The reason I am obsessed with my school, and feel that I made the best decision of my life to attend is the incredible community at Gonzaga. I have to leave for class fifteen minutes early because I know I'll get stopped by friends, professors, administration for a chat. The two big ways that all of Gonzaga is united is through basketball, but also through service. There is nothing like jumping up and down with 2000 other screaming fans during a basketball game. When we score, it doesn't matter who you are standing next to, but you are screaming and hugging and high-fiving each other as if you had grown up with them. Service is another way that Gonzaga is united, however. All clubs on campus are required to participate in some service. Almost all extracurriculars encourage the same from their participants. With well over 100,000 hours of service every year, its hard not to get involved. In fact, in April, hundreds of students sign up volunteer to paint, or do yard-work for a local school or child-based organization. It truly is an amazing experience. We have a lot of school spirit, and a lot of pride in our school. I love that Gonzaga fosters these kinds of large communities, but also fosters smaller communities. Dorm life is really fun, and made special by RHA and the programs they put on. Students are encouraged to really grow and expand their horizons and get involved in smaller organizations and communities. I like to think of my Gonzaga experience like concentric circles. I have my close group of friends, then other organizations to which I belong creating larger groups of friends and communities. Then I have another larger community with my resident hall, then my student class, and then finally the school. Everywhere I look I am supported and encouraged.
After the community, my favorite part about Gonzaga is the holistic approach they take to college. While they have awesome academics that not only challenge me, but prepare me for the future, they also encourage students to grow spiritually, emotionally, and even physically in all directions. They offer many programs to reach out to people of all spiritualities, and as mentioned before, encourage extracurriculars, and have support systems in place to help you explore your emotional side too. I feel that I am growing in all directions at Gonzaga, not just academically. As per their motto, I am becoming a complete person.
I always knew that I wanted my professors to know me personally, but I wasn't expecting the adminsitration to also make the effort to know me, or at least be kind, and work really hard to get me what I need. The professors are great too. Every semester, every student is asked to evaluate their professors. I feel the administration really reads and responds to these. I have had less than wonderful professors, and they weren't teaching the following semesters. On the flip side, I have had really fantastic professors who spark an internal eagerness and drive and passion to learn and find out more. They will sit with students for hours, just talking about the subject.
While the campus of Gonzaga is wonderful, I also really like the town. To be honest, I am a minority in this opinion, but I have really come to love Spokane. It also loves Gonzaga Basketball, and its really fun to walk into a store that has a "GO ZAGS!" sign plastered in the window. The river is so beautiful and peaceful, and when you are in Riverfront park, you hardly think you are in a city at all. Pig out in the Park and Bloomsday Race are two of the really fun activities that Spokane offers. From its parks to its downtown, to its hidden neighborhoods, to the fantastic restaurants, Spokane is really something special.