May 1st. Seniors have only 18 days left to submit their deposit for the college they will spend the next four years of their lives at (I apologize to any seniors reading this if that scared you). I, like many seniors, have absolutely no idea where I am going to go next year. With this intimidating deadline looming over my shoulder, it is time I start to figure out where this adventure called life will lead me.

Gonzaga University. Gonzaga is located on the eastern side of Washington in Spokane. Now, I’ve visited Gonzaga once before, but that was many years ago, long before I was trying to find out what university will be the right fit for me.

Last Friday, my mom and I caught a connecting flight from Ontario Airport to San Jose and then to Spokane. While I am still unsure if I could do the whole long-distance college experience, it was a blast getting free apple juice from the Southwest flight attendants.

Upon arriving, my mom and I knew exactly where to go: Sweet Peaks Ice Cream. Now, I know what you are thinking. Keira, this is supposed to be a college visit. Why are you first going to get ice cream? Well, let me tell you, this ice cream is LIFE CHANGING. I got a flavor called Outdoor Cabin I believe, and it was chocolate ice cream with pretzels and brownie chunks. Like I said, LIFE CHANGING.

My mom and I then proceeded to go across the street to a little book store called Auntie’s and then Uncle’s. We then took our rental car and drove it around Gonzaga’s campus. We then headed to my dad’s cousin’s house and spent the night at their house.

On Saturday morning, my mom and I woke up bright and early to get ready for GEL Weekend. GEL weekend stands for Gonzaga Experience Live, and that is precisely what we did. We experienced what it means to be a “Zag” and a bulldog.

Upon arriving at campus, my mom and I checked in and then got a campus tour from Servite alumna Ryan Bass ’21. We had a blast as Ryan showed us everything from the “kennel” (aka their gym) to College Hall. My mom and I then headed to an information session and then grabbed lunch at the COG with Lily Demman ’22.

After lunch, admitted students headed to the gym for a welcome ceremony and we broke up into small groups. I attended a mock class called “When the Dead Talk Back: Modern American Spiritualism,” which was SUPER interesting, and we headed for a cookie break.

We then had dinner back at the COG and then split up to go to various activity sessions. I headed to the “Build a Bulldog” where I got to stuff a plush bulldog and then to “S’mores by the Shore” where I got to cook s’mores next to Lake Arthur. I rounded out the night by attending the Big Bing Theory’s a cappella concert where I got to see some of Gonzaga’s most talented singers perform various songs from “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros to a Britney Spears mashup to a Michael Jackson mashup to a Bruno Mars mashup. One of these talented stars happened to be THE Ryan Bass.

While I still remain unsure of where I will attend college next year, this past weekend was definitely awakening, causing me to heavily think about if I might attend Gonzaga next year. I guess only time will tell.