Integration Three Remembering Grace Rina Kayastha was a woman who led a satisfying life. She was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on October 3rd, 2003 with a full head of hair to Kathleen Pastore Kayastha and Sanjiv Kayastha. After spending a bit of time in Grand Rapids and then San Francisco, her family moved to Niskayuna, New York where her brother would be born a few years later. As a child she liked to draw and dreamed of being a fashion designer, which was inspired by watching Project Runway with her mom. Grace did gymnastics through elementary school and swimming through middle school. She was surrounded by all four of her grandparents for a majority of her childhood, and she was forever grateful for the delicious Indian food her grandmother Veena made and for the various rides to activities her grandfather John gave her. Her grandparents were a large inspiration to her, and she always hoped to live lives like they did. In high school she was a leader on the tennis team, and enjoyed mentoring younger athletes. Grace also transitioned from swimming to being a swim coach, and would spend her summers working at the Mohawk Club for several years. She joined the school orchestra as a violinist, and went on to play in the Symphony Orchestra and the pit orchestra for her high school’s production of little women. She also helped out at the school’s tutoring center and worked alongside the school’s librarian to help with the program itself. Grace was always very passionate about helping other students improve not only their academic skills, but also their confidence in themselves (Discernment Conversation Activity - Moreau FYE Week Five). She had two best friends in high school named Olivia Reeves and Isabel van der Veen, and whenever she was with them she felt as though what the three of them had together was one of the most special things in the world (“Tattoos on the Heart Chapter 6: Jurisdiction” by Fr. Greg Boyle - Moreau FYE Week Seven). She worked very hard through high school and graduated with high honors in 2021. For college she attended the Gateway program through Holy Cross College and then spent three years as a full-time student at Notre Dame. Grace was very happy to carry on the legacy of her mother and grandfather by attending Notre Dame. She went into college undecided in regards to her major and future career, but along the way she took classes she enjoyed and met people who had similar interests to her who helped her figure out her path (“Navigating Your Career Journey” by the Meruelo Family Center for Career Development - Moreau FYE Week Four). The Gateway program was one of the best things to ever happen to her, and her freshman fall semester was one of the happiest times of her life. Throughout college as a whole, however, she battled with mental health issues, but over time she was able figure out how to live life in a healthy and productive way (“The Right Way to be Introspective (Yes, There’s a Wrong Way)” by Tasha Eurich - Moreau FYE Week Six), and gathered the courage to ask for help when she needed it most. Grace also gained a better understanding of how to balance school work, social life, and taking breaks (“Why we need to slow down our lives” by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week One). She enjoyed the ride and went on to major in Psychology with double minors in Digital Marketing and Anthropology, and graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2025. After college Grace moved to Boston to begin her career, and she lived there for several years with her dog. She always enjoyed visiting her family back home, and https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40291/files/523827?module_item_id=167955 https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://ideas.ted.com/the-right-way-to-be-introspective-yes-theres-a-wrong-way/ https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ frequently called her mom to talk about various things. She also kept in close contact with her two best friends from high school and several friends from college, and always looked forward to getting lunch with them whenever she was in the same town as them. She always wanted her friends to know that she was there for them, and that if they ever needed anything she was only a call away (“Hesburgh” by Jerry Barca and Christine O’Malley - Moreau FYE Week Two). After some time she moved to Rhode Island where she worked at Brown University. There she was able to work during the weekdays and go to the beach in her free time. Grace got married to an amazing man and together they moved to San Francisco, where she was able to enjoy the places she frequented when she was only a baby, like Fisherman’s Wharf and the Golden Gate Bridge, and continued on with her marketing career. She enjoyed art, and could often be found on the floor making something, surrounded by a mess of art supplies or on her iPad creating digital art. Ever the creative person, she loved to incorporate this side of her into her marketing career. She loved music, and would occasionally attempt to learn a song from a movie on her violin, and though she could never perfect movie soundtracks, she enjoyed trying. Grace also very frequently discussed issues that women of color face in America, but she found a way to turn her experiences into something that others could learn from, which allowed her to find joy in those experiences (“Meet the Nun Who Wants You to Remember You Will Die” by Ruth Graham - Moreau FYE Week Three). She grew old with her husband doing the things she enjoyed, and she passed away naturally at the age of 92. 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://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html Eulogy Commentary In the paragraph where I referenced the discernment activity, I specifically wanted to use that week because of what my friend said during our conversation. She mentioned that I was always willing to help others with studying and schoolwork, and I thought that this related well to my participation in tutoring during high school (Discernment Conversation Activity - Moreau FYE Week Five). Next I thought about the quote “Alone, they didn’t have much, but together, they had a potful of plenty,” and wanted to use this because my friends truly make me feel complete, and they have had such an important part in my life (“Tattoos on the Heart Chapter 6: Jurisdiction” by Fr. Greg Boyle - Moreau FYE Week Seven). In my paragraph about college I first referenced the quote, “If you are in a major you enjoy, you will be more motivated to go to class, get better grades, and overall be happier - all of that leads to better post-graduate outcomes,” (“Navigating Your Career Journey” by the Meruelo Family Center for Career Development - Moreau FYE Week Four). I liked this quote for this part because I truly hope to get this out of college, and I think that eventually I will. Next I thought about the quote, “Asking why appeared to cause the participants to fixate on their problems… instead of moving forward in a healthy and productive way,” and I liked this because I hope to get better at moving on from my struggles in a healthier and more productive way (“The Right Way to be Introspective (Yes, There’s a Wrong Way)” by Tasha Eurich - Moreau FYE Week Six). Then I moved onto an idea from week one, and liked the quote, “Yet it’s precisely those who are busiest… who most need to give themselves a break,” (“Why we need to slow down our lives” by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week One). https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40291/files/523827?module_item_id=167955 https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://ideas.ted.com/the-right-way-to-be-introspective-yes-theres-a-wrong-way/ https://ideas.ted.com/the-right-way-to-be-introspective-yes-theres-a-wrong-way/ https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ The next quote was one that I thought about for my post-college life, and that was, “His door was always open,” which was said about Father Hesburgh (“Hesburgh” by Jerry Barca and Christine O’Malley - Moreau FYE Week Two). Now, and in the future, I always hope that my friends know that I would drop anything to help them, and that I am always there for them. Finally, my last inspiration was, “She has such a gift for talking about really difficult things with joy,” (“Meet the Nun Who Wants You to Remember You Will Die” by Ruth Graham - Moreau FYE Week Three). I brought up this idea because, although I don’t necessarily talk about death with joy, I do try to apply this concept to other difficult things like experiences with racism. 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://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html