Integraton Phyona Adelheidis Schrader’s Character that Inspirited Moreau 3/3/2022 Phyona Adelheidis Schrader’s life was well-lived. Phyona was real. Through her knowledge and awareness, she built her life off of the joy of life. She loved herself and the world around her and was not afraid to show it. She did not let social norms dictate her or her Instagram. Every moment was a lesson in her eyes. Every step was for a purpose, for the betterment of herself and the people and world around her, but even though she was so thoughtful, she could let go and be the life of the party. She built herself up by knowing where her limits were and pushing them. She did things her way, and for her purpose, she valued her time. This is why she found success. She saw the great things and terrible things as they were and always made the best of any situation. She believed in God’s plan with all her heart. From Phyona’s realness, she brought others to do the same, and she never wanted to be known by her resume. She knew the true meaning in life was to connect to God through her challenges and lessons. She found worldly success from them, but that was never her goal. Though Phyona wasn’t big into social media, she loved expressing herself on it. Our world has become a show of who can put on the best face in so many ways. This was never Phyona. “the more we can contact others, the more, it sometimes seems, we lose contact with ourselves.” 1`("Why we need to slow down our lives" by (Pico Iyer, TED) - Moreau FYE Week One) But this was the opposite for her. She never let the outside world dictate what she should be because she knew she was the best, but she was humble. This kind of confidence was and is untouched. She was a goddess that brought herself lower than others in their eyes to build them up. Humble and confident and secretly competitive she was. From the outwardly insane celebrations on the volleyball court to wearing bright orange pants and rainbow shoes to class three days in a row, she never hid. Phyona prioritized her connection with herself. People were very important to Phyona. Through Phyona’s time at Notre Dame in college, she learned many things, but she would say many of them were from the people. Father Hesburgh:“ He wasn't perfect either, and he wasn't afraid to admit that” 2 ("Hesburgh" (Produced by Jerry Barca and Christine O'Malley) - Moreau FYE Week Two) someone she looked up to greatly. Coming to Notre Dame, she realized how important people are, and she never looked back. She knew that people also have the same garbage in their lives and living without hiding was so much better. So, “she wore her garbage.”(from NF, one of her favorite rappers). Being real pulls away the walls between others. Phyona connected with people because she knew love is the meaning of God. As Pope Francis said, “ we all need each other.” (“Why the only future worth building includes everyone” (His Holiness Pope Francis, TED Conferences) - Moreau FYE Week Seven), community and listening to others and asking for help. I don’t think she could count the number of times she was told, “don’t be afraid to ask for help. There is no reward doing it alone.” And she took this in. She brought light to even the most of strangers just by a single friendly wave. God would say she loved her neighbor as herself. She listened to her needs: her needs to grow to God and strengthen herself for him. Phyona had the ability to view herself and see her mistakes with that same confidence. One of her most important lessons learned and finally acted on was listening to her needs. This doesn’t mean she would eat peanut butter when her body craved it. This means she always acted on what was best for her future self. She learned to have Joy, not happiness. Well, she most certainly was happy, but not all the time, and she loved that. “Happiness and Joy are not the same. Joy is a process of good things, and happiness is a feeling in a singular moment.” ("Three Key Questions" (adapted from Fr. Michael Himes) - Moreau FYE Week Three) Joy builds great people with great passions and drive to do better in this world. The power in her ability to forgive because of so much vulnerability to herself, but she knew strength does not come from holding yourself from the damage; it is to embrace the pain and call it good. Everything was “For Future Phyona.” This included her rest. When her mind needed a distraction, she listened. Never again, she promised to ignore and forget: neglect herself. Phyona saw life as what it was. Even the negatives were loved by Phyona for she could see the big picture of God’s plan. She found her purpose. Knowing her purpose and enacting her purpose brought her peace. Throughout her life, she bounced her ideas of religion but never did her trust and love in God falter. Phyona thought. She thought a lot. With her powerful mindset, she could notice the cracks, the unnoticed things, and this fact alone was what brought her closer to God. She was strong because she did not let herself fall into the mind-numbing trap of following the crowd. The only time Phyona let her mind rest was from intentional meditation. Her mother always said she was a thinker. She was intentional with everything she did; she took everything and everyone into consideration. She fought for what seemed, to many, didn’t matter. Phyona took her steps with her purpose. Every decision was for her future self. Because she knew her purpose, she let her daily attentions guide her to her best self. No step is too big in her eyes. “You may just have the zoom-out view on” as she would say. Each step in her life, whether big or small, was to her best self. Phyona actively solved problems, actively questioned things, and always kept her composure in the process. No matter what happened, Phyona told herself, “It’s going to be okay. It’s going to be ok.” (“5 Minutes” (Aria Swarr, Grotto) - Moreau FYE Week Six) In the long and hard processes, she took action and spoke her thoughts out loud. There were times of tough decisions, but she let God lead in those moments. In the time of doubt, she knew the information she had at the time was not enough, and she was patient to let it come. She never let her stress overtake her because of her trust in God. The memories of Phyona Adelheidis Schrader will never be forgotten. Her strength, care, honor, and humility will stay in our hearts, for she put a new perspective on this universe to anyone that knew her.