Moreau Capstone Paper



Moreau FYE
29 April 2022

Lost in the Woods
Probably an unpopular opinion, but I am extremely grateful for the period of quarantine

that Covid brought us. As someone who was living go-go-go, staying up late each night, getting
up early each morning, studying for test after test, and being drained practice after practice, I was
so thankful for some time to step back and gather myself. When I look back on my junior year
self, I genuinely don’t know how I would have finished the school year. Would I have lost it and
failed my classes? Would I have managed to pull through at the expense of my mental health? I
don’t know, and frankly I don’t want to know.

With the constant go-go-go mentality I had in high school, I felt like I never had time to
explore what I liked, reflect on how I wanted to live my life, or think about who I wanted to be.
Quarantine gave me time to reflect on myself and my personal mission. I made big steps during
quarantine in areas like self-confidence, happiness, and mental health. I was working out, I was
eating better, I wasn’t constantly faced with the stress of grades, I was getting a lot more sleep,
and I was spending more time doing what I wanted to do—I dabbled in art projects, I was able to
read, and I actually had time to watch shows on Netflix. Covid took a lot away from us, but I
also think that in a way, it gave us a lot too.

My senior year and my first semester of college were some of the happiest months in my
life. I know that this happiness is a result of the reflection I had the time to do in quarantine. I felt
like I actually knew myself—I knew what I wanted, I knew who I wanted to be, what I wanted to
do, which friends made me happy, etc. Knowing all of that gives you confidence and purpose,
and that makes getting through life a whole lot easier.

When I came back this year for second semester, I feel like I stepped off the path I had
found for myself, and I haven’t been able to find my way back. The path that led me to a life well
lived seems a bit far away, hidden in shrubs and behind a cloud of fog. This semester has been
really hard, but I’m confident that I can find the path again. I’ve found it once, and I can do it
again. To live a life well lived, I’ve devised four steps based on my previous experiences. They
include: reflection, time with friends and family, trying new things, and supporting others.

1. Reflection
Something I started this year was journaling. The journal I use, The 5 Minute Journal,

asks the same questions every day. Some of the questions are to be answered in the morning and
some are to be answered at night. An example of a morning question would be: “What would
make today great?” An example of an evening question would be: “What did you learn today?” I
think that these questions help me to live my life how Sister Aletheia would want me to. It
allows me a little memento mori each day. “Memento mori is: Where am I headed, where do I
want to end up?” said Becky Clements” (“The Nun Who Wants You to Remember You Will Die”
by Ruth Graham - Moreau FYE Week Three). Each morning, I think about the clean slate I have

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html


ahead of me, and what I want to try to achieve with it. Putting it in writing helps me visualize it
better and makes it seem more achievable. Then at night, I can reflect on what I did well and
what I would like to do better tomorrow. It gives me a little direction in life which I find to be
really nice.

I also find that journaling serves as a form of meditation. As Pico Iyer explains in his
article, “Why We Need to Slow Down Our Lives,” “Such developments [mental health
programs] are saving American corporations three hundred billion dollars a year; more
important, they’re a form of preemptive medicine at a time when the World Health Organization
has been widely quoted as stating that ‘stress will be the health epidemic of the twenty-first
century’” (“Why We Need to Slow Down Our Lives” by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week One). As
someone who is easily stressed, I do find that reflecting and journaling is helpful when it comes
to my mental health. I’m someone who likes purpose and to-do lists and monitoring progress,
and I’ve found that journaling allows me to do all of that. It helps me feel like I have some
control in my life.

Through this written reflection, I’ve been able to determine what my personal mission is:
to spread love and encouragement (“Writing a Personal Mission Statement Activity” - Moreau
FYE Week Thirteen). I know this isn’t the classic “I’m going to do this career” or “I’m going to
volunteer and give back to the poor,” but I genuinely believe that this is my mission and one of
my strengths. I’m good at having an open mind, listening to others, and helping others see their
potential when they might be struggling to.

