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How has your perspective on faith changed over the course of the semester?

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How has your perspective on faith changed over the course of the semester?

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My faith perspective has changed significantly over the course of the semester. I came into this knowing that I was Catholic, but not really having a clue what that meant. I have always grown up in religious family, all my aunts, uncles, grandmas, and grandpas are all Catholic. So I guess you can say I was born into a religion. But naturally, as I got older, I began to question God. It was hard for me to believe in something I couldn't see, or couldn't touch. Being able to "feel the amazing powers of God" became even more difficult after many members of my family were left without a job because of the sudden and terrifying bankruptcy of our family business. I didn't think that there was any sort of "god" looking out for me while my world was seeming to rupture around me. And I guess I have felt that way about God ever since then. I had always heard that you can find God in many different aspects of your life, but I never knew what that meant to me. This year, I have finally found God. I have seen God in friends, my sisters, my little cousins, my older cousins even. But nonetheless, this year, I have discovered that God is what you make of Him. You get to decide what you what from Him. and what role you need Him to play in your life, and that discovery has made all the difference in my life.

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How do you feel that you’ve grown personally over the course of the semester? What have you learned about yourself? 

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How do you feel that you’ve grown personally over the course of the semester? What have you learned about yourself? 

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I feel like I have grown tremendously this past year. I used to always feel like I needed the attention to be on me, constantly, or that I wanted everyone to know who I was. But this year, more than ever, I have discovered that I, nor anyone else, should care about what other people are saying about you, or what they think of you. I wish with all my heart that I can give some of this power that I've found within myself to so many other people, but I think that a part of finding yourself, and finding who you want to be is making this discovery within yourself. This semester has really not been easy for me. It was unexpectedly so hard for me to adjust to everyday life at a new school, with new friends, and new distractions. But none of that compared to the old challenges I was now facing head on. My best friend, that I've known since I was three, is no longer my best friend. She has changed, in my opinion for the worst. And allowing myself to be okay with this, and begin to move on from that friendship has been one of the most challenging things I've ever had to deal with. It just seemed like everything I would talk to my best friend about was secondary to whatever she had going on in her life. Whether it was about her new boyfriend, or Loyola Homecoming, or going to parties, nothing would ever be held in higher graces to her than those things. It got to the point where I would try and talk to her, and she literally would not respond, or probably even hear what I was saying because she was too wrapped up in the newest Snapchat her boyfriend sent her. Eventually, I just stopped trying to talk to her about things because I was tired of being disappointed in her. I thought to myself, well maybe you've changed too, maybe you should just try harder to keep her close to you, and she'll realize that you've been here all along. But I also thought, well you obviously just aren't cool enough for her, who do you think you are trying to fit in, everyone knows you don't belong in that group. It wasn't until recently that these thoughts have stopped. I really don't know what it was that came over me, but I sat down and said to myself, "WHO CARES?"  Those two, short words changed everything. Who cares if you're not the most popular girl in the class? Who cares if you're not invited to that one party? Who cares if your best friend is a new person? Find a new, better person within yourself. That is why I think that I've changed. I went from being the kind of person that would say, "No, I can't do that, it's weird." To being the kind of person who says, "If you don't like me, who cares?"

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How do you feel your faith or how you’ve grown can impact others and the world?

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How do you feel your faith or how you’ve grown can impact others and the world?

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I feel that my new attitude, or my new faith can greatly impact the world. Like I said, I wish that I could give people some of my new found strength. And don't get me wrong, I'm still insecure, and I still do get hurt sometimes if my close friends don't invite me to hang out. But I've learned that how you deal with that is what matters. Am I going to pout and try and "get back" at my friends some how? Or am I going to sit at home, watch a movie with my family, and forget that I even cared in the first place? Since then, I have found so many new, and incredible friends that really care about me, and genuinely enjoy and value the time that I spend with them. I feel like I can help others see this strength within themselves by being that friend who respects them, and values them. Or by simply just being kind to them. You really don't realize the difference you make in someone's life just by being nice to them, until you've experienced it for yourself.

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As you can probably tell from my story of how my year has been going and my new found attitude in life, my essential truth is, "WHO CARES!" Just as simple as that. I found this quote that I think really sums up my initial experiences in high school, in this class, and in life, "Don’t let someone else’s opinion of you become your reality." To me, this quote says to not let others define you. You and only you get to decide who you are, and who you want to be. Do you want to be the popular girl, whom everyone secretly hates and fears? Do you want to be the life of the party, who sometimes just needs to settle down and be serious? Or do you want to be the wall flower, who never enjoys herself and needs to be pushed out of her comfort zone? This quote also recognizes that nobody is perfect. NOBODY. No matter how beautiful, handsome, or fit they are, everybody has faults. And being able to differentiate that, and getting down on yourself for not being perfect, is a huge part of growing up, and a huge part of the growing up that I've done this year.