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What is it about a liberal arts, Jesuit education that makes Gonzaga different from the rest?

Ryan Lojo ('13) has come a long way since the summer of 2011 when he learned about adversity firsthand as a full-time door-to-door pest-control salesman whose long days were filled with slamming doors, awkward moments and, in one case, being chased off the property.

GU's School of Engineering and Applied Science graduates advance to some of the finest graduate programs in the nation.

Gonzaga alumna Melanie Palmer ('16), a data scientist for NBCUniversal Media in New York City, remains astounded at how her life has changed since leaving Gonzaga.

She describes it as "merely an inkling of a concept that I have always had in the back of my head." But, encouraged to submit a video to a competition for budding entrepreneurs, she refined her idea, submitted it and won a third-place prize of $1,000.

Five years ago, Josh Neblett was a senior business major at Gonzaga. His girlfriend, Sarah Wollnick, was in her final GU undergrad year. Chance put them in touch with Tom Simpson, an adjunct professor who taught a class on creating new ventures, and who fosters entrepreneurial ambitions outside the classroom through his Northwest Venture Associates.