Capstone Integration Teasley 1 Professor Espeseth Moreau First Year Experience 29 April 2021 A Golden Experience at the Golden Dome Mission Statement: My first semester at Notre Dame made me realize that while school is important, it is ok to sacrifice a little bit of studying in order to preserve physical health and spend time maintaining friendships. In my life, it is one of my missions to be available for my friends. I believe that my purpose is to solve problems. As technically the middle child, it was pretty much always my job to mediate whenever my younger twin brother and my older sister fought. Solving conflicts like these starts with understanding each side of the argument. I believe that every argument has two sides. It would be unfair to only consider one side when developing a solution. Even when it is difficult to understand someone’s side if it is clearly opposite of my virtues, I should still attempt to view the situation from their perspective. I believe that helping others is the most important thing I can do with my life. As an engineer receiving an education from Notre Dame, I am in an optimal position to become a premiere version of myself and maximize my potential so that I can better serve others. It is therefore my mission to use my talents, resources and career path to help others. (Moreau FYE Week Thirteen) As stated in my Mission Statement, I believe that the best way to help others is by finding a hobby or choosing a profession that you genuinely enjoy doing. This motivates you to put your Teasley 2 best foot forward in whatever you wind up doing. As the Notre Dame Career Center wrote, “The only way to know more about yourself is to test the waters - just get out and experience life! Everything you’ve done to this point, as well as all the interactions you’ve had with others, have already started shaping your VIPS. ” (“Navigating Your Career Journey - Moreau First Year Experience Course” by Meruelo Family Center for Career Development - Moreau FYE Week Four). I believe it is important to never be afraid to try new things. By doing so, you will eventually find something you are truly passionate about. For example, I used to work at Chick-fil-A. I quickly realized that I strongly disliked the monotony of working in a kitchen. This experience taught me that working in fast food is not the best way that he can serve those around him. While putting himself out there and exploring new interests, I learned the value of meditation. As Pico Iyer stated, “Don’t just do something. Sit there.” (“Why we need to slow down our lives” by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week One). Although it seems counterintuitive, sometimes we need to do less to do more. Before coming back to school after winter break, I spent his final hours at home rushing to pack and to see my friends and spend time with my parents and siblings. When driving, I usually enjoy listening to my 80s rock on full volume to keep my energy going. On the two hour ride back to school, however, I decided to drive in silence and reflect on what kind of semester I wanted to have and on what kind of person I wanted to ultimately become. This car ride allowed me to clear my head and evaluate what was keeping me from accomplishing my goals and come up with a plan to eliminate excuses and have a productive semester. At Notre Dame, I have also realized that too much of the wrong type of meditation can be harmful. Too much self reflection on the things I cannot control can be negative for your mental https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ Teasley 3 health. As Tasha Eurich noted in her study of people who do various amounts of self-reflection, “The people who scored high on self-reflection were more stressed, depressed and anxious, less satisfied with their jobs and relationships, more self-absorbed, and they felt less in control of their lives. What’s more, these negative consequences seemed to increase the more they reflected” (“The right way to be introspective (yes, there’s a wrong way)” by Tasha Eurich - Moreau FYE Week Six). It might be easy to assume that those who reflect on who they are more often would be confident with who they are and with where they are going because they have spent more time thinking about it. However, this study suggests that those who reflect on themselves more are more likely to be stressed, depressed, anxious, and less satisfied with their lives. This study taught me that I should focus more on the things that he can do and the talents he had instead of focusing on the traits he could not possess, like wishing to be taller. At Notre Dame, I often found myself comparing myself to my taller, stronger, and smarter friends. However, to live a life well-lived, I learned I have to accept the things that I cannot control and begin to focus on the things that I can control, like working out and studying more. When meditating in the right way, Moreau made me think of how I want to be remembered. As Fr. Michael Himes said, “The central issue in being a human being, and therefore in being a Christian, is what the New Testament calls Agape – a very particular form of love, a love which is self-gift, a way of giving oneself away to the ‘other.’” ("Three Key Questions" adapted from Fr. Michael Himes - Moreau FYE Week Three). The definition of the word agape aligns closely with my definition of a life well lived. I believe that a life well lived should be guided by a desire to help others. I also believe that it is important to genuinely enjoy what you are doing in order to maximize what you are providing the community with because when you enjoy what you do, your own happiness and satisfaction with your work will https://ideas.ted.com/the-right-way-to-be-introspective-yes-theres-a-wrong-way/ https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40250/files/471135?module_item_id=145929 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40250/files/471135?module_item_id=145929 Teasley 4 incentivize you to work harder for and give more to your community. This made me realize that I want to be remembered for my passionate assistance to others. Fortunately, I am in the best position to learn how to help others at the University of Notre Dame, which Father Hesburgh once described as “a crossroads where all the intellectual and moral currents of our times meet in dialogue. A place where all of the burning issues that affect the church and the world today are plumped to their depths in an atmosphere of faith, where differences of culture and religion and conviction can coexist with friendship, stability, and even love” (“Hesburgh” produced by Jerry Barca and Christine O'Malley - Moreau FYE Week Two). Notre Dame is a place where students are called to solve problems in an environment where a multitude of perspectives are present and many different cultures are celebrated. Much like Father Hesburgh’s accomplishments, Notre Dame puts many different cultures and backgrounds into conversation and produces solutions. I would like to use the skills I am learning while at Notre Dame to become a leader in the aerospace