Moreau FYE Final Integration Matthew DiPaolo 4/27/2022 Prof. Taylor Moreau FYE - Final Integration Matthew DiPaolo is a man that is currently attending the University of Notre Dame. I am a Catholic who believes in God, but loosely follows the rules of the Church. Morally, I mostly believe that you should always be a good person for others, and I think that I can frame that in terms of Catholicism pretty easily. I define success as being able to be happy in whatever profession you choose while also being financially stable. I am hoping that I will be able to do this with my Notre Dame education while I am here, after graduation and beyond. The highest good that I am constantly reaching for is inner satisfaction with how my life is at any given moment. I hope to be in a profession where I can try and change America in terms of equality. Sexism is the root of all bigotry so I’ll feel satisfied when I attack its core. I try not to judge others, but I do end up accidentally placing other people’s beliefs in association with them as a person. To respond to this, I try to reverse the roles, and see what people would think of me if they only knew my views and beliefs on life. To be wise is to be intelligent because of past experiences. I try to put myself through lots of different and new opportunities so that I can try and grow in wisdom. I believe that it is every person’s responsibility to care for others regardless of what you think. We are gonna end up in the same place, so helping people along the way should be a given compared to not. I plan to carry this out over the next few years by keeping my drive behind my force for good. I had always planned to go to law school, but I never knew what I wanted to do with that education and with my powerful Notre Dame education. Now I feel as if I have a plan with that law degree, or somewhat of a path to go with that. My current major and minor are Psychology and Gender Studies, which I chose for specific reasons. Instead of being basic Political Science or History, I chose to pursue a Psychology major. I can learn why people think the way they think and what contributes to that. It would be more fair if I can analyze the people I am trying to put in prison and the people I am defending because I would get a better view of their intentions. With a minor in Gender Studies, it allows me to be a more equitable person regardless of who they are or where they come from. It also has taught me a lot about systems of oppression, and with a law degree, I would try and actively try and take these systems down. Pursuing these educational options over the next three years would help me be a better person to others, fulfilling inner satisfaction, paving the way for a life well lived. “The words of the priest from college came back to mind: “You can’t convince yourself God loves you, but you can ask Him to show you.” At the time, I’d thought this meant God loved me in spite of my being attracted to men. But I started to see He was using my sexuality to reach me with His love.” ("Growing up Gay and Catholic” Jacob Walsh, Grotto - Moreau FYE Week 10). Being gay and Catholic also contributes to my drive to do good in the world. Instead of giving up on my faith, I decided to pursue it despite challenges I may face. I have grown from hating myself because of this from being grateful I wasn’t created another way. Hopefully I will be able to make change in 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://grottonetwork.com/keep-the-faith/community/reflective-narrative-about-being-gay-and-catholic/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022 the church in the future systemically for all marginalized groups affected, not only LGBTQ+ I will not be surprised if there are many obstacles along the way. First, graduating college will be a task in itself. Especially at Notre Dame with all the academic rigor, it will be difficult to keep up, but I think I will be able to. Getting through law school will be rough as well. Everyone I know who has gone through law school says that it has been a real challenge, and I even know a few people who have dropped out. Getting into a good one will be hard enough as it is. Another large issue I can run into is the constant battle with myself. “We can spend endless amounts of time in self-reflection but emerge with no more self-insight than when we started.” (Text: “The Right Way to be Introspective (Yes, There’s a Wrong Way)” Tasha Eurich, TED Conferences Moreau FYE Week Six) A lot of people run into problems with themself in terms of mental health and issues with self-doubt. Considering that my hopeful profession would be one to receive a decent amount of backlash, I believe that this will be a problem especially for me moving forward. As I have written about in prior QQC’s, I have had ongoing mental health struggles for most of my life, which have still persisted since going to college. Fortunately, I have a great support system behind me, which I am sure will continue well into the future. This sort of support will help push me through the rough patches in life and get rid of these obstacles in my life. “But the future is, most of all, in the hands of those people who recognize the other as a ‘you’ and themselves as part of an ‘us.’ We all need each other.” (“Why the only future worth building includes everyone” His Holiness Pope Francis, TED Conferences - Moreau FYE Week Seven). This quote from Pope Francis is very important to me https://ideas.ted.com/the-right-way-to-be-introspective-yes-theres-a-wrong-way/ https://ideas.ted.com/the-right-way-to-be-introspective-yes-theres-a-wrong-way/ 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 because of how it demonstrates how everyone is equal and she is treated as such. An issue I take with people is if they act as if they are above people because they may have a higher education level or a higher amount of income than someone else. Not matter where we come from or how we were raised, we are all equal in the end.