Professor Pruitt
Moreau FYE
18 April 2022
Moreau Capstone Integration – A New Mission Statement
	Over the course of my first year of college, I have learned so much about who I am as a person and how I want to live my life. I have encountered many challenges and experiences that pushed me to step out of my comfort zone and into independent learning and thinking about my career goals, societal flaws, and deeper questions about my faith. I am so thankful to be in a community that truly facilitates lasting companionship. Upon reflection, I can confidently say that I have a deeper understanding of how I can pursue a life well-lived, and I know that I have the support system to achieve this overarching and ever changing goal. 
	My mission is to have a positive impact on the world through my work and interactions with others (Week 13, Developing a Mission). In order to achieve my career goals, I must be comfortable with self-reflection, so I can clearly discern where I want to pursue my career and discover where my passions lie. In completing the “Pause for Reflection” activity sheet from the first week of Moreau, I was able to identify that I need to work on mindfulness and efficiency in my work (“Pause for Reflection” activity sheet – Moreau FYE Week 1). Practicing this self-reflection was so important in increasing my success in school, and pushed me closer to achieving my goal of making a positive impact through my work. And, through self-reflection, I was able to identify what specific resources I want to use from Notre Dame to achieve my goals. A quote from week 4’s reading really stood out to me – “Every experience shapes you in some way, whether you realize it at the time or not!”(Merulo Family Center for Career Development – Moreau FYE Week 4). It is important to remember that all of the difficult courses and errors we experience in discerning our future plans are worthwhile and ultimately shape who we are. Furthermore, having someone to look up to is integral to my journey of finding passion and success in medicine. For example, reading about Notre Dame grad Dr. Conley and her mission to discover medicine for cancer was very inspiring to me. She used her degree in science along with her devotion to her faith in order to make a positive impact on so many lives (“Domer Dozen” – Moreau FYE Week 2). Similarly, my Mom’s insight and guidance through the difficulties of medicine and the effort it requires to achieve your goals is so helpful to me (“Week Five Discernment Conversation Activity” -Moreau FYE Week 5). Having someone that went through the medical school process to talk to about what I am looking to get out of the experience is so important to me. I am able to have honest conversations about how my values align with this career, and where I may face difficulties. In my profession, I hope to focus on solving broader healthcare disparities, similar to the “Initiative to Solve Health and healthcare inequities” presentation at the MSCA Symposium (MCSA Symposium Summaries – Moreau FYE Week 12). My education here at Notre Dame has facilitated my courage to act upon pressing societal issues. Through my faith, I want to help prevent suffering for people, and serve those who are struggling. This presentation was a wonderful outline for doing just that – building community partnerships while forwarding clinical innovations. 
The second element to my mission statement is to bring positivity to others, and form a sense of community in the environments I am in with strong values and an appreciation for life. Relationships are so important in achieving happiness and fulfillment. It is so important to open our arms to unlikely friendships and shift our mindsets from “you” to “us” (His Holiness Pope Francis, TED Conferences – Moreau FYE Week 7). This insight encourages me to expand my circle, and embrace the people around me as a support system – especially here at Notre Dame, where difficult classes and greuling coursework are so much more manageable with strong camaraderie. On a broader scale, one of my values in life is helping those in need around me through service. It is necessary when doing service to open your arms to the friendships you can form with poeple, and what you can learn from them – “one cannot accompany without being accompanied, in the same way someone cannot be a good friends without being open to friendship” (Professor Steve Reifenberg – Moreau FYE Week 9). This has proven so enriching to me when I volunteer at the Catholic Worker House. I have heard so many perspective-changing stories that have truly affected my life and shaped my mindset. Moreover, an integral aspect of my mission is to facilitate acceptance in any community I am apart of. I hope that everyone’s differences can be celebrated and respected, so we can create a positive, welcoming, and safe environment for everyone to flourish and truly be themselves. Social teachings of the Catholic Church and Notre Dame have emphasized that “Jesus sought out and welcomed all people into the Kingdom of God”(“The Spirit of Inclusion at Notre Dame” – Moreau FYE Week 10). An important step towards achieving this community of acceptance is learning to see issues from multiple perspectives, becoming the most informed version of yourself. It is easy, especially when in an environment of like-minded people, to lose sight of outside experiences and interpretations of pressing issues – falling into echo chambers (Dr. Paulo Blaschko – Moreau FYE Week 11). To combat this cycle, I make it a priority to converse with people of different backgrounds and walks of life, especially pertaining to political and social issues. And, with social media so tailored to perpetuating the political polarization of our country, I have been making sure to read from a wide variety of news sources when looking into current events.
A final aspect to my mission statement is to achieve personal growth through my faith, mindset, mindfulness, and outlook on life. One of my favorite readings from this course was about the concept of memento mori – “to intentionally think about our own death every day, as a means of appreciating the present and focusing on the future” (“Meet the nun…” – Moreau FYE Week 3). I have truly adopted this mindset, and have noticed that I have an increased appreciation for the present moments I am living in. I feel especially grateful during my walks to class, funny moments with friends, and during mass to name a few. And, another shift in mindset that has been beneficial to me while pursuing a life well-lived is from “why” to “what”. Proposing questions with “what” allow us to see potential for growth rather than ruminating on the past, trapping us in cyclical thinking (“The Right Way to be Introspective” – Moreau FYE Week 6). I have used this many times following difficult exams in order to correct my study plan and perform better in the future. It has truly allowed me to move forward and avoid time wasted thinking about things I cannot change.
This year has been a year of growth for me in all aspects of my life. I have been able to form a community and life in a new location, and am so blessed to have an amazing support system of friends and family. I look forward to pursuing this mission I have created – and to keep learning about how to live a life well-lived during my time at Notre Dame. I will miss our Moreau discussions, and am grateful for what I have learned over the course of the year.