Capstone Integration Capstone Integration April 27, 2022 Related in Love The first year of college has been a blur. It has gone by so incredibly fast. There have been incredible highs and there have been devastating lows, but one thing I tried to internalize through the rollercoaster of college is taking time to stop and reflect, internalizing the idea that “It’s the rest in a piece of music that gives it resonance and shape” ("Why we need to slow down our lives" by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week One). At the start of second semester I bought a journal from the bookstore and it has become an escape for me, a much needed pause from the non stop excitement of college that has made me realize how important it is to take breaks, reflect, and practice mindfulness. “As a university, you can’t censor ideas if they disagree with your own” ("Hesburgh" by Jerry Barca and Christine O'Malley - Moreau FYE Week Two). At Notre Dame, one of the most powerful things has been the diversity of opinions and thought within the student body. From the Hesburgh movie, it is clear that Father Hesburgh is one of the main reasons why Notre Dame is the incredible institution it is today. He transformed it from just a school known for football to an academic powerhouse that teaches students to think not just with their minds but also with their hearts. Before coming to Notre Dame, I didn’t expect to be so greatly affected by the Catholic education. Being someone who is not very religiously motivated, I didn’t think it was going to be that much different from a non-religiously affiliated university. I was at first resistant to the idea of even taking a theology class. But actually being here has opened my eyes to the power of this community, brought together and unified by an uncrushable spirit. Something I found really interesting about the “Three Key Questions” article was that in finding one’s individual purpose or identity, in figuring out how to live our lives, it is important to have a circle of friends, to foster a community that will be both honest and supportive of our personal goals. ("Three Key Questions" by Fr. Michael Himes - Moreau FYE Week Three). When I’m making a big life decision like choosing what college to go to or discerning my major, a huge part of the process was talking to my parents, friends, professors, tennis coach, etc., because they know me in ways I don’t know or see myself in. This semester has been plagued with internal fear. More than anything I have feared my f u t u r e . https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40250/files/471135/download?download_frd=1 My life has always been about the immediate next step: what am I going to get for lunch today, what am I doing this weekend, and sending in applications for college. There haven’t been a lot of big decisions I’ve had to make. “Career satisfaction/success depends in part on how well a person can identify and implement his/her career self-concept, which is comprised of your values, interests, personality, and skills” ("Navigating Your Career Journey” by Meruelo Family Center for Career Development- Moreau FYE Week Four). I think this quote is really important, because often there is pressure to choose a career based on success or purely what you are good at. It’s important to remember that there are so many other factors that ultimately determine how “right” a career is for us. I love electrical engineering but I am also interested in business, politics, and fashion, something I realized while taking one of the Muerelo quizzes and Irish Compass Activity ("Week Five IrishCompass Activity" by Irish Compass - Moreau FYE Week Five). It reminded me of the Ted Talk we watched about being a multipotentialite and how that can make us feel lost and unsure what to do. But the article made me realize it's okay to shift gears, change majors, and change entire career paths and it’s all part of the journey of discovering my future. “Why” questions trap us in our past; “what” questions help us create a better future” (“5 Minutes” by Aria Swarr- Moreau FYE Week Six). When thinking about reflecting and becoming more self aware, something we all need to do, we need to focus on the what not the why. What forces us to name our emotions and to better understand ourselves. This semester I got into meditation, shifting my mindset about what it means to engage with meditation. Meditation doesn’t have to be this long inconvenient process but can be something simple like enjoying a cup of coffee or chopping onions, just slowing down and taking time to reflect. In the Pope’s Ted Talk, he articulated our need to help each other and come together as one. We need solidarity not division (“Why the only future worth building includes Everyone” by Pope Francis-Moreau FYE Week Seven). In Theology, we learned that to be human is to be related in love and while I still have uncertainty surrounding my religious ideas, I think this lesson should guide our lives till the end. “Solidarity is about our relationship with the other, and through the practice of accompaniment we make it real and move it forward” (“Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together” by Professor Steve Reifenberg - Moreau FYE Week Nine). I worked at the soup kitchen in my hometown. We came there to help, but there is only so much you can do from behind the glass, and I didn’t really engage until we also portioned out the same food for us and we sat down and actually talked with people. We laughed with each other, shared stories, and realized we are in this together and can learn from each other, showing me that solidarity is about connecting to the people we set out to help and not see ourselves as the savior but as the one embarking into a mutual relationship where we both teach and grow. “The antidote to white fragility is on-going and life-long, and includes sustained engagement, humility, and education”("Growing up Gay and Catholic” by Jacob Walsh - Moreau FYE Week Ten). People often want to believe they are not racist because they do not act in a derogatory way towards people of color or regard them as lesser. However being white gives https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Z1bZTNU9tpjCnuC9iDFLjslYaX0v4XpBwClh_GynKfo/edit?usp=sharing https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Z1bZTNU9tpjCnuC9iDFLjslYaX0v4XpBwClh_GynKfo/edit?usp=sharing https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/transform/why-does-god-allow-suffering/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022 https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/transform/why-does-god-allow-suffering/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022 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 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40250/modules/items/146017 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40250/modules/items/146017 https://grottonetwork.com/keep-the-faith/community/reflective-narrative-about-being-gay-and-catholic/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022 you privileges in many sectors: politics, education, economic opportunity. And privilege from an unjust system gives us a moral responsibility. “In surrounding ourselves with people who agree with us, we are losing our sense of how someone might reasonably disagree which is accelerating political polarization”(“How to Avoid an Echo Chamber” by Dr. Paul Blaschko - Moreau FYE Week Eleven). I think we have a responsibility to seek out people who disagree with us and rise above our own stubbornness to try to understand different points of view. I have noticed this in my own life. I try to stay informed to know what’s going on in our world, but I am not actively participating in the way I feel like I should be. I wrote an essay in Philosophy about what we can actively do to correct sexual and racial discrimination, and realized how many creative ideas there are. The Constitutions of the Congregation of the holy cross (“Constitutions of the Congregation of Holy Cross” - Moreau FYE Week Twelve) was interesting especially because it connected to what I’ve learned in my first Theology class, how the purpose of human beings is to be related to love. To be human is to be related in love, making relationships and specifically the mending of broken relationships vital. We should strive to help each other and foster strength and connection within our community. We should actively seek out ways to achieve equal human rights and justice like Dean G. Marcus. In reflecting back on my mission statement and the mission statement of Notre Dame (University of Notre Dame Mission Statement - Moreau FYE Week Thirteen), I realized that my life is studded with uncertainty: uncertainty about my major, career, future, relationships, etcs. But there are guiding principles to how I want to live my life, lessons I want to internalize, and a direction I want to go in. I may not know where my final destination is, but I know how to get there and I know what is important along the way, the most important being my relationships and my love for other human beings around me. https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40250/modules/items/146040 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40250/modules/items/146055 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40250/modules/items/146055 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40250/modules/items/146066