Moreau FYE Integration One Professor Vanessa Chan Moreau FYE Due: 10.15.21 A Child of God Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to undergo valuable introspection and confront myself with meaningful questions about my identity and my beliefs. I’m very grateful for Notre Dame making sure we take the Moreau FYE; while some may view it as superfluous, I’ve had a wonderful time in my section with my classmates and Professor Chan, who brings the class together like glue. Through this time I’ve spent reflecting, I’ve come to discover some deeply rooted beliefs that are a core part of my identity and have shaped the person I am today throughout my life’s journey. My first and most important belief which resides over and pervades all areas of my life is my faith. I am a Protestant Christian first and foremost. I believe in Jesus Christ as my saviour; through Him all are saved, not by works but by grace. While I have valued this aspect of my life for as long as I can remember, week three gave me an opportunity to take a breather and think about what my faith truly means to me, especially now that I am here at ND. I’ve gotten a better idea of how it's been a guiding force throughout my life. My parents, who are also very devout (but never pressured me to be a Christian) often seek God’s will through prayer; this concept may seem esoteric to those who hold different beliefs, but everywhere that God has led me has build me up in different ways and were valuable experiences to help me grow. (I’ll discuss the places I’ve lived in later). God has not failed me, even in my lowest points when I’ve felt angry at Him or didn’t understand why certain things happened. My values, then, are strongly influenced by my faith; I try to live so that at the end of every day no one will despise me or feel that I’ve wronged them. I desire to be the light of the world, and coming to ND has been like bathing in a beacon of light. A quote I loved from week three’s QQC was from Father Pete’s video (an awesome guy): “A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy. I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” (“The Role of Faith in Our Story” (Fr. Pete McCormick, C.S.C.) - Moreau FYE Week Three). It highlights the difference between those who walk according to their faith and those who reject God’s love for them. One of the reasons I was attracted to ND was that it was an institution founded upon the Christian faith that had not rejected its values in favor of secular pandering. I have not been let down, I absolutely love it here. Fr. Pete, in the video, also explains how through faith we can build each other up and have the full communal experience in our time at ND by coming closer to each other and God. This ties into week two, when we analyzed our strengths and weaknesses. My top strength came out as Spirituality (VIA Character Strengths Survey (VIA Adult Survey) Moreau FYE Week Two) followed by Bravery. Therefore I believe my strength lies in my faith (“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13) and my bravery in living out that faith without shame, without ever forgetting why and how I am who I am. This analysis into my qualities only further cemented the place that Christianity holds in my life and heart. I was concerned when I came here that people might not take their faith too seriously, and while that may sometimes be the case, I’ve found amazing people and entire groups of Christians (not just Protestants) here that have allowed me to be encouraged and to encourage each other. For example, participating in Iron Sharpens Iron, a group of believers that meets for worship and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcZMeqWWOIs&feature=emb_imp_woyt https://www.viacharacter.org/survey/account/register?registerPageType=popup fellowship weekly, has given me true joy and a time when I can rest my burdens on God and have heart to heart conversations with people who similarly understand the great role our saviour plays in our lives. I believe that only by being genuine can you be a true friend. In high school, despite attending a Catholic prep school, few of my classmates held any true beliefs or even ethical compasses. There was lots of talking behind others’ backs, artificial relationships and constant masks/pretending. People never really said what they were thinking and sometimes it was hard to become close friends with certain people because of this behaviour. While I did find a few true friends, I also experienced being left out or not receiving invites to activities. The Grotto Article from week four says “The best kind of friendships are the ones where you leave with a smile on your face.” (“5 Signs You’re in a Toxic Friendship" (Olivia T. Taylor, Grotto) - Moreau FYE Week Four). The toxic signs discussed in the article are very real and present, not just at my high school but among almost all groups of adolescents these days. As we place increasing value on the self I’ve noticed that people can begin to care less and less about those around them. I think ND, however, is a great exception where everyone treats each other