Quinn Capstone Integration Quinn 1 Catherine Wagner Moreau FYE April 29, 2022 Capstone Integration In order to pursue and fulfill a live well-lived, one must take the time to figure out what exactly a life well-lived entails. Throughout this semester, I have been exposed to so many different sources of information and perspectives that have allowed me to reflect and indulge in what a life well-lived means for me personally. I have been able to discern what God is calling me to do with my life, as my eyes have been opened to my strengths, my desires, and my aspirations for the future. While I, by no means, have fully come to terms with and discovered God’s plan for my life, I feel as though I have a deeper understanding as to who I am and who I am destined to be. After this semester, I have formulated the following mission statement: As a Catholic freshman girl at the University of Notre Dame, I aim to be a dedicated student and take advantage of all the opportunities that are presented to me. I strive to not only be a good student, but also a person of character. I pride myself on staying true to the beliefs I was raised to keep all of my life. My Catholic faith is a big part of who I am, and it is the center by which I live my life on. I surround myself with like-minded people, mainly people who share the same beliefs as me. Immersed in the diverse student body here at Notre Dame, I strive to share my beliefs with those who may be different than me, showing them why I believe what I do believe. I hold my people very close to me, and I make sure they know their worth. Coming from living in a sort of “bubble,” I have learned so much about myself over the past several months. When I Quinn 2 fail, I get back up again and take it as a lesson and a way to make changes. I know that it is okay to take time for yourself, and it is okay to not be okay. I am proud of who I am and who I am becoming, but I know there is lots of room for growth. I make it a mission every day to be the best self I can be, and I plan to continue on that journey (Mission Statement by - Moreau FYE Week 13). As I believe this mission statement fully encompasses what I want for my life, I plan to live by this for at least the next three years. In order to pursue a life well-lived, I must come in contact with myself. One cannot live a life well-lived if they do not love themselves and understand themselves. In order to understand and be able to make connections with others, we have to be connected with ourselves mentally and emotionally. These ideas are present in Module 1 of the Moreau FYE course. In his TED Talk, Pico Iyler claims that “the more we can contact others, the more, it sometimes seems, we lose contact with ourselves” (“Why we need to slow down our lives” by Pico Iyler - Moreau FYE Week One). While it is oftentimes easy to get caught up in social media, what the world wants you to think of yourself, and who the world tells you you are, one must be confident in who they are and not lose contact with their true selves. I plan to stay true to myself and not let myself lose touch with who I am, in order to fulfill my mission statement. Father Hesburgh is a great example of what it means to live a life well-lived. In the Hesburgh movie, it is stated that “what made him such an extraordinary figure as he didn’t really belong to any side. He belonged to the side of decency, he belonged to the side of a fundamental belief in the redeemability in mankind” (Hesburgh movie produced by Jerry Barca and Christine O’Malley - Moreau FYE Week Two). Father Hesburgh spoke with so many people, from so many different backgrounds. In order to fulfill my mission statement and pursue a life well-lived, Quinn 3 I strive to get out and meet new people. Dr. Robin DiAngelo also speaks on this topic in a way, claiming that “getting it when it comes to race and racism challenged our very identities as good white people” (“Why It’s So Hard to Talk to White People About Racism” by Dr. Robin DiAngelo - Moreau FYE Week 10). Coming from a sort of “bubble” in my hometown, in college I hope to expand my circle and converse with people from all over in order to learn more about others and myself. This also relates to Week 12, in which we learn about Dean G. Marcus Cole, who states that “One thing that each and every one of us can do is to end the cycle of hate by ending the separation that leads to it” (“Dean G. Marcus Cole: ‘I am George Floyd. Except, I can breathe. And I can do something” by Marcus Cole - Moreau FYE Week 12). I hope to become more informed on difficult issues in order to be able to share what I know with others and make the world a better place. In doing this, I must take action as well, to back up my words. While I tend to be a happy person and always strive to focus on the good, I learned in Week 3 that one must come to terms with the fact that we will all die at some point. As was learned from Sister Theresa Alethia Noble, “focusing only on the “bright and shiny” is superficial and inauthentic” (“Meet the Nun Who Wants You to Remember You Will Die” by Ruth Graham- Moreau FYE Week 3). In my mission statement, I speak about how I have learned that it is okay to not be okay sometimes. I think that this correlates with Sister Theresa Alethia Noble speaks about, in that both of these ideas focus on the fact that life is not all sunshine and roses. In order to pursue a life well-lived, I must realize that my life is not and will not be perfect. Taking the time to navigate one’s career journey, while it may be very difficult and frustrating, is an important step in discerning what one’s plan for living a life well-lived in the future encompasses. It is hard to choose a major and pinpoint what one wants to do with their life