Christopher Giaimo Moreau First Year Experience Mr. Retartha Due April 29th The Mission Statement and Growth of a Generic New Yorker Over the course of the last two semesters I believe that I have truly grown as a person. Over both the first semester and the last 13 weeks in this class I believe that I have definitely grown as a person. Moreau was probably one of my favorite classes in the sense that it was something unique. All of my other classes focus on a subject found in highschool such as math, science, english, and history. However, the subject of Moreau was my growth as an individual which was something that I valued because I have never focused on it before. At the beginning of the year, I embarked on a new chapter in my life focused on college. I have never been away for long and I would say that I have a pretty close relationship with my family so I anticipated that the transition wouldn’t be easy. I was right, meeting countless challenges beyond the ones that I was expecting. On the other hand, I was also given countless opportunities that others would kill for. My mission as a student at Notre Dame is to put in every ounce of effort that I can produce. I will overcome challenges that help me grow as a person and I plan to help others around me in the Notre Dame community grow as well. Over the last semester, I have completed 13 QQC’s which have helped me track my growth and I plan to integrate all of them and talk about how they correlate with my mission statement and how it will grow over the next 4 years. In week 1, I addressed the question “What life am I living?” This is a very important question because to understand one’s growth you must first understand where you began. At the start of the semester, I had realized that my life prior to coming to college was one that was very sheltered. I had lived in my own bubble in New York, while it was diverse with people it was nothing compared to the completely different perspectives I was going to encounter in college. I also realized that I have lived a very technological life: “The one thing technology doesn’t provide us with is a sense of how to make the best use of technology” ( "Why we need to slow down our lives" by Pico Iyer, TED - Moreau FYE Week One). Like Pico says, we don’t make the best use of technology, and I can definitely see that misusage in my life. While technology does serve the purpose of benefiting my life, I definitely use it as a distraction more than as I should. I have learned that to benefit as much as I possibly can from technology I must slow down and live every moment in a way that I can look back and be proud that I wasted little to no time. This focus on living in the moment extends beyond myself to my community which is where my mission as a student comes into play. In week 2, I addressed the question “What inspires a life well-lived?” This is also an important question as it has to do with my goals. At the end of the day, who doesn’t want to live a well-lived life? I found that what remained constant in my life before and after my freshman year was my reliance on relationships. Relationships are what makes us human and they give us strength. Prior to this year, I found my strength in my family and friends. After this year, while I https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ still relied on my family and friends over FaceTime, I had to make new relationships with friends and advisors which gave me strength that I could use. My favorite quote from this week dealt with relationships: “Success comes from the power of friendship” ( "Hesburgh" Produced by Jerry Barca and Christine O'Malley - Moreau FYE Week Two). At certain times in everyones’ lives they are weak, however, they become stronger through those around them. When I am weak I hope to be lifted up by not only my friends and family but also the Notre Dame community. With regards to my mission as a student and community member I hope to be a source of this strength for others. In week 3, I addressed a similar question to the previous week: “What guides a life well-lived?” I am a strong believer in the fact that suffering and overcoming makes us stronger. Facing difficulties such as a bad grade or having a huge argument with your best friend ultimately gives us guidance and knowledge on how to move forward in life. One of the best quotes from this week came from a nun who believed facing death was one our biggest difficulties: “But it’s actually in facing the darkest realities of life that we find light in them” ( "Meet the nun who wants you to remember that you will die" Ruth Graham, NY Times - Moreau FYE Week Three). Accepting difficulties, while death may be a difficult one that I haven’t exactly thought about much yet, gives us a path to our future. These paths filled with challenges won’t be the easy path, but are definitely the more rewarding one. In my mission to be the best person I can be, I plan to not avoid challenges but meet them head on. In week 4, the focus question was “What are possible ways of living a life well-lived?” Everyone has a different definition of what a life well-lived is and that is why there are so many ways of living life. Sometimes you are unsure of what move to make next in life. This is a problem that I have faced throughout my life, but especially here where I am determining what I want to be for the rest of my life. Specifically, determining my major has been something that I fear because I am unsure if it will leave me on a rigid path for the rest of my life. The source for this week alleviated this fear: “Contrary to popular belief, deciding on a major does not determine the rest of your life” ( “Navigating Your Career Journey” (Meruelo Family Center for Career Development) - Moreau FYE Week. With this knowledge I can make decisions without fearing long-term consequences. Sometimes you have to just make decisions without fear and that is something I plan to do over the next 4 years. In week 5, I addressed the question “What role do others play in my discernment?” This week was special in the sense that we did not do a regular QQC, but we wrote a paragraph based on a conversation that we had with our friends. I realized how unique that we both were and I mentioned it in our third integration, but a quote that I will take with me for the rest of my life came from the last semester: “Your authenticity is your distinct competitive advantage. Nobody can be you the way that you can be you” ( “2021 Laetare Medalist Address” by Carla Harris - Moreau FYE Week