Moreau Integration 2 Moreau Integration 2 Growing From Change Coming to Notre Dame, I expected the demographics to be fairly similar to my hometown. I knew that Notre Dame was predominantly white, similar to my hometown. I was fine with this demographic because it was all I ever knew, growing up in an affluent, homogenous New York City suburb. However, upon coming to Notre Dame I was pleasantly surprised to see that Notre Dame had a bit more diversity than I had thought, though Notre Dame is still not a generally diverse school. Nevertheless, I have a great appreciation for this increased diversity. Since being here, my horizons have been broadened. I’ve been able to hear countless different stories about the struggles of racism and discrimination from my non-white friends at Notre Dame. Though I’ve heard a plethora of stories about racism, whether it be in the news or in history class, it becomes much more personal when I’m hearing my friends talking about how they have personally experienced racism and how they experience struggles everyday due to their race. The link between diversity and awareness about the extent of racism is emphasized by Professor Augustine Fuentes when he says, “It changes, race and racism are malleable, alterable. That is in fact why we should care about diversity” (“Diversity Matters!” by Professor Augustine Fuentes - Moreau FYE Week Eleven). While I understood that diversity was important prior to coming here, experiencing even just the slightest increase in diversity has broadened my perspectives and opened my mind, making me more aware of the struggles that other races face on a daily basis. This is something that I believe I had to experience first hand, it’s not something that can simply be talked about or read about. In the future, I look forward to surrounding myself with even more diversity, as I plan to live in a city once I graduate. Along with the more diverse racial demographic, Notre Dame also has an extremely diverse political demographic which has opened my mind and made me more willing to accept other viewpoints. At Notre Dame, the political climate is very interesting because it’s pretty evenly split, unlike many other colleges in the nation. This can be a major cause for conflict, since the political divide is so harsh across the entire nation, as Father Jenkins emphasizes when he said, “ Now, when the country is increasingly diverse, when the number of disputed moral questions is rising, when citizens have deep and opposing passions that neither side will give up for the sake of civility — Can citizens of the United States learn to express their convictions in more skillful, more respectful ways?” (“Wesley Theological Seminary 2012 Commencement Address” by Fr John Jenkins, C.S.C - Moreau FYE Week Ten). While political differences can cause division and tension, differences in opinion can also be great for personal growth. I’ve found that my friend group here is at all different points on the political spectrum, which has led to several political conversations. Recently, my friends and I had a discussion about the Capitol riots. Despite having varying viewpoints and opinions, we were able to have a calm, polite conversation about the events. We were able to listen to what each other had to say and really consider if we agreed with each other. The variety of political opinions here at Notre Dame has allowed me to engage in healthy political discussions. I’ve been able to expand my opinions and https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=d14a0472-9c0e-44ea-bd39-53c67ee1d436 https://president.nd.edu/homilies-writings-addresses/wesley-theological-seminary-commencement/ https://president.nd.edu/homilies-writings-addresses/wesley-theological-seminary-commencement/ accept new opinions because of the political conversations I’ve had with my friends. This expansion of my mind and beliefs is something that I hope to continue as I become more immersed in the political landscape at Notre Dame. While the demographics at Notre Dame have allowed for much personal growth, the culture at Notre Dame has also promoted personal growth. Being one of the top schools in the nation, it would be reasonable to assume that Notre Dame would have an extremely competitive environment. I’ve heard the horror stories of other schools where you can’t even leave your homework on a table without someone coming to rip it up, however at Notre Dame there is a very encouraging, collaborative, and supportive environment. In high school, we were all used to being at the top of our class. I know that I personally put an enormous amount of pressure on myself to have perfect grades and to stay towards the top of my class. However, coming to a school where everyone is very strong academically, we can’t all be at the top of our class anymore. This can cause crippling imposter syndrome and make us feel as if we don’t deserve to be here. Elizabeth Cox describes this phenomenon by saying, “Since it’s tough to really know how hard our peers work, how difficult they find certain tasks, or how much they doubt themselves, there’s no easy way to dismiss feelings that we’re less capable than the people around us” (“What is Imposter Syndrome?” by Elizabeth Cox - Moreau FYE Week Nine). Though imposter syndrome is very real and it’s something that I feel at times, the culture at Notre Dame has been great at combating these feelings of self doubt. The first day of welcome weekend, my RA had a talk with my section about imposter syndrome. She was incredibly reassuring and repeatedly reminded us that we belong here and that we are equally as capable as all the other students here. The culture at Notre Dame reinforces a line from C.S. Lewis that says, “Their nearest approach to constancy, therefore, is undulation - the repeated return to a level from which they repeatedly fall back, a series of troughs and peaks” (“The Screwtape Letters” by C.S. Lewis - Moreau FYE Week Twelve). Though Notre Dame is academically rigorous, we are constantly reminded that we all have our ups and downs, and we belong here nonetheless. This reassurance has given me much more confidence in myself and my abilities. It allows me to take steps like participating in class without fearing that my answers will be wrong. This confidence in myself and my intelligence is something that will continue to grow with time, as I keep adjusting to school and recognizing that I am qualified to be here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQUxL4Jm1Lo&ab_channel=TED-Ed https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/23665/files/190625?module_item_id=107420 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/23665/files/190625?module_item_id=107420