Moreau Integration 2


The first thing I encountered when I came to Notre Dame was loneliness. It was my first

time really leaving what I was familiar with and I don’t do well with change. The first week was

incredibly tough for me. I was in a new place and I didn’t know anyone. I felt like my roommates

weren’t what I expected them to be. Just like in the “Advice From a Formerly Lonely College

Student” I felt like no one else was feeling the way I was. I’m in a quad and my other three

roommates seemed like best friends. They would go out together and study together and I was

just on the outside. I wasn’t only seeing this at Notre Dame. Everyone I know from high school

looked like they were having the time of their lives on social media. Was it only me who felt the

way I did? But I wasn’t truly alone. Other people were feeling the same way I was and everyone

just wanted to make friends. I realize that people were only posting that way on social media

because they felt alone too and wanted to pretend they weren’t. Now, looking back on how I felt

that first week, I still sympathize with how I felt, but I realize that it doesn’t matter now. Now my

roommates are my best friends. We do everything together and they’re who I lean on when I

need support. Feeling so lonely that first week of school, I never thought I would be friends with

these three girls, but now I think we’re going to be friends for life. (Advice From a Formerly

Lonely College Student)

I’ve been lucky enough not to encounter brokenness so far in the form of heartbreak my

first semester at Notre Dame. I am still friends with all my friends from high school and my

boyfriend hasn’t broken up with me yet. But I know that I have definitely encountered

brokenness in other ways. I’m not trying to sound ungrateful or negative in any way, but college

classes have broken my spirit. I have always lived my life with little to no effort in school, but

always coming out on top. I knew that when I started college I was going to have to put more

effort in. This really hit me hard after my first test - Principles of Microeconomics. It was the

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/09/well/family/advice-from-a-formerly-lonely-college-student.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/09/well/family/advice-from-a-formerly-lonely-college-student.html


first time I had ever failed a test. I knew I hadn’t studied hard enough and was ready to come

back the next time. After that, I studied even harder for all my other tests. I know I’m not failing,

but I feel like no matter how hard I work I’m not getting the grades I’m shooting for. I feel

stupider than I’ve ever felt in my entire life. I feel like I’m never going to do well in college. I

think I need to do some kintsugi. Smashing something isn’t going to fix my grades or my broken

spirit, but it sure will feel good. Although I haven’t yet responded to this encounter, I am looking

forward to overcoming it. I am planning on continuing to work hard throughout college to better

my academic results. I’m sure if I work hard enough and find what fits me right I can achieve the

standards I hold myself to. (Women Find Healing Through Kintsugi Workshop)

Since coming to Notre Dame, I have encountered a wonderful community. I have spent

my whole life growing up around Notre Dame. Although I live 3 hours away from campus, I

found myself there quite often as a child. My family loves Notre Dame football (as any normal

family should), but I never really understood what people meant by “the Notre Dame

community.” Since coming here, I’ve gotten to know what the community is really about. Part of

that is especially apparent at Notre Dame football games. Football games have become such an

important part of my life as a student. I never enjoyed watching football and I never thought

going to a football game would be this exciting. Being a student has definitely increased my love

for Notre Dame football. Like Parker says in “Thirteen Ways of Looking at Community”

community is a gift that we should be grateful for and I am incredibly grateful for the Notre

Dame community. It’s the best community I’ve ever encountered. (13 Ways of Looking at

Community)

One of my favorite encounters since coming to Notre Dame has been my encounter with

faith. I have always had a strong faith. I grew up Catholic, going to Catholic schools, and

https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/heal/find-healing-through-kintsugi-art/
http://couragerenewal.org/parker/writings/13-ways-of-looking-at-community/
http://couragerenewal.org/parker/writings/13-ways-of-looking-at-community/


attending mass every Sunday. I have always been a stronger believer in the Catholic faith and

that is one of the main reasons I chose Notre Dame. I was worried that Notre Dame wouldn’t be

as faithful as I expected, that it would be more secular in an attempt to please the masses, but I

was pleasantly surprised when I got here. Faith is a huge part of Notre Dame and I’ve loved

seeing it in so many different aspects of the Notre Dame community. Of course, the most

important part is mass. I was a little bit worried after my first experiences with Farley mass

because I wasn’t very pleased with it. I thought the turnout was disappointing and the homilies

were long and boring. But then I went to Dillon’s milkshake mass and realized maybe I was just

looking for faith in the wrong places. I’ve since started going to mass at St. Edwards Hall every

Sunday and I absolutely love it. My favorite part is that I’ve gotten quite a few of my friends,

who don’t normally go to mass, to go with me. It’s become a tradition that I can truly enjoy with

my friends. And as made apparent in “Holy Cross and Christian Education” you don’t get that

anywhere else but Notre Dame. And that’s why I love it here. (Holy Cross and Christian

Education)

https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/25086/files/192591/download?download_frd=1
https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/25086/files/192591/download?download_frd=1