integration week 8 Nhat Nguyen Moreau 15 October 2021 I believe….. In the first few months here at Notre Dame I have been challenged in so many ways that challenge all aspects of my life including the beliefs and morals that have been instilled in me since I was a child. Moving into a new environment without the guidance of my parents was very difficult; however my foundation beliefs and determination to succeed is something that has kept me moving forward in both my academic and athletic journey here at Notre Dame. Personally I believe that Notre Dame is an amazing place that challenges their students in ways never before seen which allows one to flourish as an individual. The topic of being vulnerable is one that I believe is very important. Throughout my entire life I have always strived for perfection whether it was on the field or in the classroom. I’ve always studied hard and with hard work and determination I rarely failed.However, this all changed when I got to college. In my Calculus A class I received a C on the exam which is one of the lowest grades I’ve ever received. I was absolutely distraught, I allowed this exam to mentally destroy me which impacted my performance on the field for lacrosse, and in other classes. I truly struggled accepting the fact that I performed poorly on an exam. However, after a brief conversation with my coach she emphasized that I have to “fail forward” suggesting that failure is just room to grow and embrace the learning experience. In Dr.Brown's commentary she states “You can't numb hard feelings without numbing other emotions.” This pertains to the belief that one must be vulnerable to experience growth and prosperity. For example, when i received my test grade back i felt numb I didn't know how to react to such a horrible grade I tried blocking out all my emotions but in the end that made me more frustrated and upset. However after talking with my coach I realized this is just an opportunity to grow which showed me that I need to study harder and focus on school more than I have in previous years because the academics at this university are much more rigorous than I expected. Although hard work and determination will allow one to succeed I believe that this situation demonstrates that the level of hard work may change when entering a new environment however ones failure isn't something horrible it's just an opportunity to evaluate and succeed in the new learning process. The importance of balance in college is something that is a ture key to success. When I first came to Notre Dame I was determined to be perfect in every aspect of school and lacrosse. However I quickly learned that this goal was nearly impossible; therefore I needed to find a balance. I thought that happiness and pleasure would come from being successful in the previous two areas I listed, however I realized that happiness comes from many other aspects rather than success. As a team we participate in many volunteering opportunities in order to raise money for different causes. As a result I found myself the happiest when we visited our FIFFL teammate who is battling cancer. She was so overjoyed to meet us and was pleased with our company. The smile that appeared on her face while we visited her brought me true joy. This made me realize that I believe that happiness and pleasure comes from more than just success and prosperity in athletics or academics. In the video David Brooks talks about how people must find a balance in life between success and overall happiness. Brooks states that life isn't about being decorated in awards and experiencing success constantly but it's about finding a balance between being vulnerable to grow as an individual while experiencing success which will lead to happiness. This pertains to my situation because even though I wasn't experiencing success on the field or in the classroom during that particular week in the semester I was able to find peace and happiness when I was with our teammate because I felt as if my presence had an impact on her day which made me feel successful. Framework and a daily routine can be the basics to learning and experiencing success. I believe that a framework can only truly find its purpose in life despite challenges and obstacles if one is able to stick to the basic routine and framework success will come through both prosperity and failure. In the first few weeks I struggled to find a routine/ balance between school work, exams, and practice which led to me struggling to get my work done , which then led to me not sleeping. The failures continued to build up but I had to stick to my belief that eventually everything would work out and I could only learn from my poor time management. Father McCormick states in the video that “the greatest journey you will ever go on is the journey of self discovery. This quotation shows that framework is something that's essential to finding one's true purpose. Perhaps that is religion, many individuals say that sticking true to one's faith allows them to discover their true purpose. Personally I believe that if one is able to put the trust in God that everything happens for a reason they will discover who they truly are as a person through both success and failure. By embarrassing the struggle, if one is able to stick to a routine despite challenges and hardships they will experience true success along with the discovery of their purpose. Relationships and friendships are an important factor in forming a healthy bond with one's peers which allows one to have a successful and healthy social life. As a child my parents always instilled in me that friends were people who cared about your well-being and as a group you would both grow as individuals if it was a healthy friendship. Therefore I personally believe that healthy friendships are the ones that leave you with a smile on your face at the end of the day knowing that you both are growing as individuals together. As I entered college I noticed that many people talk behind each other's backs and many males are not loyal to their girlfriends who are not at Notre Dame. As a result of this experience I began to become aware of red flags that are signs of toxic relationships and friendships. For example Taylor states in the article that “The best kind of friendships are the ones where you leave with a smile on your face, knowing you’re both growing to be better people and that you’re helping each other get there.” This quotation suggests the true meaning of friendships. Personally with my teammates we always try to help each through tough times whether it's in school or on the field we all encourage one another to be the best players, students, and individuals we can possibly be. A way in which I strive to be a good friend is by giving positive encouragement to those around me who are struggling and in addition to this celebrate the mini successes in order to create a healthy and positive environment regarding friendships. One can find purpose in life through many things other than sports or academics. Personally I believe that here at Notre Dame the sense of community, tradition, culture, and faith is what can help lead someone to finding their true self. Being a pre-med major here at Notre Dame has made me question my purpose and what I truly want to do. The difficulty in my classes can sometimes discourage me and distract me from my end goal of pursuing a profession in the medical field. However, I know that in the end I really want to help people who are encountering some sort of issue medically. This idea is supported through the quotation when Kevin Grove says “You might bring the only hope that lasts.” This quotation shows me to keep persevering through the struggle because one day I can be the only hope someone has to keep going. My purpose as an individual in the future could be to help someone who is ill and in that situation it is my job to help them overcome this obstacle. Also, here at Notre Dame there is an emphasis on giving back to those who need it most and perhaps our experiences here will allow us to grow and prosper to one day give back to those in need of our help. Everyone views the world in a different way and one's experiences are what truly shapes who they are as a person. I believe that one's experiences and interaction with their environment is what shapes them as a person. For example, my experience at Notre Dame so far has been quite positive and it is just the beginning of my journey in order to discover who I am as an individual. I constantly reflect on what my parents taught me and my previous experiences at home with school and sports in order to maximise my potential as a student-athlete. From the website “Where I am From” the author states that she wants people to tell a story about what events one has experienced that have shaped how they perceive the world around them. Perhaps this shows that everyone comes from a different environment and their core beliefs and values are shaped based on their experiences in that environment. Therefore from this one can conclude that at Notre Dame we are here to experience both success, failure, and traditio which are all aspects that will shape how we perceive the world around us. In the society we live in today there is both bias, racism, and discrimmination which is all influnced by the media on a negative way. Personally, I believe that sterpotypes are a current issue in society that needs to receive more attention. At Notre Dame the 2025 class seems to be the most diverse class to ever come through the university. The diversity I noticed creates a stronger culture and bond between peers because each and every student is able to bond over their experiences and stories from their unique cultures. In the video “Danger of a single story” the speaker says “If you only focus on the negative stories it will flatten your experience and overlook the other stories that form you.” This quotation illustrates how stereotypes impact society in such a negative way. Only having one perspective creates bias and discrimmination which creates a distinct divide amongst a community which creates a toxic culture; something that you would never see at Notre Dame. In the future I will continue to interact with my peers and learn about their experiences as students and individuals here at this University to expand my knowledge on culture and the diversity of our class,