Moreau Integration One Assignment


Living My Notre Dame Dream

Throughout my time at the University of Notre Dame so far, as well as my time as a
student in Moreau, I’ve found that as I have begun a deep dive into attempting to uncover my
core beliefs and values, I’ve developed a better understanding of myself and others around me.
From writing about what I’m searching for and why, to writing about how I believe I can best
achieve self growth, I’ve felt as though I have grown in multiple different aspects of my life,
including as a student, friend, and proud Notre Dame community member.

I believe that my search for self identity requires me to challenge myself both in action
and thought, while at the same time challenging myself to express these thoughts and actions to
others. By actions, I refer more to how I present myself to others. In the process of discovering
what I’m searching for and as I work to better understand myself, it is paramount that I be
vulnerable around others, even in uncomfortable situations, while also maintaining courage and
confidence in myself. These same ideas were referenced by Dr. Brown, as she described how
as we begin to express these emotions that may often be difficult to show, that we can see the
most self-growth. She also made the key point that while not always easy, “vulnerability isn’t
necessarily a sad thing, but instead a quality that should be embraced and put into practice.”
(“The power of vulnerability” by Brene Brown - Moreau FYE Week One) I find this distinction to
be crucial because I’ve found that as I try to better express my vulnerability, that I must view it
as an opportunity to grow, rather than something sad.

I believe that I can become my most authentic self by focusing on being the most
authentic version of myself. This week two TedTalk highlighted the difference between the
questions of how we can become the most successful versus how we can become our most
authentic selves. This first question was atom one, and the second was atom two. My favorite
quote from the talk highlighted the difference between the two. It stated that, “Atom one’s motto
is success. Atom two’s motto is love, redemption, and return.” (“Should you live for your resume
... or your eulogy?” by David Brooks - Moreau FYE Week Two) Since then I have worked to put
this idea into practice. I think for me as a college student at an extremely competitive university
it is crucial to keep this in mind. Focusing on building real, loving relationships with my peers,
instead of thinking simply about my own success, I believe, will have a drastic effect on my
Notre Dame experience. Throughout my life, I have tried to grow to be as authentic as possible.
Yet, during my time in high school and during the college application process I, at times, felt my
drive for authenticity became lost in my attempts to get the best grades and test scores in order
to get into the best schools I could. While none of those were necessarily bad things, they have
opened my eyes and have shown me that the search for authenticity does indeed yield the most
rewarding results, and in the process allows me to feel more full and enlightened.

I believe that faith informs the way I see the world in a variety of ways. I also found
Father Pete’s message to be extremely impactful, as he stated that “... a community that seeks
on its best days to be a family and endure with the hope and pain that we can at times cause
one another.” (“The Role of Faith in Our Story”  by Fr. Pete McCormick, C.S.C. - Moreau FYE
Week Three) To me, I view this as representing the importance of developing both the mind and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0&list=PLmiPsabET-W_hjesjTZaITh2s1WbM-Kd0&index=3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlLWTeApqIM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlLWTeApqIM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcZMeqWWOIs&feature=youtu.be&ab_channel=UniversityofNotreDameCampusMinistry


heart. I believe that this means developing my relationships with others, while also improving my
relationship with myself in my search for self discovery. I’ve found that during these first few
weeks at Notre Dame that nearly everyone I have met has been so kind and genuine. As a
result, I have challenged myself to spread this same kindness and love to others. In this
challenge, I feel I have begun to understand myself better and also strengthened the bonds and
connections that I have with the incredible people around me.

I believe that I can forge live-giving relationships by presenting the most authentic
version of myself to everyone around me. This ties into the other ideas I have already
discussed, relating to how I’ve attempted to be more vulnerable, as well as more authentic
throughout my time at Notre Dame. I also believe that this idea takes on an even more
important role when relating to relationships and love in the form of a girlfriend or boyfriend.
These relationships then take on a different meaning, yet the core values remain the same. I’ve
found that whether someone is just a friend, or, for me, a girlfriend, that the importance of
vulnerability and courage, two qualities that are crucial in self-identity, remain paramount. The
reading stated that one major red flag in a relationship is when “one partner feels that he/she
can’t live without the other.” (“Healthy Vs. Unhealthy Relationships” by The Red Flag Campaign
- Moreau FYE Week Four) To me, this represents the idea of individuality, as I believe that while
a relationship should allow me to become extremely close with another person, they should
never allow me to feel as though I myself cannot remain independent, or that my own qualities
and being is not enough.

