Gonzaga Witness

Issue date: 4/28/09 Section: Letter From the Editor

I started this year with a letter about autonomy, about being selfless. Yet as these last few weeks of the academic year-and my last at GU-come to a close, I find myself being very selfish.
I think of the friends I've made, many of which I may never see again. Don't we all get nostalgic about people this time of year, freshman or senior? Whether it's the ones who started with us from the very beginning, sharing that frightening and crazy first week of college freedom, or, the intermittent friends showing up at random times (usually later than we prefer), that end up being just as important to us.
I think about the faculty and staff here at GU, the people we trust, perhaps without giving it much thought, to guide four of the most foundational years of our lives. People like Father Spitzer, who has devoted his life to students and academia, and whose personal friendship and guidance many of us cannot imagine our Gonzaga experience without.
I think of the professors who understand the value, the power, and the necessity of learning. I think of the classroom, and the responsibility that it begs. The feeling of learning something that shakes your world, perhaps realizing you were wrong about something important all your life. You close you eyes and whisper "oh no," overwhelmed with the realization that once you learn one thing about your world you are compelled, even forced, to learn another thing, and then another, without end. The weight of knowing, the elation of learning, it's daunting but addictive. It pervades every part of our lives starting with the simple choice to be here; with saying, "I want to know." And then we're in for it.
I think of Gonzaga as a whole, and my experience here, and the mission of educating and shaping the whole person. I remember wondering as a freshman what in the world that was supposed to mean. Now I say, "Amen." The professors in the classroom, the selfless leaders like Father Spitzer, and mostly the irreplaceable friends who have fastened themselves to our hearts and memories more than most could do with a lifetime; these are the shaping years. Some of us find callings and vocations, some make and end of education while others never will, some find themselves, some find God. We find out what's worth caring about, what in life is worthy of us, and what we are worthy of. We learn to laugh, cry, and pray. We fight, make friends, and fall in love. The moment we step into college, not all roads lead back home. There are a thousand directions to go, so we go; yet somehow we go together.

Continued...

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