I choose to come to Gonzaga University on a gut decision. I originally applied to Gonzaga just because it was free via the Common App and many of my classmates also applied. I attended John F. Kennedy Catholic High School in Burien, Washington. At that point, I only knew Gonzaga as a private catholic school. I wanted to become a lawyer, so major choice did not effect my decision strongly. I focused more on if I could see myself living on the campus and in the city. After visiting Gonzaga twice, once in the Fall and again in the Spring, I decided to attend Gonzaga University.
Many things changed after arriving at Gonzaga. My plans shifted from being a lawyer, to becoming a research psychologist, to becoming a teacher. I was sitting in a French 300 level grammar class when I discovered I didn’t want to be a lawyer. I was not satisfied. I immediately went to my professors to debrief my realization. At first I was worried my professors would be upset I was changing my classes. Especially my French professor because the French program was so small. I was wrong. All my professors supported me and encouraged me to find what I wanted to do.
Jesuit perspective on education is unique. The Jesuits are a religious order in the Catholic Church with a large emphasis on education. The believe that as an individual learns more about the world, that individual comes to know God. One of my classmates excellently described this in a story, where he described every small detail in the body that must happen for a smile to form on someones face. He said that his human physiology teachers might be disappointed to hear that his main take away from his classes would be that he found God is in the small details (E. Kane, personal communication, December 5, 2018). Sometimes students at Gonzaga forget that the school is a religious school because students only need to take three religion classes. However, to the Jesuits, every class is a religion class.
Outside college hall, the original building, there is a statue of St. Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuits, walking away from Gonzaga. St. Ignatius is symbolizing the final moment of Gonzaga students when they leave the school. At that moment, graduates become missionaries for the Jesuit mission. This mission has nothing to do with converting more people to catholic or christian, but is best summarized by the quote at the base of the statue: “Let your soul hold itself tranquil and peaceful, ready to submit to the action of God.” The goal of the graduating missionaries is to continue to find God in all things and to share it with all the people in the world so that others can find God for themselves.
Reflecting back to when I was changing my major, I should not have been surprised. The Jesuit mission at Gonzaga University is intertwined into the culture, the classes, and the professors. The Jesuit mission at Gonzaga University is what makes it special.