Bobby - Fitzpatrick

Bobby

Fitzpatrick

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2024

Encountering Courage and Vulnerability: A Letter to the Class of 2026

Dear first-year students,

As a fellow student, I’m excited to welcome you all to the University of Notre Dame. I’m excited to welcome you home. 
As the rest of summer glides by, take in little moments each day and continue to do so when you arrive on campus. Recognize that you are all in a unique spot both mentally and physically. Never before have you been faced with the challenges you are facing now. You all will soon adjust to new living spaces, new friends, and new academic life. Be mindful of that, and if you can, appreciate it.

One unique thing about the Moreau First Year Experience that I didn't necessarily get from high school is direct applications to my life. I found time and time again that what we just learned in Moreau classes comes alive through the normal experiences of a college student.
I remember freshman year we had covered some material on the importance of being vulnerable in a community. Brené Brown refers to this as “the courage to be imperfect.” So I spent the week thinking of how I can be vulnerable in the context of Moreau FYE, in my friendships, in my spiritual life. That following Sunday, I’m sitting in Alumni Hall’s dawg mass at 9:00 pm. In Alumni Hall we are blessed to have Fr. Gerry Olinger as one of our Priests in Residence. As I am listening to Fr. Gerry give his homily, he sheds a religious light on this topic of vulnerability as it relates to the Gospel reading. He suggested that being vulnerable enough to acknowledge and accept our whole selves is a necessity in your religious life because it allows us to accept the love God has for our full selves despite faults and flaws. 

So here I am, having read the material for Moreau and letting it bounce around in the back of my mind while rushing around from class to class to event. I sit down for a second and breathe, participating in mass, listening to Fr. Gerry preach, and here is this concept of vulnerability from Moreau, but in a new light. And I loved that. I love the intersectionality that links material from different classes and to your own life.

If there’s anything I can give you going forward I would offer you these two things. 

Be vulnerable. It causes a sense of personal liberation, but it also tosses a stone out into the lake. And when that stone hits the lake: it brings that ripple of vulnerability, making other people around you feel more safe and comfortable.

I also ask that you seek to understand the other side. In Moreau, I was granted the opportunity to listen to and speak with people who directly opposed me on certain topics but I got to hear where they are coming from, what specific history has shaped their point of view, and that’s another beautiful thing. Being able to truly listen to someone with an opposing viewpoint gives you a valuable perspective and a sense of understanding between both of you. 

In my Moreau class, one of the first things we did was write 6-word poems. It was just a small activity where you talk about using virtues, feeling safe, the common good, etc. When asked to share, my friend McKenzie said, “We use our power to empower.” Now that's a powerful sentence, isn’t it? It has the word power in it not once, but twice! But really. A prerequisite to empowering people in our community is exposing ourselves and being vulnerable with members of the community. To empower people you also have to seek to understand them.

So, Class of 2026 in your Moreau class and in all situations this year, have the courage to be vulnerable. Through compassion and curiosity, seek to understand those around you. Step into this new year and bring your full self with you. Enjoy the rest of your summer, and I wish you the best of luck in your first year!

Thoughtfully,
Robert Fitzpatrick

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