Moreau Integration One


Realizing my Beliefs at Notre Dame
Before coming to Notre Dame, I didn’t know what to expect. I knew that Notre Dame has an
amazing business program in Mendoza. I knew that the residence hall systems are unique and
unlike any other. I knew that we have the best (Go Irish!) football teams in the nation. Because I
never got to step foot on campus until I did for the first time during welcome weekend, all these
things I knew simply from watching videos made by students on YouTube, from listening to
admissions officers talking about the school, from watching the Fighting Irish on TV and from
scrolling through the University of Notre Dame website. Since I took a gap year I was wondering
what it would actually be like to be a Notre Dame student for more than a year. And so far, it has
been a very good experience. Being here has helped me discover more about myself and has
allowed me to become a more independent and better person.

I believe that I am searching for my place on campus and in the world and for strong, life-long
friendships. “They believed that what made them vulnerable made them beautiful” (“The Power
of Vulnerability” by Brené Brown - Moreau FYE Week One) I believe that in order to find these
strong life-long friendships, I must be open to other people and willing to be vulnerable. I have to
be willing to step out of my comfort zone and embrace what makes me unique because it is
what makes me who I am. The quote, “Believe that we’re enough” (“The Power of Vulnerability”
by Brené Brown - Moreau FYE Week One) also struck me as we have to accept who we are
instead of trying to change ourselves and be someone we are not in order to please others. I
believe that throughout my short time here so far, I have already good friends who I spend time
together with and enjoy my company. We even motivate each other to be better people by
studying together and encouraging each other to study more, or in the gym we push each other
to become stronger. I am even traveling with one of my new friends during the fall break to
Chicago and New York. I believe that throughout my time here I will make even more new
friends and hopefully influence them to become better people.

I believe that in order to grow and realize my full potential as well as becoming my most
authentic self, I must recognize the sin within myself so that we can combat it. “Revisit the past,
find the sin which you’ve committed over and again through your life, and you fight that sin and
wrestle that sin and out of that wrestling then a depth of character (Adam II)  is constructed.”
(“Should You Live for Your Resume or Your Eulogy?” by David Brooks - Moreau FYE Week
Two) This quote is relevant here because it talks about how we as humans struggle to become
better people. Becoming better people is not instantaneous--instead, it is a process. It also
explores how we must acknowledge our mistakes and learn from them instead of just sulking. I
know I have made mistakes before, I have made many mistakes already since coming here. For
instance, I slept too late and was having a hard time paying attention in class. Which led me to
realize that even though my classes here (earliest is 9:25am) start much earlier than they did in
high school (earliest is 7:30am), I should still sleep early because the workload here is much
heavier than in high school. As such I can now become a better student and a better person
because I recognized this mistake and am making an effort to change it.  Earlier in Brooks’ talk,
he referred to Soloveitchik’s book, "The Lonely Man Of Faith" particularly that Soloveitchik

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0&feature=youtu.be
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thought that there were two sides to human nature, Adam I being focused more on the worldly,
materialistic success and Adam II focusing on not just doing good but being good, honoring God
and His creation. In modern society, Adam I is what is often being focused on given that the
media is very focused on this idea of success in life being measured by money. However, I
believe that money is not the only aspect of life that we should focus on, we should focus on our
Adam II and be good people as this will allow us to live more balanced lives. “The greatest
journey you will ever go on, is one of self-discovery.” (The Role of Faith in our Story, Fr. Pete
McCormick, C.S.C. - Moreau FYE Week Three) In this quote, Fr. Pete explains that we must be
the people that God made us to be and be authentic to ourselves. Furthermore, we cannot
expect to understand ourselves fully without making an effort to. We must find ways to figure out
who we really are such as through reflection and also through prayer. Like what Fagerberg
says,  “Faith, hope, and love adjust the lighting of our life so that we look beyond ourselves to
see God.” (“Faith Brings Light to a Dark World”, David Fagerberg - Moreau FYE Week Three)
As such we must use faith, hope, and love to look at life in a better way. We must be selfless
and not just care about ourselves but also about God’s creation.

I believe that to forge life giving relationships we must treat others with respect. “Know
relationship abuse so you can stop it.” (“Because I Love You, Double Whiskey” - Moreau FYE
Week Four) Oftentimes, I think that people are in denial of the situations that they are currently
in, be it romantic relationships, friendships, coworkers or any other forms of relationships. It can
be difficult to grasp the idea that you are currently in a toxic environment as it seems like a
situation that we never expect for ourselves. But, it does happen and I think that the way you
can realize that is by sometimes taking a step back and just examining your situation. At the
same time, when you notice that someone is in a toxic relationship it is important to not just let it
be. I believe that my community should have active bystanders who make an effort to prevent
and stop bad things from happening. The 3Ds to “Direct, Delegate, Discharge” (“It’s on Us ND -
The Three D’s of Being an Active Bystander”- Moreau FYE Week Four) summarize this really
well, that we must do our best to prevent these things from happening.

I believe that sometimes I must sometimes take risks in order to succeed. Without risks, I
believe that I will not be able to reach my true potential. I have to be okay with the possibility of
failing sometimes because if not I will just stay in my comfort zone instead of getting
uncomfortable but improving my skills and myself. “It's really not there because what's the worst
that can happen if you take a risk and it doesn't work out? So you fail--but know this failure
always brings you a gift and that gift is called experience. Now you know how to do it better,
now you know how to do it differently, now you know how to do it successfully.” (“2021 Laetare
Medalist Address”, Carla Harris - Moreau FYE Week Five) I have applied to many different SIBC
projects and for opportunities which I have not been accepted to, however, through applying to
these things I was able to learn some skills such as making better PowerPoint presentations so
that in the future I will be able to get accepted into these projects.

I also believe that my community should be a very accepting environment. Coming from the
Philippines, which has a very different culture and population from this University, I experienced
a little bit of a culture shock the moment I arrived here. Given the culture differences, there was

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcZMeqWWOIs
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjSwjn-SyB4
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some form of implicit bias that I had. “This tendency for stereotype-confirming thoughts to pass
spontaneously through our minds is what psychologists call implicit bias. It sets people up to
overgeneralize, sometimes leading to discrimination even when people feel they are being fair.”
(“How to Think About 'Implicit Bias’”, Keith Payne, Laura Niemi, and John M. Doris, Scientific
American - Moreau FYE Week Seven) I believe that if we acknowledge our implicit biases, we
will be able to think more objectively about other people and be open to making more friends.
We will also become more accepting of other people for who they are rather than judging them
for who we think they are.  “So that is how to create a single story, show a people as one thing,
as only one thing, over and over again, and that is what they become.” (“Danger of a Single
Story”, Chimanda Ngozi Adichie, TED - Moreau FYE Week Seven) As such, I believe we must
expose ourselves to as much diverse media as possible so that we do not just have a limited
view of how people are.

The week 6 people that I wrote helped me to really reflect about my beliefs and how they were
affected by my upbringing. “But where I am from is more than just a pin on a map. I come from a
family of achievers, a family that I am very proud to be a part of. My lolo (tagalog for grandpa) Is
a filipino senator Who converted a US naval base Into the country’s first freeport. My
grandfather was a first generation American, who pioneered research of endoscopy and saved
hundreds as a gastroenterologist.  My father, who grew up in the US, and came back to the
Philippines, to help build the developing nation of his parents. I, too, am determined to make my
mark and be like those who came before me in my own special way.” (“Where I’m From”,
Nicholas Paragas - Moreau FYE Week Six). I believe that by striving to be great like my family
was and is, I will be able to make a difference in the world in my own way.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-think-about-implicit-bias/
https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story
https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story