29 April 2022
Capstone Integration 
My transition into my first year of college certainly had its ups and downs. Week by week I felt like I was changing, shaped by my experiences in the weeks prior. I had some of the best times of my life this first year, but I have also had some of the hardest times as well. Softball alone has introduced me to some of my best friends, and the team is often a go-to when I need a pick-me-up. I have struggled with family stuff, and had a little bit of mental struggles as well. However, it is through this that I have found my way back to God. Through hard times I have thankfully been able to still find a light. 
Week 10, reading Reifenberg’s Article, taught me the things it takes to be a good accompagnateu, including solidarity, compassion, and empathy. I realized how important it is to have someone who you can trust, count on, and feel comfortable around especially during this big change into college; I have also realized how important it is to be that person for others. I experienced this most frequently through my older teammates. They are such genuine people, more than willing to help and always looking out for the freshman. After gratefully experiencing their kindness, I can certainly understand the reciprocity aspect of accompaniment. I have always worked to be a friendly face, compassionate, and willing to help without judgment, because if the roles were reversed that is what I would hope for. I’ve been lucky enough to have people like that in my life and I want to be that person for others. 
I think these characteristics are very similar to those of a good mentor, which we talked about in Week 4 in Parks’ piece. Whether it be my parents, my college coaches, or whoever, the mentors in my life have encouraged me to constantly challenge myself and expected me, not to always succeed, but to give it all I had. When I make mistakes they hold me accountable and expect me to be better, because they know I am better. Parks encapsulates what it means to be a mentor in the following quote: “Mentors are supportive in a host of ways, including serving as an advocate, a guide to resources, a source of comfort, and sometimes a source of healing”(129). Similar to the prior paragraph, I will take what I learned about the importance of mentorship and will work to be that person for others. I strive to be a mentor to my younger sister, and I’ll also commit to being a mentor to the incoming freshman next softball season. I believe it’s so important to pass on the things you have learned to the people who could benefit from that extra help and support. 
When I think about mentors I connect it to the quality of leadership, reminding me of Deresiewicz’s work about reflective leadership from Week 7. I like how he uses the terms “thinkers” and “leaders” interchangeably. “Leadership means finding a new direction, not simply putting yourself at the front of the herd that's heading toward the cliff”. The term opposes blind conformity and complacency. With the “follower” mentality, we will never get anywhere new. We will never grow. Change is healthy, and it takes a true leader to enact it. The main question for this week was “Are you becoming comfortable thinking for yourself?”. I think middle school is when I really gained the courage to stand up for myself. I found myself constantly dealing with friend group issues, knowing I was being treated poorly and always feeling excluded. In going through that, I knew I never wanted anyone to feel the way I did. I learned to stand up for myself but also committed to standing up for others. I wanted to be a leader, in that respect. I wanted to be someone who could speak up in difficult situations and who could help those who could not stand up for themselves. 
Week 11 is another area where I think about the idea of standing up for what is right, no matter the cost. The lecture “Athletic Protests” had to do with the racial protests involving the sports industry. 10 minutes into the lecture, Bryant speaks about the influence that Athletes can have on a group of people. An immediate example that puts this claim on display is Colin Kaepernick’s symbolic kneeling during the playing of the National Anthem before his football games, which I used as an example in my QQC. Discrimination and racism within the sports industry has its own long history, but these issues pile into the bigger picture, discrimination and racism outside the sports industry as well. Student athletes can use their platforms to stand up for others, themselves, and for equality. However, Bryant also speaks about the risk of speaking out regarding issues like this. Bringing back Kaepernick, we see that him taking a stand for equality lost him his career. Bryant talks about how sports is something that works to bring people together, and so becoming vocal about political/social issues often has consequences. It becomes a difficult situation when standing up for what you believe is right gets you in trouble. Do we cave in and “play it safe”? Or, do we take the risk to fight for what we believe in?
	This course has challenged me to think about my future. Who am I and who do I want to be? What do I believe in? What do I value? I am reminded of the reading from Week 3 by Himes. I think Father Himes’ first question is one of the most important questions that is commonly overlooked and disregarded; “Is this a source of joy?”. I think it’s interesting that he uses the term joy rather than happiness, explaining the difference between the two words, a difference I never considered. We as humans yearn for joy, “a genuine rightness of how one lives one’s life”, so it makes sense that this should certainly be a consideration factor regarding your path of life in general. I think that Questions 1 and 3 stand out to me the most. Question 3, “Is this role a genuine service to the people around you, to society at large?”, stands out to me because giving back and helping others is something that has always been a big part of my life. I reflect on this question when thinking about a career path, but also just my day to day actions. 
	To conclude, in Week 12 I learned what it means to be wise. I believe wisdom has to do with knowledge, experience, and insight. To me, a wise person is someone who is trustworthy, has good integrity and good judgment. That is what I will strive to be.

Thank you for everything, Father. Your class and your kindness has helped me so much this semester. Wishing you all the best.