Five (Last semester)). Being myself inherently gives me an advantage over my competition and my mission as a Notre Dame student is to continue to be myself and promote individuality among all in the community as it is our strengths. https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://news.nd.edu/news/carla-harris-2021-laetare-address/ In week 6, we thought about “What are personal obstacles to living a life well-lived and how do I respond?” In this week we watched a video about a man who was paralyzed then attempted to commit suicide. However, he found new found strength in his challenges and is living an admirable life inspiring others. He says that while we always search for the easiest answers they are not always right: “We tend to search for the easiest and most plausible answers” ( “5 Minutes” Aria Swarr, Grotto - Moreau FYE Week 6). Facing the truths, although they may sometimes be an ugly truth, always benefits you more than lying to yourself. Staying true to myself and facing truths no matter how ugly is a goal that I will try to stick to over the next 4 years. In week 7, we thought about “What relationships are characteristic of a life well-lived?” This is a pretty good question which I answered in an earlier paragraph. My favorite quote from this week was “A single individual is enough for hope to exist, and that individual can be you. And then there will be another ‘you,’ and another ‘you,’ and it turns into an ‘us’” ( “Why the only future worth building includes everyone” by His Holiness Pope Francis, TED Conferences - Moreau FYE Week 7). Unfortunately, we live in a pretty divided society and hearing this quote from Pope Francis is something that could potentially alleviate some of the partisanship. I plan to bring people together rather than push people apart in my mission as a student. In week 8, we finally answered the question about what was a life well-lived. We wrote eulogies for ourselves and for me personally I feel it really helped me figure out the way that I wanted to be remembered as a person who others respected for my drive to be the best person that I possibly could be. In week 9, we addressed a difficult question: “How do I engage with accompaniment in a suffering world?” Some people view helping others as being completely selfless. While I don’t deny that there is definitely a selflessness to helping others, I also believe that helping others helps you. Personal growth via volunteer services is something that I have been fortunate to experience throughout my life: “Accompaniment reframes the idea that we’re working to help people “over there,” in recognition of the fact that “over there” and “here” are intertwined” ( “Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together” by Steve Reifenberg - Moreau FYE Week 9). Helping others builds an all around more compassionate and beneficial community which is part of my mission as a Notre Dame student. In week 10, the focus question was “How do I embrace Humanity?” Notre Dame as I mentioned before is a pretty diverse community with countless perspectives from unique individuals. Therefore, I gained a wider perspective from living in this community and by embracing others perspectives you get a more accepting community. These different perspectives on life also had different perspectives on God. I really enjoyed seeing how others viewed God and through these perspectives my thoughts on God grew as well. My favorite quote from this week dealt with the topic of God: “You can’t convince yourself God loves you, but you can ask Him to show you” ( “Growing up Gay and Catholic” (Jacob Walsh, Grotto) - Moreau FYE Week 10). Throughout my life I have found that God shows his love in mysterious ways that are only 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://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/edit https://grottonetwork.com/keep-the-faith/community/reflective-narrative-about-being-gay-and-catholic/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022 revealed if you are paying attention hard enough. Embracing differing perspectives fosters more diverse and fruitful communities which is a goal of my mission over the next 4 years. In week 11, we thought about the question “How do I become wise?” I found this question to be very interesting because different people have different opinions on what it means to be wise. I find this to be very relevant in today’s society because oftentimes people discredit other peoples’ opinions because they are different. In today’s society “We live in a 24/7 cycle of political news that saturates every corner of our culture” ( “How to Avoid an Echo Chamber” by Dr. Paul Blaschko - Moreau FYE Week 11). This is why it is crucial for people to formulate their own opinions rather than simply always agreeing with others without contest. Very ideas and thoughts provide a more diverse community which is beneficial and it is my goal to contribute to the community. In week 12, we answered the question “How do I grow in my courage to act?” When presented in a difficult situation as a bystander it can become difficult to act for a variety of reasons. Many people fear the consequences of their intervention and, therefore, they may not stand up for what is right. However, if we are to attack injustice at its core then we must stand up without fear for others who cannot: “Each one of us can choose to finally end hate, by ending this separation” (Dean G. Marcus Cole: “I am George Floyd. Except, I can breathe. And I can do something” - Moreau FYE Week 12). Hate breeds only more hate, and my goal over the next 4 years is to oppose this hate by any means possible. In week 14, I wrote a much more brief mission statement than the one that encapsulates this essay. I focused on many of the goals that I mentioned in this piece such as the fact that I have had a fortunate life and I am looking forward to facing difficult challenges and overcoming them by sheer determination. My mission is to bring this determination and will power to help not only myself but those around me as well. This course has helped me unravel what I now know to be my real self and I look forward to showing all those around me in the Notre Dame community my true identity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaIVxQcqnLs&t=1s https://law.nd.edu/news-events/news/dean-g-marcus-cole-i-am-george-floyd-except-i-can-breathe-and-i-can-do-something/ https://law.nd.edu/news-events/news/dean-g-marcus-cole-i-am-george-floyd-except-i-can-breathe-and-i-can-do-something/