Integration Three Moreau 3/4/2021 Integration Three A Life to Remember was an individual who prioritized family, friends, peers, associates, and the institutions that molded him. Growing up in Milton, Massachusetts until the age of 11, he engaged in the typical suburban lifestyle. Weekends of sports, school, and summertime pool parties. But, at the age of 12, a drastic change in his life occurred that shifted his perspective from narrow to wide; he, and his family, shifted their lives from Milton, MA, to Tokyo, Japan. This change was not only a geographical relocation for Oliver, but was at its core a change in the way he viewed the world. Experiencing the societal shifts and new cultural norms, Oliver grew to become a prospective and unique individual. He saw the world for a new lens, in which he openly expressed he was very thankful for. Then, at the age of 15, he moved once more, to Singapore. Once again, he immersed himself in foreign customs, and loved every second of his experiences overseas. A lesson from Moreau that parallels Oliver’s overseas experiences can be seen in Week 2, with the discussion question of “What inspires a life well-lived?” In his response, he used Father Hesburgh to mold his answer. In the Hesburgh film, a prominent theme was that Father Hesburgh continually strived to build the community around him. Like Hesburgh, Oliver’s overseas experience prompted him to want to build a community of socially, emotionally, and culturally aware individuals who held no bias and loved everyone for who they were (“Hesburgh” by Jerry Barca and Christine O’Malley - Moreau FYE Week 2). The lessons of community Oliver learned carried over to his college search process, where surprisingly, he showed interest in Notre Dame. He had never visited the college nor had affiliation with it, but he loved what it stood for. So, he applied on a whim and ended up being offered the Gateway Program. Ultimately, he found this to be the best fit for him. An important Moreau lesson Oliver used to deal with the stress of being a transfer student can be seen in Week 1. While Oliver was trying to better the community around him, like he learned from Week 2, he also needed to practice mindfulness. In Week 1 of Moreau, he learned about how major corporations utilized study breaks and activities to better help the brains of their brightest workers (“Why we need to slow down our lives” by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week 1). In a high stress environment like the prestigious Notre Dame, Oliver learned through Moreau that sometimes the best way to combat stress was through self meditation and release. For Oliver, his release was the gym and sports. He was a huge proponent of self-care. After college, Oliver had a desire to go backpacking around the world and dedicate his time to others before he entered a corporate lifestyle. The reason he wanted to take on this https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ adventure was because of a lesson he learned from Moreau Week 3. During this week, Oliver learned about the importance of recognizing death and being able to live in the moment and take advantage of the world around you through the article by Ruth Graham in the New York Times ("Meet the nun who wants you to remember that you will die” by Ruth Graham - Moreau FYE Week 3). He spent time in Europe, Asia, and other areas. He realized he needed to see life’s beauties before it was too late. After spending time helping others and seeing the world, Oliver struggled in finding direction for what he wanted to do with his career. It was in Week 5 of Moreau where he thought back to and gathered lessons he learned from a conversation with his mother. She told Oliver that he works best and is most happy when he minimizes distractions around him (Conversation Reflection - Moreau FYE Week 5). The lessons learned in Week 3 and 5 integrated in Oliver’s life as he realized that he must follow his passions in his one lifetime while also getting rid of his distractions in order to maximize his productivity. So, he decided to live on his own and began working as a trainer for the Boston Celtics. He always grew up loving athletics and being from Boston, he wanted to be apart of that community. Instead of going into the corporate world, he changed his path. Week 4 of Moreau taught him an especially valuable lesson through the article titled “Navigating Your Career Journey” posted on Notre Dame’s Undergraduate Career Services. In that article, he learned about self and career exploration - figuring out what you like and what you want to do. Ultimately, he decided to make the sacrifice and continued his career with an untraditional plan (“Navigating Your Career Journey” by Undergraduate Career Services - Moreau FYE Week 4). Oliver ended up retiring after 15 years of working for the organization. During that time, he met a lovely woman and had 3 kids. 2 boys, and 1 girl. Oliver continued to grow as a person throughout these years, and as he reached his retirement years, he started to focus on his future more. In particular, he utilized the lessons of Moreau in Week 6 to practice mental health sustainability through forms of meditation and mindfulness. The video “5 Minutes” helped Oliver appreciate life more and learn to be happy in all situations. He knew he was blessed by the individuals around him, like his family. Moreau Week 6 helped Oliver slow down and take time out of his day to become a more introspective person (“5 Minutes" by Grotto - Moreau FYE Week 6). As Oliver continued to age, he developed a network of friends and family. As a grandpa, he had 9 grandchildren, all who meant the world to him. In the remaining years of his life, he spent lots of time with his family, but also began to spend more time doing charity work in order to restore equality and justice to the community around him. His lessons from Moreau Week 7 integrated with Week 6. Through his introspection and self-awareness, he continued to become a more influential member of society as the years went on. He learned how to take care of himself and transferred those lessons in treating others with respect, dignity and appreciation. The lessons from Week 7, specifically Pope Francis’ TED talk, taught Oliver the importance of solidarity and invitation of others into our lives. This is what truly made Oliver happy (“Why the https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ud7DPbGFBzaWcoMr9OWqrtf9V7X6BMcQ141thpHB6bM/edit https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ud7DPbGFBzaWcoMr9OWqrtf9V7X6BMcQ141thpHB6bM/edit https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/transform/why-does-god-allow-suffering/ https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript only future worth building includes everyone” by His Holiness Pope Francis - Moreau FYE Week 7). Oliver ended up passing away at the age of 84. He loved his family, friends, and community. He hopes his lessons and wisdom inspire others. https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript