Microsoft Word - Soza-Integration Three.docx Soza 1 Fr. Kevin Sandberg Moreau First Year Experience, Section 121 4 March 2022 How I Can Become a Better Leader Now that my first semester as a college student is complete, I need to spend more time contemplating how I can use my strengths and talents to make the world a better place after I graduate from Notre Dame. My first semester of college revealed quite a bit about the way other people behave in difficult situations and when confronted with stressful circumstances. Seeing how other individuals behaved allowed me to reflect upon my own behavior, trying to find ways for me to improve myself. As someone who has sought out leadership positions at different points in my life, these opportunities at college have allowed me to reflect upon what makes a good leader and what I can do to become a good leader. During the first few weeks of first semester, it was a bit overwhelming. I was living in a new state nearly 2000 miles from home. It seemed like there was always some extracurricular activity to participate in. In high school, I wrote for the school newspaper and competed on the debate team, but I prioritized my academic performance above all else. In the first few weeks of school, I realized that I was falling into the trap that Deresiewicz observes is plaguing students throughout the world: “[S]tudents have been taught that that is all that education is: doing your homework, getting the answers, acing the test. Nothing in their training has endowed them with the sense that something larger is at stake” (2014). Deresiewicz also reports an observation from a student that suggests “I’ve seen my peers sacrifice health, relationships, exploration, activities that can’t be quantified and are essential for developing souls and hearts, for grades and resume Soza 2 building” (2014). While I may have felt like I way falling into that trap, I knew that I needed to focus on balancing extracurricular activities and academics because education is only a means to achieve a temporary end like a job. There are more important things that exist in the world such as friendships. While I may have felt myself overfocused on my academics in the first few weeks of the year, my faith helped me to escape from this trap. My Catholic faith is very important to me because faith was not always easy for me. I questioned my faith when I was confronted with various health issues. I resonated with Pope Francis’s commentary on the value of hope: “Hope is the virtue of a heart that doesn't lock itself into darkness, that doesn't dwell on the past, does not simply get by in the present, but is able to see a tomorrow” (2017). When I struggled with my faith, I fell away from God because I was too consumed with the results that would come from my prayers. However, when I came to realize that God works in ways that are not always understandable, I changed my outlook toward faith. Being at Notre Dame has allowed me to strengthen my faith and become a more faithful Catholic because of the countless opportunities offered on campus. My experiences with faith influence the way I view introspection. Faith can be an intensely personal thing, or it can be something someone experiences with many other people. Faith encompasses not only the bedtime prayers but also the communal bible study sessions. I believe faith and introspection are related because both activities can occur personally or with a group. Furthermore, in both settings, individuals can become sidetracked and lose the true purpose of their actions and motivations. When an individual engages in self-introspection, thinking about oneself for an extended period “can cloud our self-perceptions and unleash a host of unintended consequences. Sometimes it may surface unproductive and upsetting emotions that can swamp us and impede positive action. Introspection might also lull us into a false sense of Soza 3 certainty that we’ve identified the real issue” (Eurich, 2017). Similar problems can also arise in group settings. In his speech to the United States Military Academy, Deresiewicz discusses the value of friendship in introspection, observing “one of the best ways of talking to yourself is by talking to another person” (Deresiewicz, 2009). Talking with someone else can allow an individual “to allow you to acknowledge things--to acknowledge things to yourself--that you otherwise can't. Doubts you aren't supposed to have, questions you aren't supposed to ask. Feelings or opinions that would get you laughed at by the group or reprimanded by the authorities” (Deresiewicz, 2009). These realizations can be good, but they rely upon having a good mentor. Having a good mentor is the key to meaningful group introspection. As Parks observes, “The art of mentoring is located, in part, in assessing the readiness of the protégé to recognize and creatively respond to heretofore unseen opportunities, ideas, dangers, relationships, and solutions” (2000). If a mentor is unable to get that mentee to recognize these things, then the mentee will fail to gain any meaningful insights; instead, the person will be trapped in a state of confusion and doubt. However, a good mentor can be invaluable. Good mentors can get an individual to reorient one’s mindset for the better: As someone who is being mentored, it is important to have “[t]he humility to hear what we are good at and the humility to hear what we are not good at” because these observations present crucial opportunities for growth (Himes). As I move forward at the end of my freshman year of college, I know that I want to positively change the world to propagate my values. Coming to Notre Dame is one of the first experiences I have had where I do not feel like I have to self-censor. Growing up in Los Angeles, being outspokenly Catholic and conservative was far from the norm and likely to inspire scrutiny and social stigma. However, these experiences have motivated me to be authentic to myself and Soza 4 focus on promoting good in the world. I resonated with Deresiewicz’s description of what the world needs in order to enact good: “People who can think for themselves. People who can formulate a new direction: for the country…. People, in other words, with vision” (Deresiewicz, 2009). As I go forward, I want to change the world to ensure that every child has access to a quality education regardless of zip code and that the unborn are treated with respect. Seeing the way that my values have been trampled in past decades, I am committed to restoring them regardless of the cost. I was influenced by Himes’s commentary on joy: “Joy is the delight one takes in being dissatisfied. It is the deep delight that one feels in being called to something still before you—to a new decision and to a new way of living” (Himes). Although I am only in my second semester of college, I, with the help of these readings from the Moreau First Year Experience course, recognize that in order to make a difference in the world I must engage in meaningful introspection and find individuals willing to mentor me on my journey. I cannot get distracted by my own thoughts that cloud my judgment. I must realize the priorities I have and work tirelessly to achieve them.