Capstone Integration


Abigail Donahue
4/27/22
Moreau First Year Experience

How I Got Here and Where I Will Go

One major takeaway from my life experience and the lessons of Moreau is that it is impossible to live a
well-lived life without staying true to your beliefs. This capstone culmination was realized in the thirteenth week
of the course, but I think it is important to look back at the exigence for reaching this personal mission
statement:

“I can use the gifts the Universe has given me to make the most of my life and my relationships. I can be
grateful for everything I have, acknowledge the pain I feel, and see the beauty in su�ering all at the same
time. I can adapt my beliefs in accordance with wisdom and experience. I can work to enforce equity
and fairness in all pursuits of my life. I will never stop learning and I will treat everyone with respect and
humility. I can get through everything life throws at me with grace and willpower. I will be calm under
pressure and in the face of adversity. I will choose hope and optimism every morning, and treat my
loved ones with loyalty and compassion. I will chase my dreams, but make important life choices with
responsibility and maturity. I will live in the moment instead of the past or future. I will put my whole
heart into everything I do and cut out the areas of my life that do not bring joy. I can make mistakes and
still love myself. I can have bad days and not take it out on others. I can take care of myself physically
without making it an obsession.” (Personal Mission Statement - Moreau Week 13)

I believe that every person is the product of their experiences, myself included. Because of this, it is
crucial for me to understand why I follow the philosophies I do through acknowledging where I come from.
There are many important foundations in my life that date back to my childhood. One of the most integral
pillars of who I am is that I am my mother’s daughter. Family was always an important and reliable part of
my life. Ever since I was a child, I strongly utilized the advice of my mom when making di�cult life
decisions, such as academic and career discernment. My mom knows me better than anyone else, and
encourages me to chase what makes me  ful�lled and happy. (Moreau Week Five) I am also able to be
the most vulnerable and authentic around her parents and younger brother, as Ted. As Fr. Greg Boyle
said in Tattoos On the Heart: “Somewhere, in the jurisdictional locale where judgment used to claim us,
a remarkable commonality rushes in, and the barriers that exclude us are dismantled.” (Tatoos on the
Heart by Father Greg Boyle - Moreau Week Seven).

Since eighth grade, I’ve always known that I want a stable and traditional career path. In middle
school  Spanish class, when my teacher asked the students to go around the room and say what they
wanted to be when they grew up, I answered with feliz. For me, the end goal has always been to be
happy and satis�ed with my life. This seems intuitive, but oftentimes people become caught up in the
clout or reputation of their prospective �elds, rather than if it makes them happy. Although many of
my peers hate o�ce jobs or more “traditional” work settings, I always knew that this atmosphere would
be a productive and sustainable place for her to work. My Dad, Ryan, has been an airline pilot his

https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41039/files/523771/download?download_frd=1
https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41039/files/523771/download?download_frd=1


whole life, and while he loves being able to �y and travel, I’ve  always hated the irregularity of his
schedule. “Everything you’ve done to this point, as well as all the interactions you’ve had with others,
have already started shaping your VIPS.” (Navigating Your Career Journey, Meruelo Center - Moreau
Week Four) My experience growing up in a household with a parent with an untraditional workplace
has made me appreciate traditional career paths.

Although I know my end goal is a traditional, stable career; When I �rst came to college, I had
no idea what I wanted to major in. I am so interested in so many disciplines that it seemed impossible
to pick just one to spend a career on. When I heard about PLS, I knew it would be a perfect �t for me. I
believe wisdom is found in multidisciplinary knowledge and attacking ideas from multiple angles of
thought. PLS provides the perfect place for this as it encourages students to study Great Books,
Scienti�c Inquiry, Theology, Philosophy, and Music. Although the PLS major is small, the opinions of
myself and my peers are large. Our relationships are amazing, but the discussions are fraught with
dissonance and healthy debate. I think �nding this community was a way of absolving the “echo
chamber” mentioned by Dr. Blaschko in this week’s video. (“How To Avoid an Echo Chamber” by Dr.
Paul Blaschko - Moreau Week 11) Political, theoretical, and moral discourse can be hard and mentally
strenuous, but it is so worthwhile. Hearing di�erent sides of an argument and reconciling your ideas
with another's is a true method of becoming wise.    “Asking what could keep us open to discovering
new information about ourselves, even if that information is negative or in con�ict with our existing
beliefs. Asking why might have the opposite e�ect.” (The Right Way to be Introspective by Tasha
Eurich - Moreau Week Six) I believe challenging my point of views and �nding ful�llment in my
studies is critical to pursuing a life well-lived in college.