I believe that stories and my experiences play a huge role in shaping my journey. The
week 5 QQC allowed me to take a step back and look at the bigger picture of how my
experience has been thus far and gave me insight into how I can work to improve future
experiences as well. I grew up as part of the Notre Dame family. My dad, uncle, and aunt went
here, and now my brother and I are both currently students here. My entire life has seemingly
been surrounded by Notre Dame and while this has been amazing, I’ve found that now here as
a student I’ve put a lot of pressure on myself to do well. I believe, however, that as I’ve settled in
and continued my pursuit of self discovery that a lot of this pressure has been relieved. I now
know that I do belong here, and that the Notre Dame community is home. As the Your Holy
Cross Education video stated, “A Catholic education means that every discipline that searches
for truth, shares in that final and most beautiful truth that calls us to serve each other in love.”
(“Two Notre Dames: Your Holy Cross Education” by Fr. Kevin Grove - Moreau FYE Week Five)
Hearing these words allowed me to take a step back and focus on the bigger picture ideas of
what the University of Notre Dame can give to me, and how I can best utilize my time at this
extraordinary institution. I believe and have found that this starts with me simply being myself,
striving to make connections with all the beautiful people around me.

I believe that reflecting on experiences and encounters and how they’ve shaped me into
who I have today is crucial in my development of both my current and future self. I’m from a
loving home, family dinners, sporting events, and loyal and caring friends. All of these things
mean the world to me and I think that as I expand upon them during my time at Notre Dame, I
can continue to define who I am now and who I will continue to become. I want to expand upon

https://drive.google.com/a/nd.edu/file/d/0B93cIKOnINCLS1JpUzZ5Q1JseGs/view?usp=sharing
https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=859bc1a8-0d0f-4eb4-a1c1-d0a45c429187


this group of loyal friends, building a new family in a sense here at Notre Dame. Of course,
keeping my family at home as a priority, but also finding people who I can love in a similar way
to support one another while we’re away from our homes. This relates to my favorite quote from
our reading of the Where I’m From Poem that states “I want to know when you get to be from a
place that doesn't have roots like trees.” ("Where I'm From", by George Ella Lyon - Moreau
FYE Week Six) While all students here at Notre Dame come from different homes originally
where they live with their families, I’ve come to realize home in a sense is less physical, but
more my own perception of where I feel the most belonging and love. I can proudly say that
Notre Dame is now a new home for me.

I believe that I pursue truth by removing any prior bias or judgement of others before our
interactions. In doing so, I can be so much more open-minded, allowing for my interactions to be
more authentic and far less limited. While at first I wasn’t sure exactly what it was, the reading
defined implicit bias as follows: “(A) tendency for stereotype-confirming thoughts to pass
spontaneously through our minds is what psychologists call implicit bias. It sets people up to
overgeneralize, sometimes leading to discrimination even when people feel they are being fair.”
(“How to Think about 'Implicit Bias',” by Keith Payne, Laura Niemi, and John M. Doris - Moreau
FYE Week Seven) As I have begun my Notre Dame journey, I have strived to meet as many
people as possible, attempting to form new connections and build relationships with others. In
this process, I’ve found that I’ve met so many different types of people from such a wide variety
of backgrounds. As such, I’ve attempted to go into all of these different interactions without bias,
in order to allow every conversation and encounter I have to reach their full potential.

Overall, I believe in kindness, courage, and compassion. I believe that without all three
of these components, I will never be able to reach my fullest potential, and that I, as a Notre
Dame student, will never be able to get the most out of the incredible opportunities that this
great University has to offer.

http://www.georgeellalyon.com/where.html
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-think-about-implicit-bias/