Ellis_Capstone Integration Moreau First Year Experience Mission Meghan: the Operation of a Lifetime Personal Mission Statement I am me, with all the complexities that make me who I am. I orient my life acknowledging the details and complexities that make me who I am. I will seek to learn, understand, and give. I will seek to ground myself with these intentions to guide my words and actions. My mission is to live my life as me, and to let my values drive me. I live with humility and integrity. I strive for inclusion, hoping that I can help people from all walks of life thrive. I think and act with compassion for the people and world around me. I ground my life in love, knowing that love will light the way. Orienting My Life to this Mission: ● I will remember to rest and be kind to myself. I consider myself a compassionate person, but sometimes I forget to give myself that same compassion. There have been multiple times this semester where I wish I had remembered to take my foot off the pedal and take the time to rest. There was one week this semester where I had three exams and two papers due in the span of 72 hours, and slept maybe ten hours during that time. I definitely remembered the importance of being kind to myself after that. Ambition is important, but so is rest. One quote that continues to stand out to me about rest comes from an article written by Pico Iyer that we read for the first week of Moreau. Iyer said that “The need for an empty space, a pause, is something we have all felt in our bones; it’s the rest in a piece of music that gives it resonance and shape” (“Why we need to slow down our lives” by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week One). As a musician, I particularly like the music analogy in this quote. Rest gives our work makes our work more motivating and meaningful. I have learned that rest is an act of kindness that is crucial to my well-being. Treating myself with kindness is something that I want to focus on. I’m not perfect and it’s unrealistic for me to expect perfection from myself all of the time. As Father Hesburgh said, “it’s impossible to have a complete and honest human story if one doesn’t speak of human failings as well as human successes” (Hesburgh by Father Theodore Hesburgh - Moreau FYE Week Two). I’m not going to meet all of my self-imposed expectations and I’m going to make mistakes, but that’s okay. For instance, it’s perfectly fine for me to finish with a B in organic chemistry. I’m trying my best and that’s what really matters. Being kind to myself and remembering to be human is important. ● I will pursue my passions and try new things! I think this part excites me because I’m a curious person. I want to “look for the ways joy leads [me] forward” and “look at the ways joy leads [me] on to other questions” (“Three Key Questions” by Father Michael Himes - Moreau FYE Week Three). Over the next three years, I plan to take a variety of courses in different subject areas because there’s no better time to ask https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40306/files/475736?module_item_id=149263 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40306/files/475736?module_item_id=149263 Ellis 2 questions than the present. I want to lean into my curiosity. This curiosity will remain an important part of my well-lived life. Trying new things scares me a little bit because I’m very cautious, but I believe that broadening my experiences is important for my well-lived life. I know that “the only way to know more about [myself] is to test the waters - just get out and experience life” (“Navigating Your Career Journey” by Meruelo Family Center for Career Development - Moreau FYE Week Four). I know that my time in university is a great time to branch out and try new things, so I want to take advantage of all the opportunities that I can. I’ve seen my first snowfall, taken the train for the first time, and experienced so many new things during the short time that I’ve been here. I want to make sure I use this time to try new things and create memories that will last a lifetime. ● I will respond to difficult moments with compassion. Not every moment in a well-lived life will be great. I’ve faced some major challenges in my future, and a lot of those issues are related to my health. This semester I was in the emergency room twice and had to take a month-long course of steroids. These challenges are unquestionably difficult to handle and I’ve struggled quite a bit to deal with them. We watched an interview with Dr. Jihoon Kim for Moreau that stood out to me. After dealing with health issues, Dr. Kim stated that “once I began focusing on what I can do already, it also changed my disadvantage as well” (“5 Minutes” by Aria Swarr - Moreau FYE Week Six). The issues I face aren’t fun (especially the health ones), but I’ve grown a lot from them. Every moment is a learning opportunity, so I want to view my struggles as opportunities to grow. When I do experience difficulties, I choose compassion. I make the choice to be vulnerable and pick kindness. For instance, I made the choice to be vulnerable during Welcome Week and then I met some of my closest friends at