Hello Incoming Zags!
Welcome to the IGNITE Blog, the comprehensive reading material made specifically for you! Every Thursday, we will post a new piece that we encourage you to read, comment on, and share. Our promise to you is that each piece will be intentional and purposeful; your promise back is that you’ll give our blog a try.
I know what you’re probably thinking right now: I’ve been reading things for school forever, and now I’m done. Plus, it’s summer. Why do I have to read more?
OCore has been in your shoes. We know you have had required reading assignments for twelve years and want to enjoy your last summer at home. But we also know the academic demands that Gonzaga brings. College may socially be the ‘best years of your life,’ but it also a time for personal development and academic rigor. The summer leading into your first semester of college is an overwhelmingly busy one. It is full of goodbyes, transitions, anxieties, and excitement. We do not wish to add more stress to your summers. Your focus should be on preparing yourselves for your college career- not on checking boxes and skimming through a book you do not want to read. So instead of assigning a daunting 200-page heavy-material novel by an unknown author to read, we have created a series of accessible, relatable written and video pieces created by Gonzaga students, faculty, alum, and friends. The IGNITE Blog should make you think, igniting that fervor that makes you want to act, to learn more, or simply to do something. By reading this blog, you will also be introduced to our Orientation theme, encouraging you to begin to think about what it means to you to “Ignite yOUR spirit”. Your Gonzaga Experience starts long before your first day of academic classes, and we want to be there alongside you for as much of that early journey as possible.
So bookmark this page. Read it on your phone during that long roadtrip to Disneyland. Read it sitting beachside in Hawaii. Read it when you are bored at work. Read it when you can’t fall asleep at 2am.
Check back this Thursday for our first piece, and welcome to the IGNITE Blog!
Megan Soldati
Academics & Special Populations Manager
On behalf of Orientation Core 2014
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The IGNITE Blog’s purpose is to introduce our theme, and ultimately the university’s mission, to incoming students through a variety of short clips, reading excerpts, and personal reflections. The posts will discuss topics vital to Orientation-Core’s mission, Gonzaga’s mission, our Jesuit identity, and the Gonzaga Experience. We will profile individuals about how their spirits were Ignited, highlighting the opportunities that Gonzaga offers for this journey. Instead of simply reading 3rd party academic or analytical books that require the reader to apply the themes and lessons to their own life, the blog will hopefully put a “face” to these values, opportunities, and experiences, thus allowing readers to make that quick connection and hopefully be able to see themselves as a part of the Gonzaga family.