Integration #2 - Williams 1 Moreau First Year Experience Bryan Reaume 3 December 2021 God, Country, and Personal Growth It is amazing to see how much growth college students experience over the course of a semester. The feeling is almost palpable in the air. The young students who arrived here in August have now become adults in the span of a few months. Those same individuals who came to Notre Dame wide-eyed and nervous have begun to find their place here. I am one of those individuals who have discovered where they belong at this university. It has taken a wide diversity of experiences, moments, and interactions to bring me to this outcome. Through difficult emotions and tremendous accomplishments, I have realized who I am and where I fit into my campus relationships. I understand my value as a free-thinking person who has so much to share with his peers and so much potential that he can reach. I can genuinely say that I am excited to see where the next four years take me and how much more I will uncover about myself. God and country is not the only thing that Notre Dame should pride itself in, but the level of personal growth that it enables within each and every one of us. I have been presented with several extracurricular opportunities here at Notre Dame. In high school, I constantly pushed myself to be involved in everything that was happening around me. Whether it was the National Honor Society or Student Council, I felt like I needed to have a role in every single organization and every volunteer opportunity made available to me. Coming to college made me realize that I could finally take a step back and lean into the kind of organizations that truly channeled my passion. I made the decision to say no to some clubs and Williams 2 opportunities, simply so I could be more present and more genuine in the kind of work that I did while at Notre Dame. I really appreciate what Julia Hogan says in her Grotto article about letting go of expectations. Julia tells her readers to “look at all of the options out there for living life and pick the ones that you feel called to” (Hogan - Moreau FYE Week #9). I honestly believe this is one of the best decisions I have made while at college. By choosing just a few groups like Notre Dame Television and the First Undergraduate Experience in Leadership (FUEL) to dedicate my time and energy, I enjoy the work more and I have seen the direct impact of that work. There is no better feeling than seeing your effort lead to a positive outcome. Some of my personal growth has been a direct result of my interactions with other people on campus. Notre Dame has been my first real opportunity to live and work alongside such a large group of people. My experience so far has taught me the importance of having real and honest conversations with my peers. We all have struggled with the same demons and tormented thoughts that have plagued young people over the past few years. In some ways, leaning into these experiences and sharing them with my classmates have brought us closer together. I really like what Parker Palmer explains in his article about building community. Parkers tell us that “suffering lets our hearts break open enough to hold both a vision of hope and the reality of resistance without tightening like a fist” (Palmer - Moreau FYE Week #11). The more we open our hearts as people going through a crazy life of extreme happiness and extreme sadness, the more we showcase our humanity and connect to one another. The more I have shared about my brother and his tragic death, the more I have inspired other people to share their personal stories and helped them to understand the role they play in shaping that story in the future. I am excited to continue leaning into the real life experiences that we all go through. Williams 3 One experience that I have opened up to my classmates about is my journey of running for National FFA Office. It has been a goal of mine to be elected as a National FFA Officer for several years. I was fortunate enough to be selected as Indiana’s National Officer Candidate and received the opportunity to go through the official interview rounds. Unfortunately, I was not selected for the final team. The emotions that washed over me after the decision were a roller coaster ride of disbelief, sadness, and acceptance. Not many young people go through such an intense interview process, let alone face the kind of difficult outcome that I did. After spending the last few weeks to process and uncover my own feelings about the matter, I have realized that it was God’s plan to steer my life in a new direction. In many respects, National FFA Office was just another way for me to continue pushing off my final goodbye to an organization that I had poured six years of my life into. I have been given a fresh start now and can carve a new identity for myself. I really like what Campus Ministry shared in their publication on the history of Holy Cross Education. Campus