A Tale of a Life Well Lived Every person wants their life to matter. In my 19 years, I have come to believe that for me, a life well-lived is one in which I know and follow the plan God has for my life. Many people struggle with even knowing what God’s will is for their life, let alone following it. Yet, I have been blessed with the gift of faith that has been nurtured by my parents. Through my relationship with God, developed through prayer, bible reading, and listening to Him speak through others, I have identified what my well-lived life looks like. I believe my life’s purpose is to identify the talents God has given me, to use those talents to praise God and make this world better than it was when I entered it, and to grow in my faith while allowing God’s joy and love to shine through me (Personal Mission Statement - Moreau FYE Week Thirteen). Early on my parents knew I had an engineering mind. As a toddler, I was fascinated with how pulley systems and electrical switches worked. I continued to follow this passion into my middle and high school years. I loved doing projects around the house such as installing garden lighting, operating our pool, and even building my own model train village. As I’ve grown, I have found that doing projects which ultimately help others is much more enriching. It is through this that I can emulate Jesus’ heart of service. As Sister Aletheia said, "my life is going to end, and I have a limited amount of time" ("Meet The Nun Who Wants You to Remember You Will Die" by Ruth Graham - Moreau FYE Week Three). If I truly want to make this world a better place, I know I must use my God-given talents now since tomorrow is never promised. I try my best to pursue this mission by helping others with engineering-related tasks whenever I can. A few years ago, after my grandfather passed away, I volunteered to be my grandmother’s handyman by doing things like fixing her outdoor lighting and installing new Wi- Fi. During my junior and senior years of high school, I began to pursue my passion for helping to stop global warming by securing an internship at a chemical and environmental engineering lab at Yale University. This amazing experience brought me an immense amount of joy and fulfillment. Embracing Father Michael Himes ("Three Key Questions" by Father Michael Himes - Moreau FYE Week Three) suggestions on picking a field of study, I chose to enter Notre Dame as an engineer because of the satisfaction and joy I feel every time I engage in engineering projects. When I realized I had to declare my engineering major earlier than expected, I took this decision to prayer and ultimately felt God pointing me to civil engineering, mainly because it is through civil that I could best use my talents to help our planet. By optimally designing transit systems and infrastructure to emit the least carbon footprint possible, civil engineers have an opportunity to alleviate some of the disastrous effects of climate change on our planet. In addition, many civil engineering projects provide immediate benefits to people. Knowing I have helped the lives of people in big or small ways brings me a lot of joy. To this end, I planned out specific ways I can pursue my well-lived life utilizing my engineering talents as a college student. I will be applying to go to Africa with the NDSEED team to build a bridge to connect an isolated community to health care and education. This summer though, I will be working on a smaller scale. My dad recently started a business and is not yet pulling a salary. To alleviate potential financial burdens, I volunteered to take care of all the house projects on my parents’ to-do list. I want to contribute to my family and praise God by using the talents He gave me to make my parents’ lives a bit less stressful. Once I become an upperclassman, I plan to look into summer internships that focus on infrastructures that positively impact others. When it comes time to secure a job after graduation, I thankfully know https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40388/files/473345?module_item_id=147866 from the Career Development Center ("Navigating Your Career Journey" by Undergraduate Career Services - Moreau FYE Week Four) that this decision does not permanently lock me into a specific field and that I still can explore what might truly bring me the most joy. God has also given me a good singing voice which I have used to praise and worship Him throughout my life as a member of my high school and church choir and school musicals. My favorite singing experiences were the annual choir visits to assisted living homes to sing Christmas songs to the residents. My plans had always been to join a Notre Dame church choir, but my freshman year has been riddled with several upper respiratory infections, a concussion, and COVID. Looking back, I know I could have found a way to sing in my hall’s choir despite these health setbacks. In the future, I can learn from Pico Iyer not to allow "distractions" ("Why We Need to Slow Down Our Lives" by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week One) to deviate me from God's plan. I have always believed God wants me to use this singing talent within my faith- based community. Just as "Christ was anointed to bring good news to the poor, release for prisoners, sight for the blind, restoration for every broken victim," ("Mission" by Congregation of Holy Cross - Moreau FYE Week Twelve) we also need to spread the good news. For me, I can share the good news through singing. One of my priorities for next year is to join my dorm's choir that sings during Sunday mass. I know this will bring me joy and can add to the worship of my hall. As St. Augustine famously stated, "to sing is to pray twice." Another talent I have is my openness to other people’s views while at the same time being able to exercise a strong moral compass that helps guide me toward what is ultimately the truth. As mentioned by Dr. Paul Blaschko, it is extremely important to avoid echo chambers. "In surrounding ourselves with people who agree with us, we are losing our sense with how someone might reasonably disagree" ("How to Avoid an Echo Chamber" by Dr. Paul Blaschko - Moreau FYE Week Eleven). Fortunately, I have had the opportunity so far throughout my life to be exposed to diverse beliefs and opinions. I often find these ideas very intriguing, as they can alter or deepen my understanding of topics and at times move me to action. For example, through my in-depth discussions with my mentor