as a family; it is truly heartwarming to be on this campus witnessing the care and affection we all have for each other. Weeks five and six made me ponder the stories, the places I’ve lived in and how I’ve been affected by them and learned from them and ND’s story as well. I believe that each region of the world I live in has played a crucial role in my growth and development and that there were things I had to learn from each place to progress in my life. Despite being born in California, I spent my early years in Wilmore, KY. It was the perfect place to grow up, a warm, small town filled with joy and peace, with churches on every street. I learned true kindness here. Living overseas in Taiwan during middle school when my parents felt called to serve at an overseas https://grottonetwork.com/navigate-life/relationships/signs-of-toxic-friendships/ seminary was very tough at first, due to extreme culture shock, but it allowed me to further embrace my Asian heritage and come to see firsthand where my Dad is from (my dad’s Taiwanese, my mom is Korean). I eventually ended up loving it there, not to mention the delightful cuisine. In Rhode Island I witnessed the core of our nation, New England, filled with rich history and a sophistication not found elsewhere. It helped me iron out kinks and understand the upper classes of our nation. And in Los Angeles, where I live, I’ve witnessed a cultural melting pot and also seen the carefree sector of America slowly fade as people treat the state with less and less respect (litter everywhere!). Each of these places has made me who I am, and ND has even more depth. In terms of the complexity of our journeys, I am like Notre Dame. Being able to attend a school with a beautiful history is amazing. In Fr. Grove’s talk he quotes Fr. Sorin: “This college will be one of the most powerful means of doing good in this country.” (“Two Notre Dames: Your Holy Cross Education” (Fr. Kevin Grove, C.S.C.) - Moreau FYE Week Five). I hope that the vision of this University can help me achieve that good, to go out into the world and change it after God’s own heart. I will use the skills I hone here, the people I meet, the things I do, to shake the outside world to the core. And I genuinely believe this place has and will continue to do good in not just this country but the whole world, because it has God. And “if God is with us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). This search into myself will continue, even after I am done with Moreau. I will keep the lessons I’ve learned from weeks one and seven in mind as a framework moving forward. I believe that truth is best discovered through opening yourself up and being vulnerable and that having multiple perspectives and aspects gives the most complete picture. In her moving Ted Talk, Chimamanda Adichie says “A single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue but that they are incomplete.” (“The Danger of a Single https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=859bc1a8-0d0f-4eb4-a1c1-d0a45c429187 https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story Story” (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, TED - Moreau FYE Week Seven). This is one of the most truthful statements of all time. Stereotypes come not from lies but from omissions of truth, inaccurate portrayals of ideas and cultures that can miss out on beautiful things. When we jump to conclusions, or listen to unilateral narratives, we risk missing out on not only the actual truth but parts of people and ideas. In order to accept new ideas that may be different or foreign we must accept that “Vulnerability is kind of the core of shame and fear and our struggle for worthiness but it appears that it's also the birthplace of joy, creativity, belonging, love.” (“The Power of Vulnerability” by Brené Brown - Moreau FYE Week One). You cannot open up and experience so much more without first giving up a part of yourself in becoming vulnerable and ready to grow. ND is home to so many different people from all over the world, who have different religious beliefs, orientations, and political ideas. While I’ve had a colorful geographical past, I am looking forward to all I will continue to learn and absorb from this amazing community around me. Every day I meet someone new who tells me something I may have never considered before. In class, my peers present newfound knowledge and ask questions that prompt me to ask my own. Only by having respect for each other and our differences can we show respect for the truth, the whole truth. While I don’t exactly know what belief was cemented by my week six poem, I loved writing it and found it a breath of fresh air in a fast paced, self centered society that values forgetting the past and where they are from. Being reminded of my origins and each step that has added a layer of depth to my identity was incredibly fulfilling to delve into. Thank you for this opportunity to take the plunge into truths that matter, and I look forward to everything this course brings next! https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0&feature=youtu.be