Moreau Integration 1 - EDITED


Jessica Geriane
Moreau First Year Experience - Integration 1

Courage of My Convictions

I believe that I am searching for many paths in life, including how far I want to take my
swimming career, where I want to be after college, and what I want to do with my life in the end.
However, these past few weeks, I have felt many emotions that I have never felt in an extreme
way before, and through these experiences, I believe that I am searching for ways to love
unconditionally. I have come to think this because I have struggled with putting trust in others
and loving those around me with my full heart due to past situations and experiences, one of
which was very recent and may still be ongoing. Dr. Brown from our QQC Week 1 TedTalk
stated to “Love with our whole hearts, even if there is no guarantee” (“The Power of
Vulnerability” by Brené Brown - Moreau FYE Week One). This belief has constantly been
challenged since my time at Notre Dame, as sometimes I still find it difficult to show someone
who I truly am or open up to other people. However, I still have the desire to love as much as I
can without being too overbearing, and I wish someone would do the same for me.

I believe that, by forging life-giving relationships, I will be able to discover more not
only about the other person, but more about myself. Relationships are all about enjoying each
other’s company, relying on each other, and so much more, and if there is no mutual respect
between individuals, then the relationship is not fit to continue (“Healthy vs. Unhealthy
Relationships” by The Red Flag Campaign - Moreau FYE Week Four). Nonetheless, it is through
these things that one can grow in their own understanding of themselves. There will always be so
many ups and downs throughout a relationship or friendship, and one should take these roller
coasters as lessons learned, which possibly could be applied to another situation later in life.
Some relationships may not turn out the way that one may want them to which may lead to lots
of regret, but this should not stop one from continuing to learn more about themselves.
Understanding that other people can raise you up and support you but also bring you down and
break you is imperative to self-discovery and how the traits that you hold and embody make you,
you.

Since I have arrived at Notre Dame, I have come to believe more strongly that faith is
the foundation in which we will find our true paths in life and grow in our own beliefs. I have
been in private, Catholic schooling since I was 5 years old, and since then, I believe that I have
grown too out of touch with my faith, as it became more repetitive to me, but from everything
that I have seen at Notre Dame and understanding the university's emphasis on Christianity, it all
has helped me see more clearly that God is always at the center of our lives, and he wants us to
put ourselves out into the world so that we can (and he can show us) who we are truly to become
and to discover. In the “Student Reflections on Faith”, Victor talks about how special God means
to him (“Student Reflections on Faith” - Moreau FYE Week Three). When reading this passage, I

https://youtu.be/X4Qm9cGRub0
https://youtu.be/X4Qm9cGRub0
https://drive.google.com/a/nd.edu/file/d/0B93cIKOnINCLS1JpUzZ5Q1JseGs/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/a/nd.edu/file/d/0B93cIKOnINCLS1JpUzZ5Q1JseGs/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YVemqUBaAs5DNBPYm806TyQZr3F0xElP/view?usp=sharing


realized I wanted to have the same perseverance and willingness to keep faith in God in the most
difficult of times and allow my faith to take a bigger role in my life.

I believe that in order to recognize the sin that we hold, we must look inwardly at
ourselves. This quote from David Brooks states: “...we are often not taught to recognize the sin
in ourselves in that we are not taught in this culture how to wrestle with it, how to confront it,
and how to combat it” (“Should you live for your resume or for your eulogy?” by David Brooks -
Moreau FYE Week 2). I believe that this quote represents the undeniable truth that we cannot
easily see the bad within ourselves and how to control and tame it. From my own standpoint, I
believe that the society we live in disregards the proper way to handle sin and primarily focuses
on the external side of humanity rather than the internal. To better ourselves, we should look
inwards rather than outworldly, focusing on the humility and kindness that unites us all as
humans. By doing so, those around us would be working to recognize their own transgressions as
well as assist others in discovering theirs and helping them overcome their wrongdoings.

From attending a very prestigious university to playing a sport at the Division I level, I
believe that failure should not be looked upon as a hindrance to success, but rather a lesson to be
learned. In her Laetare Medalist Address, Carla Harris’ states “Failure always brings you a gift,
and that gift is called experience” (“2021 Laetare Medalist Address” by Carla Harris - Moreau
FYE Week 5).  Harris states that failure is not something that a person should be afraid of, rather
it is something that should be expected and taken as a learning opportunity. However, sometimes
I still struggle to get past defeats and frustrations because success always seems so close, but
usually is so far. I have come to realize that success is not easily obtained, and failure occurs
more than anything, which is why each setback is another chance to be greater. Every obstacle
we face is something that allows us to grow personally, or even in our faith. We should take these
experiences with a positive mindset, and it is best that we believe that there will always be
chances to progress towards what we are truly meant to do and to be.

I believe that I grow from the people around me and the experiences that I have
undergone. Looking back at what has happened to me in the past and the decisions I have made
has made me realize that I would not be in the same situation I am in right now without those
who are close to me and who have supported me unconditionally. There have been times where I
have struggled to find the motivation for school and for swimming and instances where I had to
take each day an hour at a time. If it wasn’t for my peers and my family, I do not think I would
have made the right decisions day by day to end up in what I perceive to be as the greatest
outcome of my life so far. In creating the “Where I’m From” poems for the Week 6 QQC, I have
come to understand that each bit of my life, from my Burt’s Bees chapstick to the shouts and
screams of my coaches to the four hallways of my high school, has shaped who I have become,
and I am so entirely grateful for each step of the way (“Where I’m From” by George Ella Lyon -
Moreau FYE Week Six).

I believe that my community here, back at home, and myself should take more care in
shaping the perceptions of others. I know quite a few people that can be highly judgemental and
use that to turn their friends on other people. Chimamanda Adichie states in her TEDtalk:

https://www.ted.com/talks/david_brooks_should_you_live_for_your_resume_or_your_eulogy?language=en
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjSwjn-SyB4
http://www.georgeellalyon.com/where.html


“Power is the ability not just to tell the story of another person, but to make it the definitive story
of that person” (“The danger of a single story” by Chimamanda Adichie - Moreau FYE Week 7).
Adichie emphasizes the notion that one person has the ability to shape the perceptions of another
person to others from a single story or principle. As she mentions, it is important to note that a
single story should not allow us to create biases about an individual. Forming false perceptions
about other people is a direct path towards misunderstanding and offensiveness. One cannot truly
know a person strictly from a single narrative. I still tend to judge something or someone based
on first impressions or something that I heard someone else say, but in order to really understand,
I must use my ability to listen to the individual and realize the fact that all stories matter, and first
perceptions do not entirely shape a person.

https://www.ted.com/search?q=The+danger+of+a+single+story