Sullivan 

Professor Chan
Moreau First Year Experience
15 October 2021
Sometimes, It Just Takes a Change of Scenery to Find Yourself
	“You are the expert on you.” (“Where I’m From” George Ella Lyon - Moreau FYE Week 6) A simple idea, yet easily forgotten. Before this year, I often struggled with self-reflection and discovering what my core beliefs consist of. However, especially from writing the “Where I’m From” poem, I’ve been able to dive a little deeper into what I value - who I am on the inside.
 “We often are not taught to recognize the sin within ourselves and how to wrestle with it” (“Should You Live for your Resume or Your Eulogy?” David Brooks, TED - Moreau FYE Week Two) I feel that this quote emphasizes one of the reasons I subconsciously avoid self-reflection - to stray away from facing my faults head on. However, I believe that we, as humans, should be encouraged to face our faults and find the beauty within them. Some of our greatest weaknesses can also be our greatest strengths if looked at from a different angle. One thing I often notice about myself is that I am always overthinking, sometimes to the point where it could potentially harm a relationship I have with someone else. Despite viewing this as a weakness, I believe it can also be a strength. Although I often overthink, I also radiate immense amounts of love and care for the people in my life and I don;t really view that as a weakness. It takes a lot of courage for someone to recognize their weaknesses, along with their sins, but when they do, they begin to grow. 
	Another belief I have is that faith is a necessary factor in my life and that I have matured significantly as my relationship with God has developed.  “The most basic identity I have is in God..” (“Student Reflections on Faith” Cheyenne, Curated by Campus Ministry - Moreau FYE Week Three) As Cheyenne mentioned, God is where our identity lies. Before coming to Notre Dame, my faith was weak; I always did the bare minimum and found myself going through the motions of Catholicism. Although I attended a Catholic grade/high school, I never felt the connection with God that I had hoped. Fortunately, it is different here. My faith has grown tremendously since my transition into college and it has only been two months. Moreover, I believe that faith should be approached by choice, not force. In high school, the choice had already been made for me, but as I entered this new stage of my life, my free will was put to the test. I had the opportunity to decide whether or not I wanted to continue my faith journey and develop a genuine relationship with God, without the pressure of my peers. However, I must admit my encounter with God at Notre Dame can not be entirely credited to my own soul-searching. I made a certain friend when I arrived here. She believes so strongly in the Lord and her love for Him and His works is evident in everything she does. She has inspired me to reevaluate my own faith and make the most out of classes such as Moreau and Theology:Foundations. She is a primary example of the next belief I wanted to specify. I believe that relationships are an instrumental part in personal growth, as well as simply living a happier life. “The best kind of friendships are the ones where you leave with a smile on your face, knowing you’re both growing to be better people and that you’re helping each other get there.” (“5 signs You’re in a Toxic Friendship” Olivia T. Taylor, Grotto - Moreau FYE Week 4) Although this quote is slightly cheesy, the message is important. All relationships - with friends, God, family, etc. - are pointless unless you are both pushing one another to achieve your full potential. Something I feel strongly about is to keep your standards high regarding friendships and relationships. I deeply believe that if there is an aspect of your life, whether it be a relationship or a career, that is not bringing you joy or growth, it is not worth wasting time on. Our lives are too short to not always be striving for our full potential, with people by our sides that will help us get there. Fortunately, the relationships I have made at Notre Dame are beyond incredible. There has not been a single person that has said they didn’t want to be here and I have not found a single friend that is not overwhelmingly supportive of my success. I truly could not imagine myself anywhere else. 
On another note, there is another aspect I have discovered while proceeding along my faith journey that I feel compelled to mention; uncomfortableness. To be honest, I never would have predicted the uncomfortableness that comes with developing a relationship with someone that you’ve never met. There is a certain level of vulnerability that comes with talking to God and it has been quite the learning experience reaching those levels. Although my faith has undoubtedly been strengthened since my arrival, I still find it difficult at times to open myself up fully to God and pour my complete trust into Him. “The people who have a strong sense of love and belonging believe they’re worthy of love and belonging.” (“The Power of Vulnerability” by Brene Brown - Moreau FYE Week One) What Brown mentions is exactly what I have found to be a barrier in my life in the past, but that barrier has been diminishing as my time at Notre Dame has lengthened. The sense of community and belonging here at Notre Dame is almost tangible. As an example, this past weekend I attended a mass that celebrated the African American Catholic faith. It was incredible and eye opening to me to see the entire community of Notre Dame together to perform a different type of mass. It also put into perspective that many African American Catholics are deprived of their normal celebration of mass, and made me appreciate the inclusivity that Notre Dame strives for and achieves by activities such as hosting that mass. Furthermore, I believe that the beauty of faith comes from the people and from a mutual trust in the Lord, regardless of the type of mass celebrated or the denomination. “We cannot love the God that we do not see, if we can’t love the brother that we do see.” (“Two Notre Dames: Your Holy Cross Education” Fr. Kevin Grove, C.S.C. - Moreau FYE Week 5) In my eyes, everyone is equal in God and God is equally as present within each of us. We must love one another as we want to be loved and fully envelop ourselves in the community that comes with that relationship. 
Lastly, I believe in happiness. I believe in love and the importance of strong relationships. I believe in the beauty of the Lord and His creation. I believe that every person has depth, whether they portray it or not. I believe that the formation of a community begins with trust and support. What I don’t believe in is stereotypes. As Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie mentioned in her TED talk, “When we finally are able to look past the single stories, we can find paradise,” (“Danger of a Single Story” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, TED - Moreau FYE Week 7). At Notre Dame, as far as I have seen, the community is strong and there is a constant emphasis on inclusion and support. Unsurprisingly, I chose to attend the University of Notre Dame for the academics and the social scene surrounding sports and being a highly ranked university. Ironically, I completely underestimated the sense of belonging I would feel succeeding my arrival and the love I would develop for this life I am now living. Notre Dame has unquestionably changed my life, and as mentioned before, it’s only been two months.