Moreau Integration


A Deep Dive Into Myself
Root Belief #1:  I believe that I grow by working with other people

During high-school, I always believed that I worked better alone, as I couldn’t get any
work done when I was around my friends, since we would just be constantly talking and
laughing, instead of actually working on what we were supposed to. This belief was reaffirmed
after covid came and the schools closed down, and I was able to get my work done in a much
more efficient manner and much quicker by myself as compared to when I was with my friends.
Therefore, when I came here to Notre Dame, I expected the same belief - that I work better
myself - to continue as it had my whole life. However, here in the university, I have discovered
that although I can complete my work quicker when I am alone, the quality of my work improves
dramatically when I am with my friends and I can bounce ideas off of them and reflect on my
ideas.

Nevertheless, this was difficult for me as I’m a closed person, and although I love talking
to people, I despise talking about myself and what I am doing. Therefore, I had to inspire myself
from the first Moreau video that I watched, where it was said: “They [people who feel worthy to
be loved]  were willing to let go of who they thought they should be in return for being who they
were. They fully embraced vulnerability.” (The Power of Vulnerability” by Brené Brown -
Moreau FYE Week One). Furthermore, I believe that by working with other people, I can also
strengthen our friendship as, although we are sometimes working on mundane and really boring
assignments, whenever we do them together, we are both just happy to be there. Henceforth,
through this, I form a true friendship whenever I work with other people, as was discussed in
Olivia Taylor’s article: “The best kind of friendships are the ones where you leave with a smile
on your face, knowing you’re both growing to be better people and that you’re helping each
other get there” (5 Signs You’re in a Toxic Friendship by Olivia T. Taylor - Moreau FYE Week
Four).

Root Belief #2: I Believe That My Purpose is to be Good and do Good
This belief comes from the values that my parents and family have taught to me

throughout the years, where they have highlighted the importance of using our privilege and
knowledge to help not only ourselves, but also others and provide a common good to the rest of
the world. Therefore, when I first came to Notre Dame, I wanted to do good and help others that
didn’t have the same opportunities that  I was privileged enough to receive. Henceforth, as I got
here, I applied for a leadership position for the CS4Good Club, where I would work with local
elderly citizens and help them to navigate through the technological world and teach them how
to use computers, which I was accepted for. However, as the workload got harder and harder, the
project felt like it was a burden on me and I wondered if my time could be better spent working
on myself, instead of working to help others. Yet, as I continued the project, I felt as if I was
continuing to work on the project more for my ‘resume’, instead of to actually help others. This
lead me to remember the video that I had watched for Week 2 of Moreau, where David Brooks
said: “We happen to live in a society that favors Adam I, and often neglects Adam II. And the

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0&feature=youtu.be
https://grottonetwork.com/navigate-life/relationships/signs-of-toxic-friendships/


problem is, that turns you into a shrewd animal who treats life as a game, and you become a cold,
calculating creature who slips into a sort of mediocrity where you realize there's a difference
between your desired self and your actual self.” (Should You Live for Your Resume or Your
Eulogy? by David Brooks - Moreau FYE Week Two). Henceforth, with this reflection, I
continued to work on the CS4Good project and was, once again, comforted by Carla Harris’
speech, where she discussed the three main tenets that we should live by in order to ultimately
live a good life: “1. It is what you do for others that counts 2. Fear has no place in your success
equation 3. There is only one you” (Notre Dame Commencement 2021: Laetare Medalist
Address by Carla Harris - Moreau FYE Week Five). With this, I was certain that I was on the
right path at Notre Dame, and that it is my moral duty to be good and do good, yet, being at a
Catholic University while not coming from a catholic background, I wanted to take advantage of
this opportunity and learn more about the importance of spirituality. Therefore, in my second
week at university, I went to my first mass ever, and although I didn’t enjoy it as much as I
thought I would, I did gain a greater appreciation for my spirituality, which was discussed in
Professor David Fagerberg’s article: “This is exactly the purpose of the spiritual life. Spiritual
life is not a private and secret place in our hearts; it is not some “religious duty” to be dispatched
on a Sunday morning; it does not concern some place disconnected from our daily life.
Spirituality concerns the real world, and how we see it, how we do it, how we approach it.
Spiritual life alters the cockeyed lighting that makes us the center of the universe.” (Faith Brings
Light to a Dark World by David Fagerberg - Moreau FYE Week Three). Henceforth, after
reading this article and attending mass, I have gone deeper into my spiritual side, which has
confirmed to me the importance of being and doing good, as well as the moral duty that I have to
help others and provide a greater good to the world that’s bigger than myself.

Root Belief #3: I Believe That I’m Searching For a Life-Long Community
As I have always moved around Brazil, and even outside of Brazil, I’ve struggled to

maintain a consistent community of friends and close contact with my extended family, as I’m
never able to be around them for a sustained period of time. However, I have always attempted to
continue in touch with the communities that I was a part of, and with my group of friends, no
matter how far away I am from them. At certain times, this belief is challenged as having to
consistently maintain contact with my friends and family through the internet (calls, texts, etc.) is
not ideal and sometimes it’s a hassle to have to schedule calls with them. However, as soon as I
talk to my community of friends and family, I am reminded why I choose to maintain contact
with them for the rest of my life. This belief was reinforced after I read George Ella Lyon’s
poem, where she wrote: “From the finger my grandfather lost to the auger, the eye my father shut
to keep his sight.” (Where I’m From by George Ella Lyon - Moreau FYE Week Six). The poem
reminded me of my family, and the incredible stories that they have passed on to me, and this
inspired me to appreciate my origins in Brazil, which is what I decided to focus on in the ‘Where
I’m From Poem’.  However, this idea of Brazil inside my head is an over-idealized vision of
Brazil, which is not consistent with the actual reality that the country is in. I realized this the

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlLWTeApqIM&ab_channel=TED
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlLWTeApqIM&ab_channel=TED
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjSwjn-SyB4&ab_channel=UniversityofNotreDame
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjSwjn-SyB4&ab_channel=UniversityofNotreDame
https://grottonetwork.com/keep-the-faith/belief/faith-brings-light-to-dark-world/?utm_source=fall_2021&utm_medium=class&utm_id=moreau
https://grottonetwork.com/keep-the-faith/belief/faith-brings-light-to-dark-world/?utm_source=fall_2021&utm_medium=class&utm_id=moreau
http://www.georgeellalyon.com/where.html


following week after I watched Chimamanda’s Ted Talk, where she discussed the idealized
version of her home-country which can be passed down: “If I had not grown up in Nigeria, and if
all I knew about Africa were from popular images, I too would think that Africa was a place of
beautiful landscapes, beautiful animals” (The Danger of a Single Story by Chimamanda Ngozi
Adichie - Moreau FYE Week Seven). Currently living at Notre Dame, it’s easy to forget the
situation that Brazil is in and over-idealize how beautiful the country really is, as the extent to
which the people live in poverty and crime is rampant is not clearly visible. Therefore, it’s
important for me to remind myself of the community which I come from, and always maintain
contact with them, regardless of the burden that it may be.

https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story