Jennixa De La Cruz
Theo Helm
Moreau First Year Experience
4 March 2022
The Joyous Life of Jennixa
	Jennixa was a force to be reckoned with. She did not let anyone tell her she was not able to succeed in life because of the environment she grew up in. Many people thought she was going to be pregnant at 16 working a minimum wage job all her life and staying in her hometown. That is what many people thought how many young women from Lawrence were going to end up. Jennixa was one of many that was able to get out of the small city and start her journey of independence and finding her true meaning of her life. She wanted to be a legacy and a leader for the future generations of first-generation children. Even if she had a successful life there were many challenges that she had to face to get to where she did. One of them was trying to discover herself while she was in college at the University of Notre Dame.
	When she first received the acceptance letter from the university, she could not believe her eyes. She was thrilled to be part of the community at the University of Notre Dame but was also nervous as she has only been around Latinos her whole life. She experienced imposter syndrome in her first semester but by the second semester she finally found her group of friends and had survived one semester of classes. Though she knew she needed to reflect on what her future meant. She thought that she needed to be prepared for anything and plan her next goals. Then she realized that she needed to slow down her life and just focus on the present. “It’s easy to feel as if we’re standing two inches away from a huge canvas that’s noisy and crowded and changing with every microsecond,” and instead of focusing on what is in front of us we often just pass through it and let life happen without acknowledging it (“Why we need to slow down our lives” by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week One). Jennixa recognized that she needed to slow down her life and just focus on the present moment as that moment would shape her and her future self. She knew she needed to stop focusing on the future since she did not know what would come from it. To focus on herself she often thought about who she was as a person. She asked her best friend what she was perceived as in the eyes of others. Her best friend told her her biggest value in life is her determination in life and having so much passion for her interests. She also mentioned that she cared too much about what people thought of her and that she shouldn't, which caused Jennixa to think about herself more and not what others think of her (Moreau Week Five). Jennixa thought she should live more for herself and not try to please others.
	Jennixa tried to keep her head high and just let life run its course. But there were often obstacles in the way of her living an easy and simple life. She knew life was not meant to be simple or easy, but she hoped that she wouldn’t have to face the problems or issues she did in a world where many of those issues were resolved. She learned that these obstacles do not determine or control her life. They are just another challenge she would have to face and get passed. She learned that she needed to focus on what she “can do already instead of what [she] cannot do and what [she does] not have yet” as those are what we can control (“Five Minutes” by Aria Swarr - Moreau FYE Week Six). She thought that the only way she could have control over her life and not have the universe control it for her was to be patient in certain situations and just to not stress over things she was not able to control. She learned to meditate and just take time for herself to better her mental health and just for her life. She also learned that the best way that she could have control over her life was to pick the best major. She learned that “there is no ‘best major’ out there - but there is a ‘best major for” her. (Navigating Your Career Journey - Moreau FYE Week Four). She always wanted to help people and she loved science. She had wanted to be a doctor since she was 5 years old. She chose Neuroscience and Behavior on the Pre-Med track because she wanted to assist in discovering the parts of the brain more. She always thought about helping people and aiding in cures for many mental diseases. 
	In her time at Notre Dame, Jennixa learned about one of the previous presidents of the University. He helped shape history and he was Father Theodore Hesburgh. “Father Hesburgh was somebody who could bring those people together and find ways that they can get in the same room, be respectful, and come to some kind of resolution” (“Hesburgh” by Jerry Barca - Moreau FYE Week Two). When learning about Father Hesburgh, Jennixa thought she wanted to inspire people as he did. She wants to help shape the future for my inclusivity and equity for all. She thought that the best way to do that was to succeed in the school and earn a voice that will impel people to listen. She wanted to end discrimination for all especially to POC as they face the worst kind of discrimination. She had experienced discrimination and she hopes that future generations do not feel the discrimination that she had faced in her life. During her life Jennixa found people that had accepted her and that she has great relationships with. “The fostering of a community of friends who can be honest with us and whom we can genuinely hear, before whom and with whom we can be open and humble” (“Three Key Questions” by Father Michael Himes - Moreau Week Three). Relationships are the bases of life as well and everyone should be in a relationship with someone. That person will teach one lesson on life. Just as Jennixa learned from her parents, sister, and friends. 
Pope Francis said, “hope is the virtue of a heart that doesn't lock itself into darkness, that doesn't dwell on the past, does not simply get by in the present, but is able to see a tomorrow” (“Why the only future worth building includes everyone” by Pope Francis - Week Seven). Jennixa De La Cruz lived by this quote. She should not look in the past when there is nothing, she can do to change it, she focused on the present for a better future. Jennixa lived an incredible life and may her life be an inspiration to all.