Capstone Integration 



Capstone
4/29/2022

The Journey of a Lifetime well-lived

Looking back at the beginning of my second semester in college, I was wondering what
types of experiences would come my way since I had more knowledge than I did in the first
semester. It felt like I had more influence on what I was doing since the first semester was more
arbitrary and predetermined.

One of the memorable outcomes was creating my mission statement in my Moreau Class.
I believe that experiencing failure and community is vital for living a great life. Loving yourself
and others leads to happiness as your wisdom grows from failure. Everyone wants to win and
succeed while avoiding failure. However, failure is essential to grow and improve as a person.
Failure allows us to see what we need to improve on as humans.

I’ve learned a lot this past semester in my Moreau class about living a good life and
choosing the right career for myself, A lot of the weekly Moreau helped me think about what I
wanted to do and how I should approach life.

“The one thing technology doesn’t provide us with is a sense of how to make the best use
of technology. Put another way, the ability to gather information, which used to be so crucial, is
now far less important than the ability to sift through it.” (“Why we need to slow down our lives”
by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week One). The quote helps me understand that life is becoming
more complicated every day since knowing how to interpret and sort through information is
more valuable than finding it. However, despite having access to an abundant amount of
information, it can become overwhelming similar to how life can be overwhelming and it’s better
to take breaks in order to collect yourself and look at the big picture.

“ Hesburgh removed deans, he removed faculty members, he made a change, and he
didn’t accept less than excellence.” (“Hesburgh” Jerry Barca and Christine O'Malley - Moreau
FYE Week Two). I admire Hesburgh for wanting the best for his school and legacy, he wanted to
leave behind something that benefitted people. The movie helped me learn about leaving behind
a legacy of wanting the best for others.

“We try to suppress the thought of death, or escape it, or run away from it because we
think that’s where we’ll find happiness…….But it’s actually in facing the darkest realities of life
that we find light in them.” (“Meet the Nun Who Wants You to Remember You Will Die” By
Ruth Graham - Moreau FYE Week Three). As my first impression, I was skeptical about what
the nun was saying but now I understand. It’s better to live a well-lived life because my time here
is limited.

“Planning your career is much like planning for a trip.  There are many details and
decisions to make and it requires a lot of exploration and research.  It’s not a one-step process.
Contrary to popular belief, deciding on a major does not determine the rest of your life. “

https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/
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


(Undergraduate Career Services - Moreau FYE Week Four). The quote made me less stressed
about the career choice process since it helped me understand that even if I don’t make the right
career choice, I can always change majors, it’s not set in stone. However, it doesn’t mean that I
should take my career lightly, it does require plenty of exploration and research.

The week 5 reflection helped me learn more about my major by talking to an
upperclassman which help put things into perspective for me. He also gave me confidence in my
interest in the major since he said that I appeared to be passionate and dedicated which made me
feel happy and more comfortable being a Civil Engineer.

“So as I began just thanking God and be more positive about the things that I had already,
I was able to do things more gladly, and with gratitude and joy and hope.” (“5 Minutes” by
Grotto - Moreau Week Six). The man in the interview gives great advice about being thankful for
life despite unfortunate circumstances. Having a great approach towards life can improve life.
For the rest of my life, I plan to approach it in a more positive and hopeful manner. Rather than
complaining about life and thinking about how bad I have it, I rather keep a positive attitude and
find a solution to it.

“ How wonderful would it be if the growth of scientific and technological innovation
would come along with more equality and social inclusion.” (“Why the only future worth
building includes everyone” by Pope Francis - Moreau FYE Week Seven).  I enjoyed Pope
Francis’s form of thinking because he wants humanity to evolve but in an equal and inclusive
way. Since my mission involves community, it includes having everyone involved in humanity’s
technological evolution.

The week 8 assignment made me thoroughly think about my life and what I wanted to do.
It was difficult writing a eulogy about myself but also helpful since I was referring to things I
plan to do as if I had already done them. It made me feel more confident about the goals in the
future and what I plan to accomplish. Going through the previous 7 weeks of Moreau also
reinforced the idea of living a well-lived life.

“Accompaniment reframes the idea that we’re working to help people “over there,” in
recognition of the fact that “over there” and “here” are intertwined.” ( “Teaching
Accompaniment- A Learning Journey Together, Steve Reifenberg, January ” by Steve Reifenberg
- Moreau FYE Week Nine). I interpreted the idea of accompaniment as sharing life and uniting
through solidarity with one another. Intertwining the idea of “over there” and “over here” is
breaking two sides together to share life. I heavily supported the ideas in this article because it
made me think about the importance of bringing different groups of people together to form a
communal bond.

“Christians have found their life together enriched by the different qualities of their
many members, and they have sought to increase this richness by welcoming others who bring
additional gifts, talents, and backgrounds to the community.”  ( “The Spirit of Inclusion at Notre
Dame” by Notre Dame - Moreau FYE Week Ten). I learned that diversity in a community is also
heartwarming and important since race shouldn’t be a factor in whether or not you are in a

https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/
https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/transform/why-does-god-allow-suffering/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022
https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript
https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/edit
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/edit
https://dulac.nd.edu/university-mission-and-vision/spirit-of-inclusion/
https://dulac.nd.edu/university-mission-and-vision/spirit-of-inclusion/


communal group. People should be allowed to be close to each other regardless of their race.
Thankfully the spirit of inclusion at Notre Dame is strong and I’m proud of it.

Despite things that I learned to enjoy and include in my life, I did learn a few things to
avoid such as an echo chamber. In week 11 of Moreau, I learned about the dangers of an Echo
Chamber and how important it is to avoid them. The idea of having a strong belief in a subject
while discrediting the beliefs of others is quite dangerous. It can prevent people from forming
bonds with others and forming communities since they fail to keep an open mind. Personally, I’ll
avoid putting myself in an echo chamber by understanding that my opinion is not more valuable
than someone else’s and I should keep an open mind.

“Yes, I am alive, and George Floyd is dead. I can breathe; he cannot. But just because a
police officer did not murder me or my children does not mean that he did not harm us.” (“Dean
G. Marcus Cole: 'I am George Floyd. Except, I can breathe. And I can do something.'” by  Dean
G. Marcus Cole - Moreau FYE Week Twelve). The reading helped me learn about the different
attacks that people can be affected by including physical and mental. It’s difficult to fight against
verbal and mental attacks since it’s not always so obvious but I still respect Dean Cole for
fighting against injustice with his law degree. It inspires me since it means that people use their
own skills to fight against terrible injustices such as racism.

Concluding my first year at Notre Dame is sad but also hopeful since I learned in my first
and especially my second semester of Moreau different life goals, ideas, and career choices that
have made my time here better. These classes helped me realize that I value community and
failure in my life. I’m grateful to Notre Dame for allowing me to take these classes and meet new
people as I became integrated here. I’m grateful to have taken a wonderful second-semester
Moreau class.

https://law.nd.edu/news-events/news/dean-g-marcus-cole-i-am-george-floyd-except-i-can-breathe-and-i-can-do-something/
https://law.nd.edu/news-events/news/dean-g-marcus-cole-i-am-george-floyd-except-i-can-breathe-and-i-can-do-something/