industry to lead not just my country, but all of humanity into the next frontier, which is space. Thanks to Moreau, A conversation with my mother solidified my thought that engineering is my passion (Moreau FYE Week Five). She told me a story about when I was in second grade and building Legos. She had bought me a 1,000 piece Imperial Star Destroyer Lego set for Christmas. She told me that I spent the next two days locked in my room putting it together. When I finished and was excited to show her the completed build, my twin brother smashed it back into a thousand pieces. Instead of getting upset, I picked up the pieces and went back to my room to rebuild the ship. My mother told me that as I grew up, I always looked for solutions to problems immediately. It is this quality that she thought would make me a great engineer. https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 Teasley 5 At Notre Dame, I have learned that one of the most important traits of a good leader is empathy. As Pope Francis said, “As I meet, or lend an ear to those who are sick, to the migrants who face terrible hardships in search of a brighter future, to prison inmates who carry a hell of pain inside their hearts, and to those, many of them young, who cannot find a job, I often find myself wondering: ‘Why them and not me?’” (“Why the only future worth building includes everyone” by His Holiness Pope Francis - Moreau FYE Week Seven). This quote stood out to me because it offers a new perspective for the way I see others who are less fortunate than me. I learned to put myself in their shoes and realize that we all have needs, desires, and feelings. At Notre Dame, I have realized that helping people who are suffering is not a one way street. People tend to give back. This is best described by experiencing accompaniment, a term that Steven Reifenberg illustrates on a mission trip to Santiago: “But it wasn’t only when I was sick that they accompanied me. They accompanied me – especially the kids – as they taught me Spanish, and as they helped me understand the complexities of their lives and the possibilities for finding some paths forward, which we began to work on together.” (“Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together” by Steve Reifenberg - Moreau FYE Week Nine). It surprised me that while Reigenberg intended to help the children in Santiago, the kids and community ended up helping him. After nursing him back to health, the kids and Reifenberg were able to come up with and implement solutions together. Even though both parties were suffering, they were able to collaborate and use each other to come up with ways to move forward. I feel that I have experienced accompaniment at Notre Dame. When I first got here, I suffered in the sense that I felt alone. However, after stepping outside of my comfort zone and introducing myself to other guys in my dorm, I realized that I was not the only one who suffered in this way. By talking to and hanging out with each other, we all were able to help each other not be alone. 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 Teasley 6 At Notre Dame, I have learned that a life well lived includes celebrating others for their differences. If everyone celebrated people’s differences, more people would feel comfortable and therefore the average level of happiness in society would increase. One moving story that shows the harm of not celebrating people’s differences is that of Jacob Walsh. Walsh writes, “It’s easy to see in retrospect that I was in denial. I didn’t know many people who were gay, let alone anyone who was both gay and Catholic. It seemed to me that there was no future as a Catholic if I was gay, but I did not want to walk away from the faith. This sexual orientation did not fit into any possible image I had for how my life could play out. Being Catholic did. So denial made sense.” (“Growing up Gay and Catholic” by Jacob Walsh - Moreau FYE Week Ten). Because Walsh believed that the Catholic community would not accept him for his sexuality, he lied to himself and remained closeted. In my life, I was raised in a Catholic family and have a gay twin brother. Unlike Jacob Walsh, as I grew up, I began to drift away from Catholicism as I am unable to reconcile the fact that Catholicism teaches against homosexuality. I believe, however, that people should be allowed to be whatever they want without judgment. I believe that our differences make us beautiful and should therefore be celebrated. To become an effective leader as part of my plan to live a life well-lived, I must learn how to consider multiple perspectives. Dr. Paul Blaschko advises not only to consider but seek out other opinions. Blaschko writes, “We should be intentional about the information that we expose ourselves to, seeking out intelligent people with whom we disagree and attempting to fully understand their arguments.” (“How to Avoid an Echo Chamber” by Dr. Paul Blaschko - Moreau FYE Week Eleven). I believe that the act of trying to truly listen to the other side is not done enough in today’s society. Reaching out to learn about the other side, one can reach a solution in which both sides benefit. As the middle child, I have had to mediate my fair share of https://grottonetwork.com/keep-the-faith/community/reflective-narrative-about-being-gay-and-catholic/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022 https://youtu.be/GaIVxQcqnLs Teasley 7 arguments. I have learned that to come up with a solution that both sides can agree on, it is necessary to understand the motives behind both sides. As a good leader, I must be courageous. Week Twelve of Moreau taught me an important lesson, which is the distinction between bravery and courage. A story that outlines this distinction is that of Dean G. Marcus Cole when humiliated by a white police officer. Cole writes, “At that moment, I remember thinking that the most important thing I could do for my sons was to survive the encounter. Still, I have often thought about what lasting scars may have cut into their psyche by watching what that officer did to me that night.” (“I am George Floyd. Except, I can breathe. And I can do something.” by Dean G. Marcus Cole - Moreau FYE Week Twelve). I believe that the brave option would have been to fight back, teaching his children to stand up for themselves and be proud of who they are; however, he would be risking not only his life, but a fatherless life for his kids. I believe the courageous choice is to be submissive to the officer and escape the situation with his life, being able to teach his kids more lessons later on. The difference between bravery and courage is that courage is rational, intelligent bravery. When you are informed, you can be courageous for many other people. To me, a life well lived includes one of leadership, helping others, and having passion in what I do. The material discussed in Moreau here at Notre Dame, combined with everything else I have yet to learn during my time here, will have put me in a perfect position to achieve my version of a life well lived. 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/