- Moreau: First Year Experience - Counting My Blessings Melonio 1 Professor Retartha Moreau: First Year Experience 15 October 2021 Counting My Blessings Never would I have thought that I would be blessed enough to attend the University of Notre Dame through the Gateway program. One year ago, I shrugged, said, “What the hell?” and submitted my application to the university, not thinking much of it. A few months later, I get the letter that tells me I’ve been admitted through the Gateway program, and something in my heart stirs. As cliché as it sounds, I knew at that moment that I was going to end up here. I thank God every day that I have the privilege to learn in such rigorous classes, pass the Golden Dome on my walks across campus, and spend time with people that I know that I was destined to meet. As I look back on my first eight weeks here, I find that my beliefs have significantly changed. I strongly believe that connections are built upon vulnerability. I vividly remember driving to Spring Lake, New Jersey with two of my Gateway friends this past August. We were about to meet about twenty other members of our cohort and spend the weekend with them. My stomach was in knots, and I couldn’t stop fidgeting with my necklace and pulling on my fingers. What were they going to think of me? Before I stepped out of the car, I gasped and came to a sudden realization; I have a fresh start. If I wasn’t going to be my authentic self, then what was this all for? If I wasn’t going to let myself step out of my comfort zone, then how would I truly connect with everyone? In that instant, I took a breath and embraced myself fully, flaws and all. As Brené Brown said, “They fully believed that what made them vulnerable made them Melonio 2 beautiful” (“The Power of Vulnerability” by Brené Brown - Moreau FYE Week One). I walked inside of the beach house and I was myself. That weekend, I fostered friendships that, over the course of these two months, have become ones that I know will last a lifetime. I believe that everyone has an important story to tell, and first impressions can never fully reveal that story. As a Gateway student, first-year Notre Dame students might have preconceived notions about me and the rest of my cohort. Some of them probably assume that we weren’t smart enough to get in first year, nor do we deserve to call ourselves Notre Dame students. What these individuals neglect to consider, is who we are besides the fact that we are Gateway students. Who we are “is conveyed not through facts but through emotional experiences — stories” (“How to Destroy Truth” by David Brooks - Moreau FYE Week 7). The single fact that they rely on is that we are Gateway students. If they were to dig deeper, though, they would learn that each and every one of us are here for a reason. Friendships could form between us, and they could abandon this one fact that they might think makes us “lesser” than them. I believe that God has put me on this Earth to love. I was raised to put love above everything: love above anger, love above arguments, love above sadness, love above differences. God urges us to love one another unconditionally. Since I’ve arrived at Notre Dame, I remind myself of this each morning when I wake up and every night before I go to bed. It’s become what I value most in life. The VIA Character Strength Survey picked up on this during my second week on campus (The VIA Character Strength Survey - Moreau FYE Week Two), as it was my main strength. I wasn’t at all surprised by this, as it’s something that’s always been so prominent in my life. I believe that I was blessed with this life, and now it is my duty to give back. Victor, Class of 2023 puts words to my beliefs perfectly when he explains how “the one thing that I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0&feature=youtu.be https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/01/opinion/patriotism-misinformation.html?referringSource=articleShare https://www.viacharacter.org/survey/account/register?registerPageType=popup Melonio 3 could never lose and that no one could ever take away from me is my faith” (“Student Reflections on Faith at Notre Dame” by Victor, Class of 2023 - Moreau FYE Week Three). If I were to be stripped down to nothing, I would still have God watching over me. He brought me into this world, and he will guide me unconditionally until the hour of my death. I believe that this is the greatest gift that I will ever receive: the gift of life. This is entirely why I want to study medicine. I can’t work miracles like He can, but I can assist with giving people their lives back by getting their health back in check. I believe that I have the power to be the voice for the voiceless. At this same time one year ago, I was at the darkest point in my life. I came to the realization that I had been sexually assaulted several times by my best friend. Going to school with him was gut wrenching, and being in the same room as him made me physically ill. I reached out to everyone that I could: my friends, my teachers, the school administration, my parents. Nobody fully understood me, nor did a majority of them believe me. My high school always preached the same message as the University of Notre Dame: “It’s On Us” (“It’s On Us ND - The Three D’s of Being an Active Bystander” - Moreau FYE Week Four). Unlike the University of Notre Dame, however, my high school refused to follow this message. I was entirely ignored for months, and it was only when my parents threatened legal action that my school acted somewhat accordingly. After nearly a year of recovery and therapy, I am so thankful to say that I am now in a place to look past this point in my life and help others. I never want anyone to feel what I felt and go through what I went through. Everyone deserves to be listened to, and I vow to speak up for those who cannot. I believe that true happiness and contentment won’t come without making mistakes and working harder than I ever have. Even though these past eight weeks have been filled with many great memories, they’ve also been filled with me spending hours studying in the library. As a https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YVemqUBaAs5DNBPYm806TyQZr3F0xElP/view https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YVemqUBaAs5DNBPYm806TyQZr3F0xElP/view https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Qk5iI7HctYydSB3xYZs5hNClJ-uo5Hq4/view https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Qk5iI7HctYydSB3xYZs5hNClJ-uo5Hq4/view Melonio 4 prospective premed student, I am being pushed to limits that I didn’t even know I had. As if this weren’t stressful enough, I’m also a person who doesn’t like making mistakes. For the longest time, I was convinced that mistakes were a sign of weakness and inferiority: I always had to be on my A game, I always had to be the best, and I always had to be on top. After all, “I am from flashcards, Textbooks, pencils, and lots of paper” (“I Am From” by - Moreau FYE Week 6). I had to be perfect. During the first week of classes here, I realized that I had it all wrong. As Carla Harris states, “Failure always brings you a gift, and that gift is called experience” (“Notre Dame Commencement 2021: Laetare Medalist Address” by Carla Harris - Moreau FYE Week 5). This is something that I’ve been learning to embrace over the past two months. The University of Notre Dame doesn’t expect perfection: in fact, it’s discouraged. If I were to spend my time trying to be perfect and “the best”, I wouldn’t be truly happy. The absolute best thing that I can do for myself is working hard and doing my best. Mistakes and failure are inevitable; it’s how I get back up that will be the difference between happiness and misery. Every chance I get, I visit the Grotto. I profusely thank God for putting me on this Earth, and for thoroughly changing my life for the better. Words will never do my gratefulness justice. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cuy-bTh2pwaRRMxhDe69BLEC4tV0MNgnnqvS5VDonrM/edit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjSwjn-SyB4