By Brendan Rohde-
Gonzaga has been a place of learning for me in a variety of ways. I learned about new ideas in my various classes. I learned about how to build better relationships with my friends, classmates and teachers, but I also learned not to buy into all the hype and to stay away from all the meaningless nonsense that can be thrown my way simply because it is simply a waste of time and of my talents.
I remember coming into Gonzaga with both lofty expectations about the school I was attending and a sense of uncertainty about my place at this school and how I would fit in. However, the unusual nature of my freshman year helped to temper some of those grandiose impressions, and over the years, my expectations for my time at Gonzaga became realistic, like a picture coming into focus. While my experience at this school has not been poor by any stretch of the imagination, I do feel quite silly looking back at a younger shorter version of me taking the tour back at the last open house before the pandemic thinking about what it would be like to go here.
During my time at Gonzaga, I have played multiple sports, served as president for several clubs and even made the editorial staff for The Aquilian. I picked up many new skills in my various classes, such as video editing and graphic editing from WZAG or doing scholarly research in English IV or Econ,and even learning basic concepts for how to draw from Art Basics. All of these experiences have given me insight about myself, my relationships with others or the wider world around me.
One of the aspects of Gonzaga that I seemed to have missed out on quite frequently was the endless stream of mindless drivel that seemed to constantly revolve around the Gonzaga, as if it was Jörmungandr. I missed many feuds and a lot of drama because I actively distanced myself from it. I feel that it was to my benefit, because the incessant desire to know everything going on in the news is more than enough on its own. While this may have been socially isolating for me to a large extent, looking back, I am perfectly content with that. Through my conscious efforts, I was able to make out the other side, intact and with my head held high.
As I think about leaving Gonzaga, I don’t feel sad or have any anxiety because I may have missed an opportunity. Instead, I feel a sense of satisfaction in having had the unique Gonzaga experience that I lived through, and I look forward to hopefully graduating and then moving onto college and entering the great unknown.
