Week One Assignment
Jake Harris
FYS 10101-59
Megan Leis

1) Review the Moreau FYE Fall 2021 syllabus. Which of the focus questions or objectives stated in the document stand out to you as particularly relevant to your life?
The stories we tell are essential to our human experience.  Stories inspire and encourage us, and they give us the ability to put our own lives in perspective and to reflect.  To that end, the question that stood out to me most was “in what ways do stories shape my journey?”  Even in the last few days, as I began to meet people, I’ve been enthralled by the stories I’ve heard from peers, professors, and staff at the university.  

There’s the security member who photographed RFK, the professor who learned to disassemble a rifle in Sierra Leone, and the myriad experiences and stories brought to the fore by the Class of 2025.  Different places, backgrounds, cultures—all of us drawn to the nexus that is Notre Dame.  It’s not even been a week and I have learned and become aware of so much more.  

And before that, stories from my mentors, friends, and family guided me to care about others, to be ambitious, to do good.

In short, stories are what makes us, us.  They’re the soul of the human experience.  And I’m incredibly excited to see how the stories I’ll both hear and become a part of add to my own personal experiences.  

2) Drawing from Dr. Brown’s commentary, submit a QQC Reflection to prepare for in-class discussion. View the “QQC Reflections” section of the syllabus for detailed guidance.
Question: What pushes a person to find themselves worthy of belonging? unworthy of it?
Quote: "Well, I have a vulnerability issue. And I know that vulnerability is the core of shame and fear and our struggle for worthiness, but it appears that it's also the birthplace of joy, of creativity, of belonging, of love.”  I found the dichotomy of vulnerability posed by Dr. Brown to be compelling: “the core of shame and fear [...] the birthplace of joy [...] of love.”  Dr. Brown’s assertion that vulnerability can be the essence of such vividly disparate emotions poses an interesting perspective on self-worth.  It shows that vulnerability can be rewarding, if one has the courage to let go of their inhibitions and open up to those around them.  The quote itself also shows Dr. Brown’s own vulnerability, as this omission itself shows how she has grown from someone who has tried to perfectly order the behavior she studies.
Comment: I found Dr. Brown’s Tedx talk to be fascinating, with a potent message to viewers: those who want connections must give a little of themselves to others, and that’s hard.  Dr. Brown’s own vulnerability showed clearly through the talk, as she clearly and unabashedly shared her own journey towards understanding shame.  I thoroughly enjoyed the talk, and I plan to take the lessons from the video into my own life.  I’ve been a relatively private person in my life so far, but as I form deeper with those around me I hope to push out of my comfort zone into one where I can see and be seen by others more fully.