Capstone Integration Zuzanna Kawula Capstone Integration April 29, 2022 Be Honest, Be Humble, and Love Zuzanna Kawula aspires to be a woman who loves unconditionally, rejoices in life constantly, practices gratitude daily, acts justly and nourishes relationships with others invariably. With values deeply rooted and thus shaped through love and honor, she pursues a life of openness to acceptance whatever happens to cross her path, cultivation of curiosity and pursuit, as well as memorable experiences with friends, family and strangers. She further pursues a life of service and sacrifice in hope of becoming a pediatric neurologist as well as a caring, compassionate friend, daughter, as well as future wife and mother. I believe that loving unconditionally is one of the most important practices that I will and do try to practice every chance I get. In a world, where hatred and demeaning behaviors can be observed so frequently, it is vital to love everyone around us even when we don’t particularly like the person. This does not particularly mean being friends with everyone, but simply deems us to act kindly and intentionally when interacting with all those around us. Frequently I go back to Pope Francis’ quote “I could have very well ended up among today's "discarded" people. And that's why I always ask myself, deep in my heart: "Why them and not me?" (“Why the only future worth building includes everyone” by Pope Francis - Moreau FYE Week Seven). This quote teaches and always reminds me of all the different kinds of people living on this world. Further, my Catholic faith reminds me that God created them, just like He has created me - with unfathomable love, care and plan for the future. The single difference is that life - whether by chance, consequence, or privilege, has drifted us in varying directions. This however, does not diminish the personhood of any human being as they are still the children of the same, infinitely https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript loving God, as we are reminded with the quote “We prize the uniqueness of all persons as God’s creatures … Scriptural accounts of Jesus provide a constant witness of this inclusiveness. …The social teachings of the Catholic Church promote a society founded on justice and love, in which all persons possess inherent dignity as children of God” (“The Spirit of Inclusion at Notre Dame” by Notre Dame - Moreau FYE Week Ten). So thus, I try to act intentionally, loving, and kindly with the person that I meet - as I feel like with “every interaction that I have with another person, my soul lightens up a bit more with renewed love and new wisdom. Thus, I tried to treasure meaningful interactions to … [become] a better self” (“Integration 3” by Zuzanna Kawula, Moreau FYE Week 8). Going alongside that of loving all those who surround us, another virtue that I hold dear to my heart is acting justly in everything that I do. This has been a focus around the world more recently, as many activists have brought attention to the persecution and harassment of minorities around the world. During my life, I would deem it a fulfilled goal if I ever developed the courage to become such an activist that would call to action those of us that can speak up, act, and fight against those invoking violence as well as letting it slide. My motto in this regards to the quote “'I am George Floyd. Except, I can breathe. And I can do something.' (“I am George Floyd. Except, I can breathe.” By Dean Marcus Cole, Moreau FYE Week 12). This quote inspires me to act as I am one that can act in a sea of people who can’t. It further serves as a reminder of those who have suffered horrid violence and discrimination. In my pursuit of this, I hope to embody the characteristics of Father Hesburgh that did just that - fight and stand against the inequalities of our society. He reminds us how he “took a stand for something, and wasn’t about to stop” (“Hesburgh '' by Jerry Barca and Christine O’Malley - Moreau FYE Week Two). Similarly, I aspire to be the bigger person, in whichever situation I find myself in. Many times it is difficult https://dulac.nd.edu/university-mission-and-vision/spirit-of-inclusion/ https://docs.google.com/document/d/1T-REDclzUFt4s3PSaQZDV9RMmtLXC2LHFueL3kYrhXM/edit?usp=sharing https://law.nd.edu/news-events/news/dean-g-marcus-cole-i-am-george-floyd-except-i-can-breathe-and-i-can-do-something/ https://law.nd.edu/news-events/news/dean-g-marcus-cole-i-am-george-floyd-except-i-can-breathe-and-i-can-do-something/ https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 to understand people who have gone through experiences we have yet to or never will, such as dicrimination against someone’s race, ethnicity, etc. In these situations, I hope to act towards justice as well as accompany my friends in the best way possible as “Solidarity with the poor means not to try to be the voice of the voiceless. This is NOT the goal. The goal should be that those who have no voice today will have a voice and will be heard.” (“Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together” by Steve Reifenberg, Moreau FYE Week 9). Through this I hope to embody compassion and hopefully pursue fruitful interactions with others. I believe that rejoicing in life consistently is also another vital habit that I hope to further cultivate in my life day-to-day. So many times I have felt like life has passed by me