Moreau Integration 2


My Mission Statement and How I will live my Life
Throughout my life, I have cultivated and pushed myself to have a core set of values that will
guide me throughout the rest of my life. In doing so, I have realized that “stepping farther back
and standing still” allows you to “see what that canvas…really means, and to take in the larger
picture” (“Why We Need to Slow Down our Lives” by Pico Iyer, FYE Week 1). The canvas of the
rest of my life is going to be driven by the same principles that pushed Father Hesburgh to be
such an amazing figure. He was able to be such a key figure during the Cold War as “he could
talk with Russian scientists and American scientists” and “they were pleased to have a mediator
even if they didn’t believe in the Catholic Church but they respected him as a man of religion”
(“Hesburgh” by Jerry Barca and Christine O’Malley, FYE Week 2). It is these values and stories
that guide me to be a force for good and change in the world. I want to be someone that people
rely on to do good in the world and that is able to be a powerful influence on the systems that
have disadvantaged minority groups for decades. I see this as a vital issue of human existence
because loving one’s self and loving our peers is important to preserving the bonds of human
relations. I think this is because the “central issue in being a human being…is…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” by Fr. Michael Himes, FYE Week 3).

Additionally, I want to make sure that in my life, I am choosing the best path that can bring me to
the forefront of systems that I need to work to change. I know that it will be hard to get there.
However, in those moments of pain and desperation, find the things that you enjoy doing. Know
that “there’s no relationship between introspection and insight” (“The Right Way to be
Introspective” by Tasha Eurich, FYE Week 6). Know yourself and how you respond to those
tough moments so that you can overcome them and come out a stronger person. The things
that will give you a fulfilling life are not the things that will make you the most money or make the
most friends. It is the thing that makes you feel the happiest and you lose track of time. When
you get to college, this is going to be so important because “There is no ‘best major’ out there -
but there is a ‘best major’ for you” (Navigating your Career Journey, Meruelo Family Center for
Career Development, FYE Week 4). No one can find the best major for you because it all comes
down to exactly what you find most fulfilling in your life. This is why in your life, you should take
advantage of those moments where you are stress-free and you feel as if you have all the time
and ability in the world to explore your passions and who you want to be. You’ll learn this later in
life but always remember to not “seek or rely on validation or recognition from others as my
main source of happiness” (Friend Conversation, FYE Week 5). Using others as a crutch for
your own happiness or your purpose does not give you the fulfilling moments where you can
feel completely happy with yourself. You will always feel as if you are acting just to get people to
like you. However, there is a difference between relying on others and utilizing the friendships
you have and the moments where you need your friends to support you. “None of us is an
island, an autonomous and independent "I," separated from the other, and we can only build the
future by standing together, including everyone” (“Why the only future worth building includes
everyone” by His Holiness Pope Francis, FYE Week 7). There are always moments where you
have to turn to your friends and find support in those who care most about you. Taking care of
and loving yourself doesn’t always come naturally or doesn’t always happen and in those
moments, it is completely fine to turn to your support system and find the things that you love.



Finding those small moments where everyone loves each other and is happy with the way
things are will give you the most gratitude and happiness. At the end of the day, living a life
well-lived constitutes a lot of things. You have to balance your interpersonal relationships to stay
mutually beneficial and not toxic for either side. Find the passions and the things you love to do
that makes work feel like a hobby. All in all, I know that you’ll be able to do it and take the
lessons I’ve told you and make them part of your own life so you can be better than I ever was.

I want to make sure that I am able to use my power for good. I want to constantly be a presence
that others can rely on. I find that “solidarity is about our relationship with the
other, and through the practice of accompaniment, we make it real and move it forward”
(“Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together” by Professor Steve Reifenberg, FYE
Week 9). For example, the systemic racism that has been ingrained in our education systems
for decades is something that I want to tackle and work on. In particular, creating conversations
and spaces for all to learn about cultural backgrounds and become more understanding of the
people who live in the US. Recognizing that “socialized into a deeply internalized sense of
superiority and entitlement that we are either not consciously aware of or can never admit to
ourselves, we become highly fragile in conversations about race. We experience a challenge to
our racial worldview as a challenge to our very identities as good, moral people. It also
challenges our sense of rightful place in the hierarchy” (“Why It’s So Hard to Talk to White
People About Racism” by Dr. Robin D’Angelo, FYE Week 10). Additionally, “It is urgent that we
recognize that human rights are under threat all around the world, including here in the United
States. This reality must be acknowledged, and addressed. (“I am George Floyd. Except, I can
breathe. And I can do something.” by Dean G. Marcus Cole, FYE Week 12). Creating these
spaces for conversation is also what will allow both me and those around me to recognize the
ways in which our current habits have shaped our information intake. Understanding “the
differences between bubbles and echo chambers provides the key to understanding how we
can protect ourselves against the dangers that each present to the way we form our beliefs”
(“How to Avoid an Echo Chamber” by Dr. Paul Blaschko, FYE Week 11).
Thus, I find my mission statement to be driven by the surroundings of my education and those
who I have spent time with. I take inspiration from the Notre Dame Mission Statement and I
seek to be someone who can pride himself on being a person that cultivates “a disciplined
sensibility to the poverty, injustice, and oppression that burden the lives of so many” to serve
those all around me (Notre Dame Mission Statement, FYE Week 13).