Moreau FYE Integration
	As a teenager, it is important for me to identify the principles that I will live my life by. I have entered my time at college with some of these principles already in mind but being at Notre Dame will further my development even more. During the first seven weeks of my Moreau First Year Experience, I have been able to narrow down some of these principles and refine them into “core beliefs” that I will model my life after. Each belief has been present in my life and they have impacted me in various ways, whether it be in struggles or successes. These core beliefs are what make up my mind and heart, yet it is the reasoning behind them that requires the deepest reflection. 
	First, in week one I discerned that I believe that I am responsible for making myself vulnerable because it can make me a better person. Often times, people use the word “vulnerable” in a demeaning context and only understand it to be a sign of fragility. This definition is deceiving and very far from the truth. Vulnerability is not only a sign of trust, but also growth. In class discussions, we talked about how being vulnerable can open you up to new things about yourself that you don’t even know yet. Fully embracing vulnerability also creates new opportunities. In a TED Talk, Brené Brown said, “They believed what made them vulnerable made them beautiful” (“The Power of Vulnerability” by Brené Brown - Moreau FYE Week One). This quote nicely summarizes the idea that being vulnerable ultimately betters a person because it allows them to grow. Personally, I tend to keep my emotions to myself and not share my true feelings. Moreau has helped teach me that being vulnerable is a good thing and the people that truly care about you will be accepting of it. Previously, I was challenged by the fact that I did not share my feelings and kept emotions bottled up inside. This would result in feelings of depression and anxiety that pushed me into a deeper cycle of not sharing. Recently, I have been trying to open-up to my parents and friends more, and they have been very understanding and helpful. I have noticed that my overall mood has been better, and I find it easier to deal with my problems. My idea that sharing my feelings would make me a burden are slowly subsiding and I now realize that being vulnerable will make me into a better person. 
	Second, I believe that I grow by reinventing myself into a new and better man. Week two required a deeper dive into what kind of values we wished to be recognized for. In accordance with this, David Brooks said, “In order to fulfill yourself, you have to forget yourself. In order to find yourself, you have to lose yourself” ("Should You Live for your Resume or Your Eulogy?" by David Brooks- Moreau FYE Week Two). This point resonated with me because I have failed to listen to this advice in my life. Brooks is emphasizing that in order to grow as a person, you need to forget your past self and habits so that you may focus on honorable virtues rather than just external recognition. I have struggled in my life with changing habits and addictions because I have done my best to ignore them. I tend to prioritize my work and search for recognition, but after week two I have tried to remind myself that being a better person is what I should strive for. Each week, I obviously complete my work, but I rely on a mindset that grades are not my sole reason for being here, but rather I am here to grow into a better man through my work and struggles. This type of growth is a slow and steady process that I now know will require a reinvention of myself.
	Next, I believe that I am searching for tangible faith in my life. In a video, Fr. Pete McCormick says, “The greatest journey you will ever go on is one of self-discovery” ("The Role of Faith in Our Story" by Fr. Pete McCormick- Moreau FYE Week Three). Notre Dame’s mission includes allowing students to search for themselves beyond education. At a catholic university, this search also incorporates faith. Prior to attending Notre Dame, I never indulged in self-discovery of myself or my faith because I would tend to focus my time elsewhere. I feel like this left me at a strict disadvantage that I tried to compensate for by picking Notre Dame because of its spiritual prowess. Similarly, in the material for week five, a video of Fr. Kevin Grove contains the quote, “…letting faith and reason both in their fullness be applied to every part of life” (“Two Notre Dames: Your Holy Cross Education” by Fr. Kevin Grove- Moreau FYE Week Five).  I feel like this quote helps to summarize the deeper advantages of a Notre Dame education. Notre Dame is a unique place because it allows faith and academics to overlap, deepening spirituality within students. As I stated previously, this is one of the major reasons I chose Notre Dame and I wish to pursue a lifestyle where faith and reason are equals. Building from this, the biggest challenge for me with my faith has been the doubts I have while still believing in God. People discuss how questioning is a good sign in faith, but I feel like I am extremely logical to the point of overthinking the mysteries of faith. Since coming to ND and participating in things such as Moreau and dorm-wide masses, I have gained some knowledge about my spirituality. Still, I know that I am nowhere near the point in my spiritual journey that I wish to reach. Solving my doubts will require me to let go of my need to be precisely logical and lend more trust to God. In this way, I will continue to search for tangible, understandable faith in my life using what Notre Dame will teach me.
	Furthermore, I believe that my community should be made up of people who have my best interest in mind. Week four discussed relationships and in the “I Love You” video, there is a quote at the end that says, “You hug me and say that it’s okay and you take all the blame” ("Because I Love You, Double Whisky" by One Love Foundation- Moreau FYE Week Four). This video and the other materials from week four addressed toxic relationships and manipulation. I can confidently say that in my life I have faced challenges with this because of how social I try to be. Recalling the first two years of high school, I was in various toxic relationships where the other person did not truly care about me, and the sole purpose of the relationship was me trying to help the other person. In junior and senior year, I entered relationships that had mutual care and respect. This was one of the best transitions I have made in my life, but my focus now is on maintaining these relationships and developing new relationships with the same principles. My family is the most important piece of my “community”, and they are the reason that I want all my relationships to be modeled after the care they have for me. Therefore, I believe that the community surrounding me should be made up of people who care for me and want the best for me because they will create a support system that allows me to grow and thrive.
	Finally, I believe that I pursue truth by working to eliminate implicit bias in my mind. This topic was addressed in week seven. In an article regarding stereotypes, the author reassures the reader that having stereotypes is not always negative by saying, “It just means your brain is working properly, noticing patterns and making generalizations” (“How to Think About ‘Implicit Bias’” by Keith Payne, Laura Niemi, John M. Doris, American Scientific- Moreau FYE Week Seven). This quote, along with the other materials, helped broach the topic of stereotypes in class and in my own mind. In my own life, I feel like stereotypes do not play a major role in my decision making. Obviously, as the authors and speakers discuss, everybody has some sort of stereotypes in their mind. Personally, I feel like my stereotypes are mainly influenced by my surroundings and background. As I discussed in week six, and what was the main premise of my poem, “I am who my family has made me to be” (“Where I’m From Poem” by myself- Moreau FYE Week Six). As with all things, this has both positive and negative consequences. My biggest challenge with stereotypes and bias has not been the way they effect my interactions with others, but rather how I view myself and make decisions. One stereotype that I think is prominent in my life is the stereotype surrounding masculinity. Examples of this would be that men don’t share their feelings or men don’t cry. I often find myself believing such things, but I have recently been trying to address these ideas by discussing my feelings with people close to me. I have previously made some progress in breaking down bias, but Moreau opened my mind up even more. I believe that my search for truth relies on my ability to remove bias and stereotypes from my mind so that I may clearly view the world and make healthy decisions.
	The process of discovering my core beliefs has been aided by my experiences in Moreau. Through the weekly materials, class discussions, and personal reflection, I have come to conclusive ideas of how I currently live my life and what I wish to model my life after in the future. My core beliefs make up who I am as a person in the way they were developed, how they challenge me, and how I apply them to my everyday life.