Ministry tell us that “one does not have to be a Christian to believe that adversity does, or at least can, make people stronger and prepare them for harder challenges in the future” (Campus Ministry - Moreau FYE Week #12). Going through the interviews and finally experiencing true defeat has made me into a stronger person. I have also grown my appreciation for those opportunities that I was awarded and that I will hopefully be awarded in the future. No one likes facing challenges, but I have truly witnessed personal growth by tackling these challenges in my own life. I am someone that leans heavily upon others for support and encouragement. I am a people’s person to the max and it would be very unusual to not find me around people. One area where I have seen personal growth is my expectations for other people. I once pushed myself to perfection and through high school I slowly started to expect the same from my classmates. Williams 4 Thankfully, college has completely rewired my mental processing behind how I interact and engage with fellow students. After coming to terms with my own imperfections and understanding the importance of imperfect, I have realized that same value in others. Life is not made to be seen through a perfect lens with cookie cutter people to inhabit the world. The life we live is made exponentially more fulfilling when people encounter obstacles and find ways to constantly grow and develop. I have encountered this in conversations with people in my dorm and in my various friends groups. Expecting perfection from them and from myself is unhealthy and can quickly lead to toxic relationships. One of my favorite quotes from the semester’s readings comes from Kirsten Helgeson in her video about the art of Kintsugi. Kirsten tells us that “the piece is more beautiful for having been broken” (Helgeson - Moreau FYE Week #10). I have gained a greater appreciation for my friends and for myself because we are willing to own our faults rather than hide them. In my opinion, you can only truly discover yourself when you come to terms with everything about yourself. The next semester ahead will find me entering a brand new chapter in my life. As mentioned in some of my previous responses, I have been given an incredible opportunity for a new beginning. I no longer have my highschool life and experiences to define where I take myself in the future. I have incredible leadership opportunities on campus, an amazing network of friends, and some serious growth moments that have shaped me into a better person just in the space of a few months. It is mind blowing to realize that I started this whole college journey just a few months ago. I have become myself thanks to the hardships and beautiful moments that I have encountered while at Notre Dame. Each has taught me a specific lesson on how to be more myself, on how to lean into difficult experiences, and how to find the human beauty in other people. My growth is not yet over. I truly believe that each and every one of us constantly grows Williams 5 over our entire life. While I do not know what growth still lies ahead for me, I am thankful and ready to open my heart completely to the future. It has been a great first semester of God, Country, and Personal Growth here at Notre Dame and I appreciate the role that our Moreau class has played in that. Here’s to everything that is ahead for us together. Williams 6 Works Cited Campus Ministry. “Holy Cross and Christian Education” University of Notre Dame Publications, https://campusministry.nd.edu/assets/105621/. Accessed 12 November 2021. Helgeson, Kirsten. “Women Find Healing Through Kintsugi Workshop.” Grotto, https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/heal/find-healing-through-kintsugi-art /?utm_source=fall_2021&utm_medium=class&utm_id=moreau. Accessed 20 October 2021. Hogan, Julia. “Why Letting Go of Expectations is a Freeing Habit” Grotto, https://grottonetwork.com/navigate-life/health-and-wellness/letting-go-of-expectations/ ?utm_source=fall_2021&utm_medium=class&utm_id=moreau. Accessed 20 October 2021. Palmer, Parker. “Thirteen Ways of Looking at Community.” Center for Courage and Renewal, http://couragerenewal.org/parker/writings/13-ways-of-looking-at-community/. Accessed 1 November 2021. https://campusministry.nd.edu/assets/105621/ https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/heal/find-healing-through-kintsugi-art/?utm_source=fall_2021&utm_medium=class&utm_id=moreau https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/heal/find-healing-through-kintsugi-art/?utm_source=fall_2021&utm_medium=class&utm_id=moreau https://grottonetwork.com/navigate-life/health-and-wellness/letting-go-of-expectations/?utm_source=fall_2021&utm_medium=class&utm_id=moreau https://grottonetwork.com/navigate-life/health-and-wellness/letting-go-of-expectations/?utm_source=fall_2021&utm_medium=class&utm_id=moreau http://couragerenewal.org/parker/writings/13-ways-of-looking-at-community/