By Thomas Carney—
Gonzaga students, from freshmen to seniors, face the most difficult part of the year soon. Many seniors have become less motivated to keep their grades up after getting into the college of their choice. Underclassmen are dealing with burnout of continuous online school. However, students can take advantage of many ways to get motivated and stay motivated for the second semester.
Recently, Gonzaga returned to the hybrid system. Getting back to classrooms is the first way students can stay motivated during the second semester. School provides a space for students to interact with teachers and not be distracted by text notifications or surfing the internet.
“Come into class. I have a feeling that if students can get over that initial, ‘it’s just easier to be at home’ [mentality], the reward of coming in will snowball,” said Ms. Meaghan Tracey when asked about how students should try to become motivated.
Ms. Tracey spoke directly about how seniors should be looking at the next semester. She remarked on how a lot of students are feeling “senioritis” and unmotivated already.
“All students that come in here are smart, bright and motivated and have worked extremely hard for four years to get to where they are. And for so many students, that has born fruit for where you are going to school. Do you really want to just nosedive your GPA and your relationship with your teachers?” Ms. Tracey said.
Many Gonzaga students have different ways of motivating themselves. Some strive for good grades because of outside pressures or the fact that they have come this far.
“I realize that my goals for the future, where I want to be, are unattainable unless I put in the work now, so it’s a pain now in order for success in the future,” said Riley Grohowski, senior.
Others reflect on the past three years of their success and do not want to throw that away.
“I think about all the work I’ve put in so far and about what I’m working towards. Whether it’s school or sports or any other commitment, I think it’s important to reflect on the investment already made and how you feel about the outcome in order to stay focused on your goals, ” said Patrick Gunther, senior.
Students should always reach out to a school counselor if they are ever feeling down or really disconnected from the school. Joining a club or participating in the upcoming GonzagaFest is another great way to connect with Gonzaga. Connecting with campus ministry and attending freshman retreat and Kairos are other great ways to connect with classmates.
“For freshmen, go on freshman retreat. For juniors and seniors, go on kairos if you have the opportunity. If you can do some service, do some service,” Ms. Tracey said.