Integration


Root Beliefs

I believe that I pursue my truth by being the truest version of myself
I believe that I grow by being honest with myself
I believe that my purpose is to assure that the sacrifices of my parents do not go in vain
I believe that I forge life-giving relationships by giving those around me the opportunity  to be heard
I believe that I grow by not allowing my failures to determine the future 9:51
I believe that I am searching for the tools and resources to end up in the position I have dreamed of
I believe that I am made to refute those who make assumptions on me and my abilities.

Who is ?
My first root belief is that I pursue my truth by being the truest version of myself. When I was

younger, it would be safe to describe me as a timid kid. I was also the shortest and smallest in my class,
and so I found it difficult to be myself. I wanted to appease those around me, and would allow others'
opinions on me to affect how I acted. This is not good for your self-esteem, as you are not allowing
yourself to act in your truest form. However as I got older, I got time to do more self-reflection and saw
that I had this inner dilemma. Brena Brown mentions this in her talk. “These folks had the courage to be
imperfect. They had the compassion to be kind to themselves first and then to others”(“The Power of
Vulnerability” by Brené Brown - Moreau FYE Week One). To allow yourself to be imperfect is to be free,
and this is the best form of compassion you can show yourself.

My second root belief is that I experience the best form of growth when I am honest to myself.
The people who know you and your inner dilemmas the best are always going to be you. With this, you
can not allow  others to determine how you are to grow. This is why I am so strong in this belief , I used to
be the one who would allow this outside input to influence my growth. David Brooks puts it perfectly when
he says, “  You go into yourself, you find the sin which you committed over and again by which the others
emerge and you fight that sin and wrestle that sin.. Then a depth of character is constructed”(“Should You
Live for your Resume or Your Eulogy?” By David Brooks - Moreau FYE Week Two).

My third root belief is that my purpose as I understand it, is to ensure that the sacrifices of my
parents do not go in vain. In this week’s discussion Father Pete talked about the beliefs that we find
central to our lives( “The role of faith in our story by Father Pete - Moreau FYE Week Three). When I
thought about what is central to me as a person I kept coming back to the same conclusion, my family
and heritage. Coming from Eritrea, my parents sacrificed everything they had in order to give my brother
and I the equality of opportunity. Hearing about the struggles of my people back home from a young age, I
always knew I was different from my peers. I knew that the thing that made me different was the
determination and need to progress my family’s lineage tenfold. My parents always told me that since
they did not have much compared to me growing up, I had to do the same for my children. Due to this, I
felt a lot of pressure early on to succeed in my endeavors. Without my purpose, I could not say that I
would have the same motivation to push myself in life.

My fourth root belief is that I forge life-giving relationships by giving those around me the
opportunity to be heard. In our reading from week 4, it talks about the different forms of love that we can
show in the relationships we build. “Attention is one of the rarest forms of love”(5 Signs You’re in a Toxic
Friendship by Olivia Taylor - Moreau FYE Week Four). This is the reason I am so confident in the fact that
true life-giving relationships have to have great communication. When the other party does not give you
their attention it is simply because they do not want to give the effort. In the past, I used to be of the
understanding that attention is not correlated with love. However as I have gotten older and especially
since college, my time has become more and more limited. If someone makes the time in their day to



check in and let you talk about your day or something that has you concerned, it shows they truly care for
you and you are not in a temporary relationship.

My fifth root belief is that I grow by not allowing my failures to inhibit my success. Sometimes, not
understanding a concept or not doing well on an exam can feel like the end of the world. Especially when
you put a copious amount of time and effort into the project. However, as I have gotten older I have found
that it is crucial that you do not allow these obstacles to affect your mindset. Carla Harris talks about this
when she says, “Failure always brings you a gift, and that gift is called experience”("2021 Laetare
Medalist Address" by Carla Harris - Moreau FYE Week Five). When I was younger I remember getting
worked up on every mistake that I used to make in school, however I found that this never bettered my
performance. It is only when I kept calm and used my failures as a way of learning, that I would succeed.

My sixth root belief is that I am searching for the tools and resources to end up in the position I
have dreamed of. In our week 6 discussion we talked about where we are from and how this influences
what we find important(“Where I'm From” by George Ella Lyon - Moreau FYE Week Six). When I think of
this question, I always think about my Eritrean Heritage. Being that I am a first generation US citizen,
success was something that I always dreamed of. To be able to give stability and opportunity to my
people is and will always be my ultimate aim. In the time I have been at Notre Dame, I have been given
an abundance of resources to further assist my progression in my goal. With the tools and resources that
have and will continue to be made available to me during my time at this University, I am confident that I
will be able to turn my dreams into reality.

My last root belief is that I am made to refute those who make assumptions on me and my
abilities. Growing up as a black teen in America, I am well aware of the doubts and assumptions that
some individuals have on me. Keith Payne talks about this when discussing the implicit biases that are
placed on African Americans in society(“How to Think about ‘Implicit Bias” by Keith Payne - Moreau FYE
Week Seven). A common theme that is found is the pessimistic mindset that people implicitly place on
people of color. Coming to Notre Dame, this has only been made more apparent to me. Whether it is
people asking me for the sport I play for the confused faces I see from visitors when I rock my Notre
Dame apparel, people cannot believe I am here for my academics. However, this will never be a deterrent
to my success at this school. I know what I am made to do, and I will do exactly that with a smile on my
face.