Roemer Moreau Integration


Not Your Average Dan 
I believe that I am not afraid to be vulnerable. 

As Dr. Brené Brown discussed in her TedTalk, you have to believe you are worthy of love and 

belonging to have a strong sense of love and belonging, which means being vulnerable.  I 

actually enjoyed Dr. Brown’s emphasis on vulnerability, something I believe to be a criminally 

overlooked virtue.  By living with vulnerability and overcoming the fear that you aren’t worthy 

of other people’s affection, you are allowing yourself to be loved, connected and ultimately 

happy.  This point particularly resonated with me, as showing vulnerability is something that I 

struggled with growing up (and still do at times).  In fact, two things in my life have strongly 

encouraged me to be vulnerable: My cousin and my section at Notre Dame.  My cousin battled 

depression and anxiety his whole life, and unfortunately took his own life during COVID-19.  

Now, his family advocates through an organization to encourage the discussion of depression and 

discouraging keeping emotions inside.  Furthermore, when I arrived at Notre Dame, within the 

first few weeks, our section adopted a white board in our hallway that tracked everyone’s mood.  

This was completely voluntary, but made it so much easier to discuss the tough parts of the day 

rather than a quick 5-second conversation that doesn’t mean anything. 

Citation: (“The Power of Vulnerability” by Brené Brown - Moreau FYE Week One) 

I believe that I focus on my ‘eulogy’ qualities over my ‘resumé’ qualities. 

When I was going through the college process, a process that encourages ‘resumé’ qualities such 

as leadership positions, I focused on my ‘eulogy’ qualities first.  Funny enough, this actually 

made my resumé look great, but what I sadly realized is that my generation is so focused on their 

resumé that they don’t figure out what they are passionate about.  In fact, I thought it was 

interesting how Brooks pointed out basically the entire education system in the United States.  

Both public and private schools emphasized results over progress.  They tell you this: You have 

to get good grades to get a good resumé to go to a good college to get a good job.  But they never 

focus on the whole individual.  They typically ignore morals beyond ‘No bullying’ or ‘Treat 

others as you would yourself’ and rarely celebrate true moral behavior.  Perhaps that’s just my 



pessimistic bias with the education system talking, but I do believe there is a large amount of 

truth in this. 

Citation: (“Should You Live for your Resume or Your Eulogy” by David Brooks - Moreau FYE 

Week Two) 

I believe that I view everyone through the same lens. 

I really love the analogy that Professor David Fagerberg makes here.  Essentially, he says that 

when the lighting is the same inside and out, we see the world as it is.  However, if it’s light 

inside and dark outside, then we lose sight of the world around us.  Similarly, if we observe 

something we are unfamiliar with (other cultures, traditions, religions, etc) in our own 

perspective (light), then we are likely to misunderstand it.  In fact, we tend to go back to our own 

experiences and perspectives when this happens.  Simply by viewing something in a different 

light, he argues, we can acknowledge the beauty and reality of the world.  This is the way I was 

brought up by my parents.  I was taught to understand that other people have different beliefs and 

that that was okay. 

Citation: (“Faith Brings Light to a Dark World” by Professor David Fagerberg - Moreau FYE 

Week Three) 

I believe that I surround myself with good friends. 

Typically, I am a very good judge of character, likely because my mom always gossiped to me 

about her friends and/or family.  She has a good moral compass, so as a result, I also developed 

the ability to find true friends as opposed to toxic ones.  In the Grotto article, one of the signs of 

a toxic friend is that they only talk about negative things.  That is, they are constantly venting 

about themselves without asking about you.  I have been in numerous relationships, friend or 

otherwise, where I felt like I was putting in much more effort than the other person.  I would ask 

them about their day, and they wouldn’t ask about mine.  Small things like that that really 

bothered me.  I’ve learned to recognize this and try to find people that want to give as much as 

they take in a relationship. 

Citation: (“5 Signs You’re in a Toxic Friendship” by Olivia T. Taylor - Moreau FYE Week Four) 



I believe that I am very optimistic, even when things get tough. 

The phrase, “vita cedo dulspes,” appears on our Notre Dame diplomas and especially resonates 

with me, as I tend to live my life in the same manner.  I like to remember that no matter how bad 

things get, it can and will always get better.  This is a very comforting reminder when things 

seem to be going poorly.  Emphasized in Father Kevin Grove’s speech, you can rely on your 

family (both Notre Dame family and otherwise) to help you through this.  This is something that 

I think is so important in dorm life, and life beyond as well.  Like I mentioned earlier, my section 

has a whiteboard on our floor that tracks our moods on a line graph, and anytime someone is 

really down, we know very soon so that we can ask them what’s going on in their life that’s 

bogging them down.  Overall, this is a very appropriate motto on the Notre Dame diploma. 

Citation: (“Two Notre Dames: Your Holy Cross Education” by Fr. Kevin Grove C.S.C - Moreau 

FYE Week Five) 

I believe that I am very informed and do not draw stereotypes. 

In high school, my friends came from very different backgrounds, so I’ve learned to be very 

open to other cultures and not draw generalizations.  At first, I was a little presumptuous when it 

came to their lifestyles, but I quickly learned that I know so little about other cultures.  The same 

phenomenon was explored in Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche’s Tedtalk.  It truly highlights the major 

issues with news media and racism in the U.S. today.  Even though most people are not racist, 

the way they experienced the world has made them subconsciously avert other cultures.  This 

may also be due to the natural tendency of humans to be uncomfortable with things that are 

different to them, but it definitely sheds more of a light on how our culture is so self-centered.  It 

does not foster other cultures to allow them to thrive, but overpowers them, even if that is not the 

goal.  Overall, Adichie’s perspective is only one of many in the country, and something I still 

have to strive for many years. 

Citation: (“Danger of a Single Story” by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie - Moreau FYE Week 7)