at Yale University about methanol, I became very passionate about the issue which ultimately resulted in me presenting my work and advancing to the Regeneron semifinals, a national science competition. Yet, not all of my experiences with diverse viewpoints are fruitful for me. Ideas that go against my faith are when I am tested the most. I’ve come to learn that sometimes what appears to be an intriguing idea or what sounds like a lot of fun, such as drinking to get drunk on weekends, is really the enemy trying to turn me away from God. Just like Father Hesburgh, I am very committed to relying on my strong moral compass during these times to pause and make the decision for myself which will prevent me from deviating from what I know to be the truth ("Hesburgh" by Jerry Barca - Moreau FYE Week Two). In situations like this, instead of being led astray, I try my best to use the opportunity to spread God’s truth by my example. In addition to utilizing the many talents God has given me, it is extremely important to grow deeper in my faith. Up to this point in my life, I believe I may have grown the most during times of suffering. It is human nature to want to avoid suffering, but I have been taught and have experienced firsthand that God promises to give meaning to suffering. Sometimes it comes so He can reveal something to us, and other times to help us rely on Him and trust Him more. However, if I forget to approach hard times within these truths, it can be very overwhelming. As Dr. Jihoon Kim notes, "we often focus on the things we do not have" ("5 Minutes" by Grotto - Moreau FYE Week Six). Often when we are suffering, we can become resentful of others who seem to have such a happy life. But during these hard times, I have https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://holycrosscongregation.org/holy-cross-resources/constitutions/2-mission/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaIVxQcqnLs&t=1s https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/transform/why-does-god-allow-suffering/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022 https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/transform/why-does-god-allow-suffering/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022 learned to look for the good because I know God makes beauty from ashes. When my grandfather recently passed away, I lost my best friend and our family lost its faithful and loving patriarch. Yet this heartbreaking event actually brought me and especially my grandmother closer to the faith. It is as if we all now have a human lifeline to heaven. We miss him terribly, but there is still joy within the pain. I think the joy is rooted in my trust in God. I know where my grandfather is, and I look forward to the joy of being reunited with him in heaven. However, suffering is not something God wants us to go through alone. He wants us to lean on Him, family, and friends. As Pope Francis notes in a virtual Ted talk, we need each other to get through our everyday lives ("Why the Only Future Worth Building Includes Everyone" by Pope Francis - Moreau FYE Week Seven). Additionally, Steve Reifenberg notes that we must accompany each other through our struggles ("Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together" by Steve Reifenberg - Moreau FYE Week Nine). I was very fortunate to have close friends who were there for me during the hardest time of my life. I later had the opportunity to be there for one of them when she was suffering from an eating disorder and was hospitalized. We spoke a lot and I was able to support her and remind her that God was also there to accompany her through this trial. Even though I'm not the one suffering in situations like this, I often experience a strengthening of my faith as I hear different people's perspectives on religion and we share our beliefs. While my faith grows in times of suffering, it also blossoms in times of happiness as I’ve experienced this school year through Iron Sharpens Iron, an interdenominational Christian club. The ISI community serves as a catalyst for sharpening one another in faith and building community among believers on campus. We meet every Thursday night for worship, prayer, a talk, and socializing. It is through these times that I can share and discuss my faith with others and also learn about other Christian religions. I plan to continue growing my faith with these amazing people for the remainder of my time here at Notre Dame. As noted by my parents (Discernment Conversation with Parents - Moreau FYE Week Five), one important way to live a meaningful life is to seek joy, which is something I believe I have truly focused on doing. It is quite risky to base my life just on being happy since happiness is circumstantial. Joy, though, doesn't swing with my mood or emotions. The joy in my life has and will continue to strengthen in direct correlation to my trust in God. I trust Him when, despite the fact that I am a sinner, He says I am seen and loved and that He wants only good for me. This fact is what truly drives my faith journey. Sadly, some individuals have a difficult time believing they are loveable in the eyes of God because they think their mistakes and sins define them. As Jacob Walsh notes, "I think you don’t believe God loves you because you don’t love yourself...You don’t believe you can be loved" ("Growing up Gay and Catholic" by Jacob Walsh - Moreau FYE Week Ten). My mom shared with me wisdom she received from a priest which I have stored away in my heart: "it’s not our job to decide if we are loveable; it’s God’s job and He proved that we are when he died on the cross for us." I want to make it known to everyone who feels unlovable that we have a merciful and loving God. Yes, our sins may be great, but God’s love is much greater. As I continue my lifelong journey, I am committed to living out God’s will for my life because that is a life well-lived. My priorities are to use the talents God has given me to make this world a better place and to spread his love and joy. I will also continue to grow in my faith journey and hopefully attract others to Jesus through my example. I am confident that this plan will be what defines my life as well-lived. https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/edit https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/edit https://grottonetwork.com/keep-the-faith/community/reflective-narrative-about-being-gay-and-catholic/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022