Vu 1 Professor Thigpen FYS10101-97 3 December 2021 Integration Two Being such a prestigious school, Notre Dame has so many smart people everywhere. Even though we all made it here, we are constantly comparing ourselves to others since there is always someone smarter. This makes it hard to feel like we truly belong. My situation is unique since I was granted admission to Notre Dame through a different means than other students. I applied to the Class of 2024 and was not accepted to Notre Dame. However, I was granted an opportunity through the NROTC Preparatory Program to spend one preparatory year at Holy Cross College and then transfer to Notre Dame as a freshman. In order to transfer, I had to meet the requirements of the program which included a 3.5 GPA and good standing in the Notre Dame NROTC unit. Coming to Notre Dame, I often compare myself to students who received 35’s on the ACT and 5’s on all their AP tests. As Elizabeth Cox says in her video, skilled people comparing themselves to others can “spiral into feeling that they don’t deserve accolades and opportunities over other people” ("What is Imposter Syndrome?" by Elizabeth Cox – Moreau FYE Week Nine). While I am inevitably going to compare myself to them, this comparison should be to better myself rather than to look down upon myself. Even if I did not do as well in high school as others, I worked just as hard to get into this prestigious university. Therefore, I strive to be an example to those in less fortunate families who maybe did not have the money for ACT tutoring to yearn for greater education because it is possible through hard work and determination. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQUxL4Jm1Lo Vu 2 Since we are all made in the image and likeness of God, there is inherent good in everyone. Relating this to Week Nine, imposter syndrome has no effect when we focus on the good in ourselves and others. Even the most broken people have good in themselves. Everybody should be able to see this because, “the things they’ve experienced — the good, the bad, the ugly — it has made them this beautiful, dynamic, interesting person they are today” (“Women Find Healing Through Kintsugi Workshop” by Grotto – Moreau FYE Week Ten). Taking this into account, I value the experiences I had during my preparatory year because they forged me into the student I am today. Through the rigor I had to surpass, I was turned into a Notre Dame student, and therefore I belong here. Kintsugi does a good job at showing this because people glue broken pottery with gold. This symbolizes that a broken person is even more beautiful when they are mended by their experiences. Critical race theory is not such a big deal when we follow the teachings of the Catholic Church like the University does. Treating everyone with respect and equality provides equal opportunity for all and brings the community together. For example, the Wesley Theological Seminary Commencement speech made me think of when Pope Saint John Paul II forgave the man who attempted to murder him. The points on conviction and hatred parallels the Pope’s reason for forgiveness. There is no good in hatred, and through forgiveness, there is no need for conviction if the person is truly sorry. Someone can be broken through their life experiences but fixing themselves comes when they learn to forgive themselves. Everybody has different experiences because we all come from different backgrounds. Whether it be race, gender, religion, etc., our differences are what make us unique. When these differences become a tool for hatred, there comes an issue. However, “patterned differences… are due to social, historical, political, economic, and experiential contexts and… are changeable” https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/heal/find-healing-through-kintsugi-art/ https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/heal/find-healing-through-kintsugi-art/ Vu 3 (“Diversity Matters!” by Professor Agustin Fuentes). Like the teachings of Week Ten, our differences should be glorified because they make us who we are. When we look at race as something that is not biological but rather as patterned differences, it shows that things rooted in hatred like implicit bias can be changed and should be. These attitudes do not glorify our differences, but rather pick at them and use them for ridicule. Community is a gift and approaching it that way opens up more opportunities for everyone. We can see this when differences and vulnerabilities are not a factor. In the Notre Dame community, this is quite prevalent as the dining hall workers are quite diverse. Notre Dame does not care what race or how old they are as long as they can do their job. I love it when I go to the dining hall and see the sweet lady at the omelet station or hear the workers speaking Vietnamese. Notre Dame not only does this in the dining halls, but I also see in the dorms. It always brightens up my mornings when I walk to class and see the sweet lady who cleans my dorm. She always wishes me a good day and that makes me smile. This is a true example of embracing community. When there is so much bad in the world, we must strive to be good in the face of evil. Following in the footsteps of the Holy Cross priests, we must continue to strive for our goals even when facing trouble. “From its foundation in 1837, the congregation has faced a litany of crosses – financial crises, political unrest, religious persecution, deaths of religious from disease, natural disasters, and violence, and the waywardness of others” (“Holy Cross and Christian Education” by Rev. James B. King, C.S.C.). The priests remained hopeful that they would be able to do their job as disciples of Christ even when there was so much strife. Similarly, we can think this way in regards to finals. Even though we are going through so much stress, we must power through and finish what we started. In a way, we should follow in the footsteps of the https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=d14a0472-9c0e-44ea-bd39-53c67ee1d436 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/28177/files/188503/download?download_frd=1 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/28177/files/188503/download?download_frd=1 Vu 4 Holy Cross priests since they endured so much to start this school, and therefore, we can endure the next few weeks of school. Looking back at the teachings of Week Nine, we should remember that we truly belong here at Notre Dame and use that to motivate us to be scholars.