Quinn 4 when there are so many options and different paths. I once read that “there is no “best major” out there - but there is a “best major for you” (“Navigating Your Career Journey” - Moreau FYE Week 4). While I have struggled a bit to decide on my major, I do feel that it is right for me. In my mission statement, I speak about how I want to stay true to myself and what I love. In the future, I hope to do this. I do not want to work a job just for the money. I hope to continue pursuing a major and a career that is right for me and for who I am meant to be. I believe that, if I do this and am working for something that I love, I will be living a life well-lived. While I am pretty certain about what I want to do with my life, it is often helpful to consult others and see what their viewpoints and thoughts are on what they think is best for you. In a recent conversation with my mom, she told me that in me, she is able to see “how much I value God, family, and friends” (Interview with Mary Quinn - Moreau FYE Week 5). It was comforting to hear this from my mom, as I loved hearing that she sees this love in me. In my mission statement, I speak about how I hope to stay true to my beliefs. Faith is such a big part of my life, and by keeping a solid prayer life and engaging with my faith, I believe I will be able to stay close with God and act on this faith daily. While yes, I do believe that it is important to spend time in self-reflection in order to learn more about oneself and what one’s calling is, too much time spent in self-reflection can often leave us more lost than when we started. “We can spend endless amounts of time in self-reflection but emerge with no more self-insight than when we started” (“The right way to be introspective” by Tasha Eurich PhD - Moreau FYE Week 6). I believe that self-reflection is vital in pursuing a life well-lived, but I also believe that, at a certain point, one must learn to be confident in what they believe is their calling in life. In pursing a life well-lived, I must be confident in who I am and who I believe God is calling me to act as. Quinn 5 I love my people, and I hope to keep them close. In Pope Francis’s TED talk, he states that “each and everyone’s existence is deeply tied to that of others” (“Why the only future worth building includes everyone” by Pope Francis - Moreau FYE Week 7). I truly do believe in this statement, as I believe communion with others truly is what fulfills a person and keeps them going. Living isolated from others is far from what I believe it means to live a life well-lived. As Professor Steve Reifenberg states, one must “look beyond [their] immediate concerns; show compassion and accompany one another” (“Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together” by Professor Steve Reifenberg - Moreau FYE Week 9). I stated in my mission statement that I hope to surround myself with good people. In order to live a life well-lived, I strive to give more than I receive in my relationships with others. I desire to be a selfless friend who does what is right. In order to better oneself, it is important that one takes matters into their own hands. THis idea is revealed in a podcast by Hidden Brains Media, specifically focuses on politics in this matter. It states that “If they wanted to actually participate in politics, they would go about this all differently” (“Passion Isn’t Enough” by Hidden Brains Media - Moreau FYE Week 11). As this line states, one must follow up their words with real action. As my mission statement states, I hope to be some one who stays true to my beliefs. I strive to actually do this in both word and in deed. Overall, while I am proud of who I am as a person, I know that there is so much growth I have ahead of me. In taking this Moreau course, I have come to learn so much about myself and about others. I hope to take this knowledge and apply it to my life and my future so that I can best live out the mission statement I aspire to stay true to. Quinn 6 Sources: Week 1: https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ Week 2: https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-858 1-ab9500c9ecd9 Week 3: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html Week 4: https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ Week 5: (Interview with Mary Quinn): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yZ7hqvx-u4EuW2nlK-fRbWFiurQm1mZv_KpoeeiN4So/ edit Week 6: https://ideas.ted.com/the-right-way-to-be-introspective-yes-theres-a-wrong-way/ Week 7: https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_inc ludes_everyone/transcript Week 9: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/e dit Week 10: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bdVnfLDrJUJhd-4UtYb_kfRpcFgOoOeY7O1WT8_d3iw/ edit Week 11: https://hiddenbrain.org/podcast/passion-isnt-enough/ Week 12: https://law.nd.edu/news-events/news/dean-g-marcus-cole-i-am-george-floyd-except-i-can-breath e-and-i-can-do-something/ https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yZ7hqvx-u4EuW2nlK-fRbWFiurQm1mZv_KpoeeiN4So/edit https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yZ7hqvx-u4EuW2nlK-fRbWFiurQm1mZv_KpoeeiN4So/edit https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/edit https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/edit https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bdVnfLDrJUJhd-4UtYb_kfRpcFgOoOeY7O1WT8_d3iw/edit https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bdVnfLDrJUJhd-4UtYb_kfRpcFgOoOeY7O1WT8_d3iw/edit https://law.nd.edu/news-events/news/dean-g-marcus-cole-i-am-george-floyd-except-i-can-breathe-and-i-can-do-something/ https://law.nd.edu/news-events/news/dean-g-marcus-cole-i-am-george-floyd-except-i-can-breathe-and-i-can-do-something/