. These tapped into my root beliefs at this point in my life.

I believe that my purpose is to take advantage of my privilege and find ways to give back
to the community. I mainly started having this mindset when I was having an open-mind about
what was going on in the world. I wanted to gain different perspectives of certain issues.
Watching videos, reading articles, talking to people. My attribute of being open-minded started
to develop over time as time went on. There weren’t many challenges in tapping into my purpose
because I would say the internet has made it easier for me to gain knowledge that a textbook
written from someone else can’t tell me. Anything that I am curious about, I can just find on
google. Learning about difficulties in the world and how people struggle to attain the simplest
things really made me humble and made me appreciate the life and opportunities I have in this
world. In week 3 QQC, there was this particular quote that resonated with me that still sticks
with me to this day:”Spirituality concerts the real world, and how we see it, how we do it, how
we approach it. Spiritual life alters the cockeyed lighting that makes us the center of the
universe” (“The Role of Faith in Our Story” by Pete McCormick - Moreau FYE Week 3). Such
as the spiritual lighting mentioned in the content, I further understand that I perceive the world
and treat it in a way that I want it to treat me back. Faith does indeed inform me on how I see the
world. I feel grateful every day for the life that God gave me. I try to see everything with beauty
and purpose. When things get tough, I am always hopeful for a better outcome because I believe
in God. I present love by thinking about others and never putting yourself above them. These
characteristics shape my view of this world, and faith is indeed my guide throughout my life. In
week 2 QQC, there was this quote that caught my attention:“Nothing that is worth doing can be
achieved in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope. Nothing which is true or beautiful
or good makes complete sense in any context of history; therefore we must be saved by faith.
Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore we must be saved by
love”(“David Brooks: Should you live your life for your resume...or your eulogy?”- Moreau
FYE Week 2). Looking at your inner weakness and combating it is a step that everyone can take
to achieve their most authentic self. It is something that I needed to do in order to achieve my
best inner self and be humble. In week 6 QQC, I stated this certain statement in my poem that
connects to my purpose: “I’m from humbleness starting with nothing in Mexico to being happy
having a home with my family”(“Where I’m From” - Moreau FYE Week 6). Knowing where I
come from makes me feel more humble with the life I have right now. It correlates with my
purpose because it gives me motivation to strive to give back to the ones who don’t have the
same opportunity as me.

I believe that I am responsible for the connections I have in this world. I can build
chemistry with the right people and know when a relationship needs to end when it needs to at



Me, Myself, and I

this point. In week 1 QQC, there was this particular thing said by Breme Brown that made me
pause and think about it twice: “These folks, very simply, dared to be imperfect. They had the
compassion to be kind to themselves first and then to others”(The Power of Vulnerability by
Brene Brown - Moreau FYE Week 1). Throughout the majority of my life, I was very nervous
and self-conscious of how I look, my mannerisms, and just in general what I was going to add to
the conversation. I feel like to this day it still sticks with me, but I don't show it as often as I used
to. Approaching people from different backgrounds can definitely be tough sometimes, but I
always just think of the positives that will come out of the conversation. In week 4 QQC,
“Friendships should make you feel positive and like you’re investing in something long-term”(5
signs you’re in a toxic relationship by Olivia T. Taylor - Moreau FYE Week 4). I would say
taking the steps to understand what unhealthy relationships are will get me to that goal of having
to forge life-giving relationships. Just taking a step back and understanding the red flags in my
relationships will help me avoid them, deal with them better, and make me have more time to
meet with other people with the same values as me.

I believe that I pursue truth by looking at different perspectives instead of relying on just
one. In QQC 7, Ngozi said something that stuck with me: ”Amid a controversy, it’s important to
remember that implicit bias is real—and it matters”(“Danger of a single story” by Chimamanda
Ngozi Adichie - Moreau FYE Week 7). A thing we can do to pursue the truth is not relying on
one side's perspective. I feel as though this creates assumptions and makes people seperate from
the actual truth. People rely on that one source of information and stick with it without actually
taking the time to see it themselves and experience it. In QQC 5, Kevin Grove stated something
that really enlightened me: “Faith and Reason together place us always in a relationship to each
other”(“Two Notre Dames: Your Holy Cross Education” by Kevin Grove - Moreau FYE Week
5). Getting to understand other people's perspectives can make me open-minded on issues that I
am not knowledgeable about and make me thrive in tackling those issues.