Notre Dame. Pope Francis explains that “tenderness is the path of choice for the strongest, most courageous men and women. Tenderness is not weakness; it is fortitude. It is the path of solidarity, the path of humility” (“Why the only future worth building includes everyone” by His Holiness Pope Francis - Moreau FYE Week Seven). My well-lived life will be led by vulnerability and compassion. Some of my most cherished moments come from acts of solidarity through vulnerability. ● I will cherish and support my loved ones. Community is crucial to a well-lived life. My family is very important to me and I’ve missed them a lot this semester. I remember having a moment of realization about how much my family means to me when I was reminiscing with my mom during the conversation we had for the discernment activity (Discernment Conversation Activity with Mom - Moreau FYE Week Five). My mom especially has helped me through this school year as I have struggled with health challenges at school. I want to make sure that I cherish my family. I hope to keep my family and loved ones close throughout my life because I can’t imagine my life without them. As I surround myself with my loved ones, I have to make sure that I am there for my loved ones just as they are here for me. I couldn’t do it without the support of my community and I want to do the same for them. Steve Reifenberg said that “solidarity is about our relationship with the https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/transform/why-does-god-allow-suffering/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022 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/1yZ7hqvx-u4EuW2nlK-fRbWFiurQm1mZv_KpoeeiN4So/edit Ellis 3 other, and through the practice of accompaniment we make it real and move it forward.” (“Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together” by Steve Reifenberg - Moreau FYE Week Nine). In my well-lived life, I will accompany my family and community through solidarity and support because I know that they do the same for me. ● I will uplift the people and voices around me. Uplifting the people in my community is a personal goal of mine because I know what it feels like to be the one not heard. Everyone deserves to be respected and listened to. The University says that we, as a community, “consciously create an environment of mutual respect, hospitality and warmth in which none are strangers and all may flourish” (“The Spirit of Inclusion at Notre Dame” by University of Notre Dame - Moreau FYE Week Ten). This inclusion is incredibly important to me. Inclusion can be as simple as including my pronouns when I introduce myself and not assuming that people celebrate the same holidays that I do. No matter how big or small the act, enabling other people to succeed is something I want to do throughout my well-lived life. Uplifting the voices of the people in my community is also important. There are people in the communities that I belong in that aren’t heard like I am, even here at Notre Dame. It’s important to uplift those voices so that they can be heard and have their needs addressed. Eitan Hersch discusses elevating community member’s voices when he says that a people “can help their own neighbors move forward on some issues that they care about” (“Passion Isn’t Enough” by Hidden Brain - Moreau FYE Week Eleven). Although Hersch talks about it within the realm of politics, this idea applies to communities and other areas too. For example, I’ve seen people help their classmates stand up for their ideas in discussions when they weren’t being given time to talk. I want to do things like that to make sure that everyone is included and heard. ● I will care deeply. From social injustice to full-on war, the world is filled with turmoil. As Dean Cole wrote, “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 - Moreau FYE Twelve). I cannot live a well-lived life without acknowledging that there is suffering in the world and work to address it. Similar to the University’s Mission, I hope that I can develop a sense of human solidarity and concern for the common good” (“University of Notre Dame Mission Statement” by Notre Dame - Moreau FYE Week Thirteen). I won’t pretend that I believe that I can bring about world peace or anything like that, but I know that I can help somehow. One way that I know I want to serve is by joining a service club on campus to help serve the South Bend community. I know that I can make a difference because I care deeply. Although I can’t say for certain what my well-lived life will entail, I hope that these principles will guide me as I navigate through the next three years of my life. Notre Dame has so much to offer and I want to make the most of the time that I have here. I look forward to what comes next and know that I will remember these memories for the rest of my life. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/edit https://dulac.nd.edu/university-mission-and-vision/spirit-of-inclusion/ https://dulac.nd.edu/university-mission-and-vision/spirit-of-inclusion/ https://hiddenbrain.org/podcast/passion-isnt-enough/ 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/ https://www.nd.edu/about/mission/