Capstone Integration Mission Statement (Re-Stated) My mission is to do things in my life that will provide myself and others with a sense of happiness and joy. I help make others feel a sense of belonging by ensuring that they feel understood and listened to, and through this I try to make people understand that they are valued. I believe that feeling like you are a part of something is a large part of living a good life, and creating communities helps all of us to feel valued, so that is why I think that everyone should feel that way. There are too many times in people’s lives when they feel alone or unimportant, and I think that these experiences should be minimized when possible (and many times it is possible to minimize them). I believe that there are several ways to provide others with joy, and I want to use my own talents to achieve this as well. Creating things that are tailored to the likes and values of others often brings people happiness, and I especially try to remember little things that someone may mention and use that knowledge to create something truly special or meaningful for them. Remembering personal details and turning them into something new can also allow people to feel seen and valued. This is another method I use to make sure that others know that I am listening to and valuing them and their interests. We are all human, and I believe that we all deserve to be treated with compassion and kindness, especially when we do not feel those things or feel like we deserve them. Life is hard, and sometimes all we need to know is that one person can see us, and I always hope to be this person when people need it. By doing all of this, I hope to also achieve self-fulfillment and happiness. Knowing that what I can do for others provides them with happiness and joy gives me those feelings as well, so I believe that all of things come together to be my mission. How it Will Guide My Future I think that this mission statement will help me in a few different ways. The first way is that it will guide me as I select which activities to participate in and which major and minors I will pursue. My statement talks a lot about what I like to do for other people, and I think that this will be important in my journey of choosing a major and minors that I will enjoy and subsequently making my time at Notre Dame more enjoyable (“Navigating Your Career Journey” by the Meruelo Family Center for Career Development - Moreau FYE Week Four). I want to do things that allow me to be creative but also allow me to bring joy to other people, and I think that reflecting on my mission statement will remind me of how important it is to find these things in a major and minors. Additionally, I am always wanting to become better at the skills that I stated in my mission statement, so I hope that in the next three years and in the foreseeable future that it will inspire me to continue to learn and develop my habits and skills (“University of Notre Dame Mission Statement” by the University of Notre Dame - Moreau FYE Week Thirteen). I also talked about how many people may feel alone and unimportant, and I think that learning about people through my programs will help me improve at helping people who feel like that. There are so many systems of injustice and prejudice that affect so many people (“Constitutions of the Congregation of Holy Cross, 2: Mission, paragraphs 9-14” by the Congregation of Holy Cross - Moreau FYE Week Twelve), including myself, so I want to look into programs that help me better recognize and combat these things. Additionally, I always want to understand different and diverse perspectives to the best of my ability and avoid echo chambers (“How to Avoid an Echo Chamber” by Dr. Paul Blaschko - Moreau FYE Week Eleven), so https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://www.nd.edu/about/mission/ https://holycrosscongregation.org/holy-cross-resources/constitutions/2-mission/ https://holycrosscongregation.org/holy-cross-resources/constitutions/2-mission/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaIVxQcqnLs&t=1s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaIVxQcqnLs&t=1s participating in activities that stretch my knowledge will hopefully help me improve in that area as well. A second way that my mission statement will guide me is that it will help me remind myself of the way that I must treat myself. I talked a lot about how I hope to treat other people, but I think that looking over this statement periodically will help me remember that I should be treated in all of the kind ways that I wish to treat others. I think that I often self-analyze and pick at my own actions, and this is never good for my mental health (“The Right Way to be Introspective (Yes, There’s a Wrong Way)” by Tasha Eurich - Moreau FYE Week Six). However, I am only human, just like everyone else, and I deserve to be kind to myself in the same ways that I am kind to others. While I encourage others to take breaks or rest for the sake of their wellbeing, I sometimes forget to allow this of myself (“Why we need to slow down our lives” by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week One). Allowing myself to dwell on things and always feel like I need to be busy are not healthy habits, and I think that they are often driven by my anxiety. I have to become more comfortable with the idea that it is okay to ask for help (Discernment Conversation Activity - Moreau FYE Week Five). I also think that college is a big step for everyone, and we may often discount this achievement. I need to work on recognizing that what I am accomplishing right now is extremely impressive and remarkable (“Three Key Questions” by Fr. Michael Himes - Moreau FYE Week Three), and I should give myself more credit for all of what I’ve done so far and what I will be doing for the next three years. A third way that this will guide me is that it will remind me of what I should be looking for from the relationships in my life. In part of my mission statement I discussed https://ideas.ted.com/the-right-way-to-be-introspective-yes-theres-a-wrong-way/ https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40291/files/473072?module_item_id=147382 how important the existence of and participation in communities is. Throughout the rest of college it will be important for me to make sure that I maintain healthy and fulfilling relationships, and I must continuously recognize how when I am with my friends and family, I often feel very joyful and content (“Tattoos on the Heart Chapter 6: Jurisdiction” by Fr. Greg Boyle - Moreau FYE Week Seven). Those relationships are so valuable to me, and I think that during the next three years I must keep in mind exactly how important it is for me to maintain those relationships. After all, just like everyone else, I do deserve to be loved by others (“Growing up Gay and Catholic” by Jacob Walsh - Moreau FYE Week Ten), and I can feel this through the relationships that I hold close to me. I also need to realize that while it is great to be there for others, (“Hesburgh” by Jerry Barca and Christine O’Malley - Moreau FYE Week Two), I don’t always need to fall into the role of the helper in relationships (“Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together” by Professor Steve Reifenberg - Moreau FYE Week Nine). I am good at helping others and providing them with a sense of joy, but I should remember that it is okay to seek that out for myself. All in all, I think that this mission statement will be useful in reminding me of my values while I am balancing the many facets in college. Reflecting on it will hopefully bring me joy from others’ happiness and joy from my own happiness. https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40291/files/523827?module_item_id=167955 https://grottonetwork.com/keep-the-faith/community/reflective-narrative-about-being-gay-and-catholic/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022 https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/edit https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/edit