Keeping the Gonzaga Spirit Alive

The following letter was printed on the back page of the 2021 Printer's Proof. To page through the full publication, click here.

Dear Gonzaga Community,

This year has been one of immense struggle and uncertainty. When we were sent home last March, students felt lost without their second home on Eye Street. This summer brought some hope as we saw the incoming freshmen coming down to campus for Freshmen Orientation. When we officially opened our doors to the student body last fall, it was a joyful day. Friends were reunited after many months apart, and every moment together felt special.

If you had told me at this time last year that in the spring of 2021 we would pull off three Gonzagafests, three sports seasons, a Father-Son Mass, prom, Baccalaureate Mass and Commencement for the Class of 2021, and Commencement for the Class of 2020, I would have thought you were kidding me. 

However, we learned that the Gonzaga spirit persists--perhaps even grows stronger--through changes in our country and our world, including a pandemic, a racial reckoning, and an insurrection. On behalf of all the members of the Class of 2021, I would like to thank Fr. Planning, Mr. Every, Mr. Kilroy, and every teacher, member of the staff, and parent or alumnus who called themselves an Eagle this year. Those of us on Eye Street felt your support in-person and from afar.

This year has tested what it means to be a man for and with others. I have repeatedly witnessed members of the student body step up when their brothers needed them, whether it was going out of their way to bring classmates to school, helping them understand a math problem, or even just saying “hey” to them in the hallway. Thank you to every student, whether you attended your classes over Zoom or came down to Eye Street in person. You kept the Gonzaga spirit alive this year, and for that we are all grateful. 

While this year has been the most difficult of my time at Gonzaga, it has also been the most rewarding. I have come to truly understand what it means to be a Gonzaga man: to have faith in one another and God when times are difficult, and to stand by your brothers when they need you.

When my classmates and I go off to college this fall, we will remember this year as one when our mantra of being a man for others was put to the test, and we stepped up to face it together as a brotherhood. I have always been proud to be a part of this community, but this year in particular I am honored to call myself a Gonzaga man.

Hail Gonzaga,

Mak Krivka ‘21
President
Gonzaga Student Government Association