without taking a second to really dwell in its reality. Life moves by so quickly, and if we don’t take a second to just stand, take a breath, and realize its wonderfulness, we will miss out on so much. I strive to live in the moment and to be present with everyone around her and in all her experiences. Sister Theresa Aletheia brings this mindset in her philosophy to consistently remind yourself of your own death “as a means of appreciating the present and focusing on the future” (“Meet the Nun Who Wants You to Remember You Will Die'' by Ruth Graham - Moreau FYE Week Three). Although quite radical, this kind of thinking urges us to be here, to be grateful, and cry from happiness about how beautiful life is. Furthermore, this kind of mindset goes hand in hand with practicing intentionality. Oftentimes we find ourselves in such a zone where we are constantly being distracted and not knowing what to put our time and efforts into; Iyer points out that “researchers in the new field of interruption science have found that it takes an average of twenty-five minutes to recover from a phone call. Yet such interruptions come every eleven minutes — which means we’re never caught up with our lives'' (“Why we need to slow down our https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/edit?usp=sharing https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/edit?usp=sharing https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ lives'' by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week One). As a young adult in such a spinning world with so many gleaming opportunities, I find myself not knowing what aspirations to give my time and energy toward - often bearing my doubts by wasting my time on social media and Tiktok. Thus, I find it to be my goal to find that single or couple pursuits that are most gratifying and enjoyable to me and not the majority. I hope to engage in and chase those few endeavors with my whole heart and mind. Through only this way do I believe that I will live a self-fulfilling life. Although now, I believe that I could potentially combine my passion for helping out kids with my fascination with the human body through becoming a doctor - my way of serving the community (“Reflection Moreau Week 5” by Zuzanna Kawula - Moreau FYE Week 5), this may change in the years to come, as I know that fascinations come and go. I do realize that this kind of pursuit of “career decision-making is a developmental process that spans a person’s entire lifetime” (“Navigating Your Career Journey” by Meruelo FAmily Center - Moreau FYE Week Four). I hope to animate this mission statement in my next years through trying out different passions of mine to discern my path in the future. This introspection will not only aid me in finally finding what I want to do with my life, but will further develop my self awareness, as Tasha Eurich comments “ After all, what better way is there to increase our self-knowledge than to look inward, to delve deeply into our experiences and emotions, and to understand why we are the way we are?” (“The right way to be introspective (yes, there’s a wrong way)” by Tasha Eurich - Moreau FYE Week Six). Through consistently being honest with myself about how I feel, what I believe serves me in life and what hinders me from enjoying life I believe that I will not only find things that interest me, and therefore my passions, but I will find friends with similar interests that will aid me in developing wisdom in those areas as well as connections with others of similar interests yet more experience. However, whilst I work on myself to embody https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Smy67_3m6fbQ4anRx8vLiCBKosuo-keSS9MxjaLAZCo/edit?usp=sharing https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://ideas.ted.com/the-right-way-to-be-introspective-yes-theres-a-wrong-way/ that, career-driven Zuzanna, I realize that I do not mean that I would let go of the friendships that are not of my interest - I believe that that would be cruel and selfish. Rather, I hope to meet and become friends with people from all different circles of my life - career, school, church community, music community, and many more. Through developing a critical perspective on my own beliefs and thus sharing them with others of various circles, backgrounds, etc. I hope to critically converse and live in harmony with others as I believe that “we should seek out intelligent people with whom we disagree and attempt to fully understand their argument. Yet we also need to keep an eye on our own motives” (“How to Avoid an Echo Chamber” by Dr. Baschko, Moreau FYE Week 11). That being said, this is what I envision for my future self to do in order to pursue a life filled with joy, love, trust, and humility, or in other words a life well lived. Through this discernment - especially being honest with myself about what I want - I hope to become the woman “of many aspirations, whose self-character is rooted in Catholic and familial values that shape her being and essence - ultimately radiating off of her!” (“Zuzanna’s Mission Statement” by Zuzanna Kawula, Moreau FYE Week 13). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaIVxQcqnLs&t=1s&ab_channel=ThinkND https://docs.google.com/document/d/1X4andKvbMf6eF3m0ev_HlSwYendmRlqqGMB-brp6Wk4/edit?usp=sharing https://docs.google.com/document/d/1X4andKvbMf6eF3m0ev_HlSwYendmRlqqGMB-brp6Wk4/edit?usp=sharing