Microsoft Word - Moreau Integration One Assignment Dr. Vanessa Chan Moreau First Year Experience: Integration One Assignment October 15, 2021 “Becoming Part of Something: Cultivate Friendships, Get Uncomfortable, and Remember Your Roots” Throughout the past eight weeks, I truly believe that I have experienced some of the most impactful and meaningful personal growth and development of my entire life. From having perhaps the most freedom that I have ever had to experiencing dorm life for the first time, the daily occurrences and special occasions alike have contributed to a genuinely amazing first eight weeks of college. Thus, I believe that I am searching for lifelong friendships and memories that I will be able to look back on and smile at for a very long time. As a young child, I was very shy and slowly grew out of that as I went through school, and I have felt that Notre Dame has been a place where I have completely let go of that and become more outgoing. On Day 1 in Fisher Hall, I had no problem going up to people that I did not know and introducing myself, something that probably would not have been the case for me a few years ago. Additionally, I have found that everything in college is a social event. A little bit to my surprise, I love this and really like be around some really amazing people all the time! This fit right in with our conversations about searching for self-knowledge, as I really learned how much I am looking for friendships to share my successes and failures in for a very long time. I enjoy sharing my daily experiences, like going to a Camp Kesem meeting, with my section mates just as much as I enjoy hearing about their days. David Brooks, in a TED Talk on this topic, said, “Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime; therefore, we must be saved by hope” (“Should You Live for your Resume or Your Eulogy” by David Brooks – Moreau FYE Week Two). I am worried about my resume in college, but this quote adds the perspective that achievements will not fulfill us. However, there is hope in finding meaningful relationships and making happy memories that can help to fulfill us. I have tried to be “yes” man, open to trying to new things while I am here. This is one way that I noted that I could search for life-giving relationships, which is something I certainly am searching for. Olivia T. Taylor, in her article about toxic relationships, writes, “Feeling both good and bad about a friend, however, is the first sign of a toxic friendship” (“5 Signs You’re In a Toxic Friendship” by Olivia T. Taylor – Moreau FYE Week 4). I have felt only good about many of my friends here, and I think that is a testament to both of our attitudes. Many of our looking for great friendships and memories, and I look forward to continuing meeting new friends. While I had a great high school experience and look back on it fondly, there are naturally somethings that I knew I wanted to do differently in college. I wanted to grow socially and academically, and I believe that I grow by simply getting uncomfortable. Going to office hours in the basement Hayes-Healy, a building that I don’t know where there aren’t a lot of freshmen, to see a professor that I also don’t know very well, is not something that I was super comfortable with. However, I really needed help with Calculus. Joining ROTC and going through PT, orientation, and other exercises with people I did not know before most freshman arrived was something that I was not comfortable with. In class, I recall discussing how we found a framework, or structure (potentially through faith) and meaning in our lives. Academic success and social enjoyment are essential to my framework, and I know that going to office hours and joining ROTC have helped me immensely in both areas. Meeting new people is an important aspect of this, as getting uncomfortable as helped me meet a lot of amazing people, many of whom are different than me. When we discussed how we identify perspectives and bias, an article stated that “One reason people on both the right and the left are skeptical of implicit bias might be pretty simple: it isn’t nice to think we aren’t very nice” (“How to Think about Implicit Bias” by Keith Payne, Laura Niemi, John M. Doris – Moreau FYE Week Seven). It isn’t pleasant to think that myself or others might not always have the most honest or kind intentions in mind but understanding that this is the case allowed me to make sure that I was being honest with my intentions. Getting uncomfortable for me also meant allowing my plans to be less structured (“going with the flow”). My parents, another part of my framework, were not here, and thus Fr. Pete McCormick really resonated with me when he said, “When I was driving with my parents, all roads led home. When I was driving by myself, everything felt a little more unclear” (“The Role of Faith in Our Story” by Fr. Pete McCormick, C.S.C. – Moreau FYE Week 3). Things were more unclear without my parents, and a lot of my classmates noted the same thing during class discussion. However, I found that I grew and had a lot of fun navigating life without them. From all the way back to Week 1, I remember simply thinking about how getting uncomfortable was one of the reasons I felt that college was going great throughout the last eight weeks. Brené Brown said to “Lean into the discomfort of this work” in reference to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion work (“The Power of Vulnerability” by Brené Brown – Moreau FYE Week 1). This work involves making connections, and I extend this to many things in college. I’ve tried to lean into the discomfort of asking a question in a giant lecture, going on a weekend adventure, or simply going to a new club. The greatest rewards I have had so far in college have stemmed from quite simply getting uncomfortable. Finally, I believe that I am responsible for getting excited about the future and focusing on where I’m going without forgetting where I am from. Weeks 5 and 6, where we discussed how we identify narratives and influences in our lives, reminded me of all the interesting conversations I’ve had here, ranging from initial conversations and DomerFest to longer conversations with those that I’ve grown closer to, where I’ve gotten to hear all the cool experiences and life stories that my classmates have to share. When people say, “Where are you from?”, I answer with my hometown of Buffalo, NY, but really want to quote something from my poem, such as “I’m from the leaf pile out in the yard in the fall,” illustrating that I am an “outdoorsy” person who really loves fall. I love it here at Notre Dame and have learned that it is important to “buy in” to this community in Moreau. Many of us here are focused on our futures not only as Notre Dame students, but as professionals in the “real world” soon. I try to remember where I’m from, a hard-working, city known as the “City of Good Neighbors” as I navigate this. I bring this perspective to our school community, and thus I really liked when Fr. Kevin Grove said, “Families are schools for their members to learn to love” (“Two Notre Dames: Your Holy Cross Education” by Fr. Kevin Grove, C.S.C. – Moreau FYE Week 5). When I focus on where I’m going, I think of how I am learned and am continuing to learn how to love. This is what I need to bring with me, and overall, and I feel that I have continued to learn to love because of the community at Notre Dame. I feel like am part of something here, and that is very special.