Senior Spotlight: Makena Thatcher’s path to becoming a teacher was a calculated journey

This piece is part of our Senior Stories series, in which we highlight GU students throughout the year.

Name: Makena Thatcher
Major: Math, certificate in Secondary Education
Hometown: Mukilteo, Washington

Senior Makena Thatcher has gone through a rigorous academic transformation at Gonzaga, transitioning between three majors to find a passion in math and teaching. As she navigates through her final year at GU, she wants everyone to know that change can be a good thing, like it was for her.

She took the opportunity to share her journey at this year’s fall convocation as the student speaker.

“I wrote my speech on a whim and went with it,” Thatcher says of her speech. Dating back to high school, Thatcher never thought she would be a Zag. It was not on her list of colleges she was considering, and she questioned whether she would like to live in Spokane.

That was until she saw the campus in person.

“Within an hour of being on campus, I was ready to go home because I’m coming here,” Thatcher says.

Thatcher fell in love with GU’s campus and the sense of community she felt was present, even though she and her mom visited during the summer.

“I like to tell people that there was ‘an essence of a vibe,’ which seems kind of silly,” Thatcher says.

Fast-forward four years, and Thatcher is a senior who is about to graduate with a degree in mathematics, a secondary education certificate, and a goal to become a math teacher.

Thatcher started at GU in 2020 as a community, culture and language in education major, knowing that she wanted to go the teaching route.

It was not long until she made a switch, however. After talking to her advisor during first-year orientation, she was convinced to transition to a special education major.

Thatcher then realized that she did not necessarily want to teach in the special ed field, but instead wanted to teach K-12 students, especially middle schoolers.

Thatcher tutored K-5 students when she was in high school, and coached volleyball for the Mukilteo Boys and Girls Club, so education was always one of her fortes.

“I loved teaching middle schoolers. They were my jam,” says Thatcher.

Knowing that she wanted to go the teaching route, all that was left was to find a subject she wanted to teach. That is where mathematics came in.

Thatcher attended tutoring herself during her freshman year of high school because she had begun failing a math class. Tutoring helped her achieve an A, which is how she realized tutoring was a useful resource to have.

After a year of tutoring, Thatcher was offered a job teaching math at the tutoring center and she never looked back.

Thatcher’s experience during high school helped her realize that teaching math was something she could see herself doing as a career.

“It was the only thing that I had done that I was good at and willing to do for my whole life,” Thatcher says.

After three different majors, Thatcher was able to discover her passion, and she wants her journey to be a message to anyone who is going through similar academic transitions.

“I think that if you’re unsure about something, that isn’t going to go away until you try something else,” says Thatcher.

Throughout her time at GU, Thatcher has been able to experience many ups, like having her professors with her as she spoke at fall convocation.

“It was special to have all of my professors on stage behind me,” Thatcher says.

Thatcher’s speaking skills go beyond her fall convocation speech. She spoke at the student welcome night one year ago for new student and family programs, where she is a student event coordinator. Speaking to fall convocation represented a “step up” in her public speaking.

From her time as a prospective student to now, Thatcher is grateful for the opportunity and experience GU has given her, from her professors to the campus community.

“I feel like every staff member wants you to succeed. They do not just treat you like a number,” says Thatcher.

As she leaves GU, Thatcher wants students to know one thing about being a Zag.

“It’s a really easy place to take for granted,” Thatcher says. “I want people to enjoy where they are.”