Another area of reflection in my life has been my major (as I’m sure it is with every
college student). I know that I like biology, but I don’t particularly like physics or chemistry. I
love biology, but is it worth it if half of the classes I have to take as a student in the college of
science are so terrible? I also know that I don’t want to be premed because I cannot take another
admissions process or deal with the stress that comes with med school, but what am I going to do
with a biology degree? The other obvious choice would be research, but that’s not super
appealing to me either. Sometimes it’s hard for me to remember but, “Contrary to popular belief,
deciding on a major does not determine the rest of your life” (“Navigating Your Career Journey -
Moreau First Year Experience” by the Center for Career Development - Moreau FYE Week
Four). This reassurance from the CCD has prompted me to go through with biology and hope
that the right job finds me. If I’m sticking to a subject I love, then there’s got to be some sort of
career that excites me within the field. I’m thankful for the answers reflection has allowed me to
find, and I hope that by continuing to think about these questions, I will be able to find the right
career path for me.

Maybe I feel like I’ve lost sight of my path, but reflection has helped me to walk back in
the direction of it, and I think that if I continue to reflect, I can find that happiness that is
connected to a life well lived.

https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ur4b9oFy7Mh8adNrwRTIFcanUIJUAI6wnAczkxW-H3I/edit
https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/
https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/


2. Time with Friends and Family
I have always been someone who has leaned heavily on their friends and family. I need a

support system, and even if I don’t want to talk about life’s stressors, just knowing that there are
people looking out for me and there for me when I need, helps minimize my stress. I’ve known
for a while that my greatest fear is to be alone—no one to help me through hard times or no one
to encourage me when I need it. Spending time with friends and family helps me to be the best
version of myself, and the one that is best able to carry out my personal mission of spreading
love and encouraging others.

In the discernment conversation I had with my Mom earlier this semester, she said that I
most value my friends and family (Discernment Conversation Activity - Moreau FYE Week
Five). Based on what I explained above, this did not surprise me at all. I know that friends and
family have always been super important to me, but I believe that the key here is to spend time
with real friends and supportive family. When I think of what this means, I think back to
Reifenberg’s essay, “The beauty of using accompaniment is in the blurring of the lines between
us and them, doctor and patient, donor and recipient, expert and novice. Instead, we are partners,
walking together, towards a better future” (“Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey
Together” by Professor Steve Reifenberg - Moreau FYE Week Nine). In accompaniment, you
don’t try to solve the other person’s problems for them. You work as a team, taking on all
obstacles together and listening to one another. The best friends and family do this too. In high
school, whenever I was stressed, my friends didn’t say “Well, just stop stressing so much. It’s not
that big of a deal.” They would hug me, and tell me that it’s going to be ok. We would help each
other with homework and explain concepts to one another. I hope to take from these experiences,
and use what made me feel better to help others feel better as well.

As I mentioned before, I feel that one of my strengths is being non judgemental towards
others. I think that this mind set is really important in order to carry out my mission statement as
you can’t encourage and love others without trying to understand them first. “Close both eyes;
see with the other one. Then, we are no longer saddled by the burden of our persistent
judgements, our ceaseless withholding, our constant exclusion. Our sphere has widened, and we
find ourselves, quite unexpectedly, in a new, expansive location, in a place of endless acceptance
and infinite love” (Tattoos for the Heart by Father Gregory Joseph Boyle - Moreau FYE Week
Seven). I’m constantly anxious about how people judge me, and I’m sure others feel the same
way too. If we learn to be less judgemental, we can open up new opportunities for love and
acceptance. As Boyle explains, this allows for more meaningful relationships and is something I
want to prioritize in my life.

My relationships with my friends and family have shown me what true love and
encouragement look like, and they will help me carry out my personal mission statement.

3. Trying New Things
Another way to help myself live my best life is to try new things. I’m someone who likes

routine, and is often scared to try anything new. In order to find others to support and encourage

