3/4/2022
				“Started from the bottom, now we here “ 
So, this is where it has ended. While I might not have done all the things I wanted to do in my life, I lived a life in which I have no regrets in, which I think is worth something. I tried to give back to the people around me, and I hope that in the end I was able to leave an impact on those around me. The path I have travelled was the one less travelled on, but I was able to see things that no one else has seen before, things that were shaped to fit my own perceptions. I think that in a unique way to myself I have lived well, following the beliefs that I formed throughout my entire life. Those three questions I learned in Notre Dame, “Is this a source of joy, is this something that taps into your talents and gifts—engages all of your abilities—and uses them 
in the fullest way possible, is this role a genuine service to the people around you, to society at large” (“Three Key Questions” by  Father Michael Himes - Moreau FYE Week Three). Thinking about it now, a lot of the things I have done follows the criteria set by those questions, no wonder I don’t feel any regrets as I die.  
I feel like the point I would say completely changed the way I saw things was when my Scientific Research teacher after reviewing me and my partners poster board with him, he levied some of the harshest criticism that I have ever had on any piece of work. After that, it made me rethink the way I did things, as before that I only did things to get a grade or accomplishment rather than being fulfilled by the things I do. I slightly remember this being one of the main subjects of the conversation I had to do for Moreau, I did it with Tito too (“Week Five Discernment Conversation Activity” by Me - Moreau FYE Week Five). Hah, funny how that’s one of the things I remember as I die.  I feel like this is the moment that ended up making me love research and the sciences in general, I also wanted to become a doctor because of him in the end, he ended up being my favorite teacher in the end too. The most important thing was that I found out what brought me joy to do, while also finding the perfect career at would allow me to do the things I enjoy while maximizing the amount of people I help in the process. I remember a lot of the hardship that I encountered throughout the years to come after this, COVID 19 virtually cutting my Highschool years short, which also inadvertently ruined the Research program at my school as we were not able to obtain funding anymore. Makes me recall the story of JD Kim, the fact that he thought he ruined his life, on the verge of suicide yet still came out of that time on top was really inspiring for me during my time there, since I had to continue the tough road I laid out for myself (“5 Minutes” by Aria Swarr - Moreau FYE Week Six ). Still, even with those hardships, many good things came out of that time too, one of them being me getting into Notre Dame, which is where I learned a lot about how to redefine what a “life well lived “is, they called it. It is something that was brought up a lot during my time there, from my philosophy classes to Moreau, that concept was brought up to me all the time. I would like to feel as though I accomplished what I think that concept means to me. I remember when we had to do career discernment activities during Moreau, which was not useful for me as I already knew what I wanted to do, but I feel like during that time, it gave me the courage to push through the hard road that would surely be ahead of college (“Exploring a Life Well-Lived - Career Development Reflection” by Meruelo Family Center for Career Development- Moreau FYE Week Fourth). I wanted to live my versions of the life “well lived “and to do that I needed to become a doctor, that’s what I wanted to do, which helped me a lot during the arduous years that were medical school and then residency that followed, now those were times in which I almost gave up, but I pushed on. The most important part about all this, was that I was able to accomplish my goals with the people I cared about around me. I always thought about being alone at the time in which I died, I thought living a life well lived revolved around the concept of leaving an impact of your own, in a unique way only you can do. Maybe these thoughts helped me stay on track living a good life. But looking at me now, it seems those thoughts were unfounded. I don’t think that living a good life can happen if you end that life alone.  “The future is made of you’d, it is made of encounters, because life flows through our relations with others” (“Why the only future worth building includes everyone” by Pop Francis  - Moreau FYE Week Seven) Said by Pope Francis himself, I agree with this statement, especially now that I have lived through life long enough to give my own opinion on it. It is only because of these people, that I was able to finish Medical School, become a neurologist and continue my research on the brain as I saved countless lives. I can only die without regrets. 
Life itself for me felt so fast, as I was in school for 1/3 of my life and the rest was hectic, as I was always in the hospital. I like the fact that as life went on, it got less and less hectic, giving me more time to reflect on the events that got me to where I found myself, A skill I learned in the first week of Moreau. “It’s only by stepping farther back and standing still that we can begin to see what that canvas (which is our life) really means, and to take in the larger picture”. (“ Why we need to slow down our lives ” by Pico Lyer- Moreau FYE Week One).  How many times I was able to this in my life I can count on my fingers, a testament to how fast life can go. But I think that I still made it out well, considering at this point I have no regrets, and I think that the way people will remember me is one that I am completely satisfied with. 
As I lay here on my deathbed, I remember the time we talked about Father Hesburgh, someone who has had an impact on so many things, my Alma Mater, Civil Rights, Women Equality. He was a sort of enigma, an anomaly in the world who was apart of everything. While I had my triumphant victories, I also had my failures, but both of these aspects of my life are indeed the story of my life as “It’s impossible to have a complete and honest human story if one does not speak of human failings as well as human successes ”, (“ Hesburgh ” by Jerry Barca and Christine O Malley - Moreau FYE Week Two) said in the Hesburgh Documentary. At my last chapter, I think I was able to live my life the way I wanted to, while living one that helped the people around me. I have absolutely no regrets, and in that essence, I am happy with my death. I don’t want to leave the people I love behind, but I know I will always be in their hearts, and that fact gives me solace. I am happy at the end, and I think I am ready to depart from this world.