Capstone Integration Moreau Capstone Integration 4-5-22 This is Me- and I am Not Ashamed. I will live a life of positivity, grace, kindness, and love. I will treat others with respect, regardless of their race, background, culture, religion, or beliefs. I strive to understand other people as honestly and respectfully as I can. I seek to know as much about others and the world as possible, in order to create an environment in which everyone can thrive. At Notre Dame, I have learned to be more than I have been in the past. I have learned to be more than my small town origins, to be more than my simple beginnings. I have learned to overcome prejudice and hatred. Notre Dame has been the perfect place for me to learn more about the world, and those who walk beside me in it. Father Hesburgh desired to establish not only a university, but a world, in which all people are treated with equal dignity. (Video: "Hesburgh" (Produced by Jerry Barca and Christine O'Malley) Week 2) I hope that I am a student that aligns with his dream. Every person interact with teaches me something new, and I hope that I in turn do the same for them. I am dedicated to living a life that benefits everyone around me. I want every person I interact with to leave our interaction feeling more understood, more accepted, and more loved than they did before. I will be the person that people turn to when they need to find love. I will be the person that people rely on when the roads get rocky and when the ship gets tossed. Accompaniment is walking beside someone. It is being there for them, and allowing them to be there for you, even when it is difficult. “Look beyond your immediate concerns; show compassion and accompany one another.” (Text: “Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together” (Professor Steve Reifenberg) Week 9) Over these next few years at Notre Dame, I want to walk beside others- younger students, classmates, friends. I will be there to help with homework or to cheer someone on at their sporting event. I will be there. I will be a dedicated daughter, a supportive sister, a loving wife, and a caring mother. I will work to keep my relationships as healthy and strong as possible. Love is built on sacrifice, and I am prepared to sacrifice what I must in order to allow every relationship in my life to thrive. I will give of myself for others. It has been found that people who are dissatisfied with the way things are “are spending less time, say, thinking, reading about politics but much more time engaged in community organizations. And the story behind that is about how satisfied you are with the status quo.” (Audio: “Passion Isn’t Enough” (Hidden Brain Media) Week 11) In order to enact real change in https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41060/modules/items/143798 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41060/modules/items/143798 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41060/modules/items/143949 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41060/modules/items/143949 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41060/modules/items/143994 the world, I must actively take steps towards it, rather than just studying and planning and dreaming. Knowing how you desire to help others is one thing, but actively helping others is a much more difficult task. That will be one of the most difficult challenges I come across in my life- overcoming my ease with the status quo and being able to stand up to change it. Here at Notre Dame, I want to ensure that every student is afforded the same opportunities for success. That is how I will change the status quo. I will also take the time to care for myself, to participate in the activities that I enjoy, to savor the moments that mean the most to me, and to appreciate all that has been given to me throughout my life. My life cannot simply be meaningless work. The key to living a good life is doing what you love- both what makes others happy and what makes you happy. When you can do that, you can achieve true joy. “Happiness changes from moment to moment, day to day. Joy, on the other hand, is much deeper and much more central, it comes from within, and it’s a genuine rightness of how one lives one’s life.” (Text: "Three Key Questions" (adapted from Fr. Michael Himes) Week 3) This means that joy can be found in action, but also in moments of inaction. “The need for an empty space, a pause, is something we have all felt in our bones; it’s the rest in a piece of music that gives it resonance and shape.” (Text: "Why we need to slow down our lives" (Pico Iyer, TED), Week 1) When we take the time to see all that is good and joyful around us, we can lead better lives. Here at Notre Dame, I find joy in my nighttime walks on South Quad, in playing the piano in my dorm chapel, and in praying at the grotto (Week 5). I will act with courage. I cannot be afraid to stand up for what I believe in. I cannot be afraid of what others may think or what others may say. I need to act without fear and without worry. I will do what I know is right, and hold my head high, even if no one agrees with me, and even if I am unsuccessful. I will be the one to stand up during the storm. I will keep my head held high. I will remain strong. Notre Dame has taught me how to become an advocate, a sentinel. Here, I have learned that my actions do truly matter, and that everything I do has an impact. “Every experience shapes you in some way, whether you realize it at the time or not!” (Text: "Navigating Your Career Journey” (Meruelo Family Center for Career Development) Week 4) While I may feel like there is little I can do for the world, I need to remember that every big change has to start somewhere small. “Each one of us can choose to finally end hate, by ending this separation. We must do something. This is something each one of us can do.” (Text: “Dean G. Marcus Cole: 'I am George Floyd. Except, I can breathe. And I can do something.” (Marcus Cole, Dean of Notre Dame Law School) Week 12) I will be strong. Sometimes I feel as if I must carry all of my burdens, fears, hopes, wishes, and worries all on my own. However, I know that I cannot change the world all on my own. Everyone, including https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41060/modules/items/143819 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41060/modules/items/143779 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41060/modules/items/143779 https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41060/modules/items/144011 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41060/modules/items/144011 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41060/modules/items/144011 myself, needs love, support, and strong relationships. No one can go it alone. “But the future is, most of all, in the hands of those people who recognize the other as a ‘you’ and themselves as part of an ‘us.’” (Video/Text: “Why the only future worth building includes everyone” (His Holiness Pope Francis, TED Conferences) Week 7) In the wise words of Stan Lee,“Compromise where you can. Where you can’t, don’t. Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is right. Even if the whole world is telling you to move, it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye, and say ‘No. You Move.’” It is up to me to do what I know is right. I desire to help improve the lives of every person I meet, a goal which aligns with the University’s core mission. “We consciously create an environment of mutual respect, hospitality and warmth in which none are strangers and all may flourish.” (Text: “The Spirit of Inclusion at Notre Dame” (du lac: A Guide to Student Life, University of Notre Dame) Week 10) However, this is not always easy, and I am certain that there are times in which I will fail at this task. I believe that through the grace of God though, I will be able to learn, grow, and help those around me. Despite what others say, I will remain true to myself, to my beliefs, to my opinions, and to the people that I love. I will face every day with joy, giving thanks to God above. My loyalty- unceasing and my respect- undeniable. I will be the one they call, the one who is always reliable. I will bend in the wind, but never will I break. I will give and give as much as I can, but when I must, I will take I have no shame in crying, or in feeling far too strong. I face the world with empathy, and empathy cannot be wrong. I know how I feel. I feel quite strongly. However, I do not see this as a weakness. Rather, I see it as a strength. “Evidence shows the simple act of translating our emotions into language — versus simply experiencing them — can stop our brains from activating our amygdala, the fight-or-flight command center. This, in turn, seems to help us stay in control.” (Text: “The Right Way to be Introspective (Yes, There’s a Wrong Way)” (Tasha Eurich, TED Conferences) Week 6) I am able to acknowledge my emotions. I know who I am and how I feel. I know myself, and that is a blessing that not many people have. By acknowledging my emotions, I can channel them into real and effective actions, rather than just leaving them as meaningless feelings. I am not the strongest, but I will be as strong as I can. My shoulders may be small, but you can cry upon them. My hands might be callused, but they are always available to help. My eyes might be teary, but I will always leave them open. My mind might be cluttered, but it will always understand. I may not be perfect, but I will be my best. https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41060/modules/items/143910 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41060/modules/items/143910 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41060/modules/items/143973 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41060/modules/items/143973 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17576282 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41060/modules/items/143883 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41060/modules/items/143883