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yZ7hqvx-u4EuW2nlK-fRbWFiurQm1mZv_KpoeeiN4So/edit
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/edit
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/edit
https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40291/files/523827?module_item_id=167955#:~:text=Download%20_Tattoos%20on%20the%20Heart_%20%2D%20Chapter%208_%20Jurisdiction%20(1).pdf


and to form new and meaningful relationships in life, I need to be open to trying new things. In
the documentary we watched about Father Hesburgh, we learned that, “He did a lot of things that
people would have thought as not particularly priestly, he was entrepreneurial” (Hesburgh by
Jerry Barca and Christine O’Malley - Moreau FYE Week Two). Hesburgh is a man I strive to be
like, therefore, I need to be willing to step outside my comfort zone and try a few new
things—things I might not necessarily see myself doing. This year, I tried Ultimate Frisbee and
writing for Scholastic, a student publication, for the first time. I really love both of these clubs,
and I wouldn’t have joined them if I didn’t put myself out there. I’m not the most athletic person
I know, and I’m not the best writer I know either. Nevertheless, I tried both of these clubs
anyway, and I am so happy that I did. As a result I’ve made progress towards achieving my
mission: I’ve made stronger friendships and found something that gives me joy.

On the subject of trying new things, I think back to Eurich’s article “The right way to be
introspective (Yes, there’s a wrong way).” In it he says, “Why questions can draw us to our
limitations; what questions help us see our potential. Why questions stir up negative emotions;
what questions keep us curious. Why questions trap us in our past; what questions help us create
a better future” (“The Right Way to Be Introspective (Yes, There’s a Wrong Way)” by Tasha
Eurich - Moreau FYE Week Six). For example, what do I want to accomplish and what am I
going to do to get there incites progress more than why haven’t I accomplished that yet? Using
“what” to frame your questions provokes you to respond with actions and allows you to start
acting towards the goal you have in mind. These types of questions can help me get out of my
own head and start being productive.

4. Supporting Others
While the other three categories have had an element of improving myself so that I’m in

the best place to carry out my mission, this section solely focuses on my goal: to love and
support others. I know that I am privileged in many ways. I grew up in a caring family, in a safe
town, financially secure, and with all of the support I could ask for. I did not have to worry about
racism or discrimination. I know that with all of this privilege comes the responsibility to do
good and enact change, and I have been trying to do that. Like Dean G Marcus wrote, “Except, I
can breathe. And I can do something. I must do something” (“Dean G. Marcus Cole: ‘I am
George Floyd. Except, I can breathe. And I can do something.’” by Dean G. Marcus Cole -
Moreau FYE Week Twelve). I have the room to breathe. Therefore, I need to utilize this
advantage and do something with it.

One way that I have always tried to do this (and will continue to) is by being very open
minded. Being open minded allows me to connect with everyone and listen to diverse
perspectives. It helps prevent the creation of echo chambers, or conversations in which everyone
has the same experiences and agrees with one another, echoing an idea, creating the illusion that
it’s a strong one even when it's not. “Bubbles become echo chambers when groups give up on
tolerating diversity of opinion” (“How to Avoid an Echo Chamber” by Dr Blaschko - Moreau
FYE Week Eleven). We can combat this by being open minded, listening to new perspectives,

https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9
https://ideas.ted.com/the-right-way-to-be-introspective-yes-theres-a-wrong-way/
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/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaIVxQcqnLs&t=1s&ab_channel=ThinkND


and not always assuming that we’re right. I can continue to work on this by attending events and
lectures at Notre Dame that touch on beliefs, experiences, and outlooks on life that are different
from my own. Understanding that there is more than one way to live a good life will help me to
be the most supportive, loving, and encouraging person I can be. Along with this mentality, I
need to be ok with being wrong. D’Angelo writes, “The good/bad binary is the fundamental
misunderstanding driving white defensiveness about being connected to racism” (“Why It’s So
Hard to Talk to White People About Racism” by D’Angelo - Moreau FYE Week Ten). Learning
from others and from our mistakes is how we grow. It’s ok to make them, as long as we learn our
lesson and then change our habits. Instead of getting defensive or trying to justify my way of
thinking, I need to be open to learning.

I believe that through reflection, time with family and friends, trying new things, and
supporting others, I can become the best version of myself. By embracing these four areas of my
life, I can grow into someone who can be supportive and encouraging to others, helping my
friends and family and everyone I can to reach their full potential and a life well lived. This
semester I’ve felt myself stray from my path—I have no idea what I’m doing—but I hope that
these steps will help me find my way out of the woods.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bdVnfLDrJUJhd-4UtYb_kfRpcFgOoOeY7O1WT8_d3iw/edit
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bdVnfLDrJUJhd-4UtYb_kfRpcFgOoOeY7O1WT8_d3iw/edit