One pursuit that has greatly increased my sense of ful�llment in life is veganism. I believe
wholeheartedly that all living beings are connected through the lifeworld and deserving of reverence.
My favorite hours are spent walking through the woods with a good friend or classical playlist. I liked
to sit under the trees at night and thank the universe for giving her these beautiful moments.
Nowadays, it is hard to forgo the convenient world of artifacts for the natural outdoor lifeworld, but ,
as Father Hesburgh once said, “We all ought to be protesting against many of the things we see in
modern life.”(Hesburgh by Jerry Barca and Christine O’Malley - Moreau Week Two). This resolution
to enjoy sitting still in nature instead of surrounding myself with the intrusive buzzing of screens
re�ected the quote “To me, the point of sitting still is that it helps you see through the very idea of
pushing forward” (Why we need to slow down our lives by Pico Iyer - Moreau Week One). Although
many people share this appreciation for the connectedness of the life world, I think few people are
willing to sacri�ce things to acknowledge it. Giving up meat two years ago was one of the best
moments in my personal development. “One of the essential tests of social justice within any Christian
community is its abiding spirit of inclusion.” (“Growing Up Gay and Catholic” by Jacob Walsh -
Moreau Week 10) For me, this spirit of inclusion extends to all living things, including animals. “Each
one of us can choose to �nally end hate, by ending this separation. We must do something. This is
something each one of us can do.” (Dean G. Marcus Cole - Moreau Week 12) By taking actions that
are in accordance with my personal values, I believe I am pursuing a life-well lived.

Another key factor to living a life well-lived, and to being human, is being human with other
humans. We are naturally social creatures, so socializing with others and sharing ideas and thoughts is

https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaIVxQcqnLs&t=1s&ab_channel=ThinkND
https://ideas.ted.com/the-right-way-to-be-introspective-yes-theres-a-wrong-way/
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/
https://grottonetwork.com/keep-the-faith/community/reflective-narrative-about-being-gay-and-catholic/
https://law.nd.edu/news-events/news/dean-g-marcus-cole-i-am-george-floyd-except-i-can-breathe-and-i-can-do-something/


essential to living our lives. However, in order to fully live in these values our humanity must be shared
even in di�cult times. Throughout the past few years, learning to live with the pandemic and with
mentally ill loved ones, I have felt a strong connection to many of the themes of accompaniment. One
instance that comes to mind was a walk I took with one of my high school friends over the summer.
She struggles with a severe eating disorder, and it has been a challenge to stay supporting her when
there is so little I can do to help. On this walk, she was sharing with me the terrible side e�ects she was
experiencing. At �rst, I tried to o�er solutions and tips. However, I quickly realized that what she really
needed in the moment was someone to just listen and hold her hand. I shifted my focus from o�ering
up my inexperienced, patchwork-like tips, and instead to being like a support pillar for her. This
instance reminded me of this quote from the text: “It is a practice. By being aware of what you’re
trying to do, engaging in it, re�ecting on experiences of it -- both accompanying and being
accompanied -- you get better.” (Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together by Professor
Steve Reifenberg - Moreau Week Nine) I think it’s hard to combat feelings of powerlessness when all
you can do to help someone is stay by their side. This text made me feel a lot better about this practice
and its e�ectiveness. Although stories like this are tragic and horrible, accompanying each other
through struggles is what makes us living. “It’s actually in facing the darkest realities of life that we �nd
light in them.” (Meet the Nun Who Wants You to Remember You Will Die by Ruth Graham - Moreau
Week Three) Just as you cannot know what day is without having experienced night, you can’t know a
meaningful life without a meaningful loss.

Pursuing a life well-lived is a hefty, nuisance objective. By understanding the roots of my
personal beliefs, acting in accordance with them, and acknowledging humanity in the face of adversity,
I believe I am living the life I was intended to live.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/edit?usp=sharing
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html