Belonging

Imagine going to Mitty. What would it have been like to be part of a bigger class on a sizable campus, running late and getting lost among all the students on your way to class at a building that just seemed too far? What would it have been like to go to high school with boys, attending dances with dates and watching football games on Friday nights? I sat at the top of the bleachers at Mitty overlooking the graduation ceremony taking place in front of me in their massive football field as I wondered about these questions, lacking their answers. Going to an all-girls high school, I surely didn’t know and admittedly felt that I may have missed out on these typical high school things. So, then I questioned – why Notre Dame? 

I remembered that the answer came to me a Friday afternoon during my junior year. My friends and I had just returned from our weekly boba trip downtown and found ourselves an empty lunch table by Pardini Park to sit at to wrap up our conversation regarding how our week went. My dad arrived to pick me up shortly after, so I gathered my things and said goodbye to my friends. As I walked across the park, I looked up to see my homeroom mentor, Ms. Mahler, walking across the other end, with her tea tumbler in hand and a wide smile across her face as she waved me goodbye. I smiled back with gratitude and a feeling of pure joy. At that moment, I genuinely felt that I belonged.

A multitude of instances came to mind from this encounter where I felt that I belonged, and they all stemmed from Notre Dame’s sense of community that I experience every day on campus. I truly admire the people I have been surrounded by these past four years. I cherish their polite natures,  considerate characters, open minds, and positive attitudes. The culmination of these traits exhibited by each and every student overwhelms me with appreciation to have the privilege of going to a school where pretty much everyone knows your name and is ready to greet you with a smile and a hug. 

Feelings of belonging are also attributed to senses of commonality among individuals at Notre Dame. Being part of the Notre Dame community where everyone shares similar beliefs and values in regards to women's empowerment and social justice is definitely a place I want to be.  In classes such as religion and social studies where we examine a broad range of perspectives and attitudes, I am appreciative to be educated in an environment that examines the curriculum through a social justice lens, where all students work towards applying class concepts to our current world. As students, we all have our own passions and interests as we care for different issues, but all in all, we are united under our inclination to push for change and to encourage social justice. In our pursuits of social justice, we all find a sense of belonging among each other to know we are all part of a community that strives for a better world. 

I was given the privilege of being part of an amazing community, educated in a way that goes beyond academics, but social justice. This is the place I chose to attend because this is the place where I feel I belong.