Moreau - 31 10/04/21 What I Know So Far Upon coming to Notre Dame, I have done a lot of reflection on what is important to me, what morals I hold close to me, and what qualities I value in relationships. I know through my time here I am searching for a purpose, an extension of a way to help other people through myself and my skills. I am looking to change something and deeply impact someone’s life, which is something I’ve known for a long time. The only thing I can control is my effort and attitude. While I know my purpose in this world is to use my privileges of health, education, and socio-economic status to help those less fortunate than me, I think my purpose in college is a sublet of this. I can use my time and experience to help those around me in varying levels. I am grateful for the opportunity presented to me in my education, and I realized once here that a lot of students here really take it for granted. The privilege I have to be here is what motivates me to work as hard as I can. We live in a bubble (for the most part) where this path of life is normal for people, but I have come to realize how unique this experience really is. My purpose, therefore, is to give all of my effort to my studies and working on myself. The time and energy I put in my whole life to get here, the time and energy my family and friends put in, all leads to how I treat the responsibility I have now. I believe that I am responsible for my actions and how I treat others. I had always struggled with the idea that I can change others, or make them act in a different way if I dislike the way they treat me. I learned that I am only responsible for how I make other feel, and the effort I put into everything. That is the only thing I can control, not other people or their thoughts, but my own. Although I was Catholic growing up, as I’ve learned more about the world, I have become more agnostic. I was nervous for the religious aspect of Notre Dame, especially because I became hesitant to Catholicism through my own church and schooling. I have come to learn how isolated that experience was, and I even attend masses although I do not experience it as my truth. I have learned about my faith and how it impact my relationships with others. Professor Fagberger says in his article, from the week 3 module, “When we experience these moments — either by giving love or receiving it — then we realize what is fundamental. We have been swimming in waters that feel bottomless, but on such occasions our toes just touch the bedrock.” Faith is (not 1 necessarily religion, I believe they are related but independent) something that has helped me realize how important the support of others and personally being able to give it back is to me. I have come to believe that relationships gain depth with honesty and showing people respect. I think it is really easy to have superficial relationships, especially in college, and I have been very diligent about how I expend my energy on others. Doctor Brown, in her TED talk from Week 1, said “the ability to feel connected is why we’re here”. This quote, and her whole talk, inspired me to realize how much of my 2 experience here is reliant on my relationships with others. While I have a good relationship with myself, the growth and change I am looking to gain from college is going to happen through my growth with others. I have noticed how easy it is for me to be consumed by what other people are doing or being on the same schedule as everyone, and I have learned that college is all about your own time. I have spent a lot of time working on time management, not procrastinating my work and doing the most for my future self. I also am good at setting time aside for myself, independent of school or social things. I really think that is what has helped me stay less stressed and calm than in high school, as well as being able to set boundaries for myself. I really believe that you cannot form meaningful relationships or develop yourself without really taking care of your physical and psychological well being. It is a bit paradoxical, in the sense that I usually do not notice if I am not doing well until it all spirals, so I have been very cognizant on checking in with myself a lot. This helps me be there for others as well, as I have a respect and understanding of myself that I can give. I know growth comes from being in uncomfortable and challenging situations. I have learned the most about myself from how I overcome things that are challenging to me, and learning how I react to negative emotions helps me grow. Being in a dormant state of learning, where nothing is challenging me to try other approaches, is too safe. I feel more growth when I am in unfamiliar emotive state or situations, and coming out of those I have more confidence about anything that could come my way. I also have extended a lot of effort to solidifying a support network here, which has given me a lot of really deep conversations. I have seen that just sticking up for myself or being honest (David Fagerberg, “Faith Brings Light to a Dark World”, https://grottonetwork.com/keep-the-1 faith/belief/faith-brings-light-to-dark-world/ utm_source=fall_2021&utm_medium=class&utm_id=moreau (Berné Brown, “The power of vulnerability”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?2 v=X4Qm9cGRub0&list=PLmiPsabET-W_hjesjTZaITh2s1WbM-Kd0&index=3) https://grottonetwork.com/keep-the-faith/belief/faith-brings-light-to-dark-world/ https://grottonetwork.com/keep-the-faith/belief/faith-brings-light-to-dark-world/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0&list=PLmiPsabET-W_hjesjTZaITh2s1WbM-Kd0&index=3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0&list=PLmiPsabET-W_hjesjTZaITh2s1WbM-Kd0&index=3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0&list=PLmiPsabET-W_hjesjTZaITh2s1WbM-Kd0&index=3 with people gets you so much farther than if you just try to forget about it. While I am very excited to go home, I have already found such a strong foundation here to come back to, and it’s beginning to feel like home.