Melodee Breazeale received her master’s degree right beside her son Patrick Jr. on Friday morning. (Photo by David Kadlubowski)

By Ashlee Larrison
GCU News Bureau

Watching a loved one graduate with their master’s degree is an exciting moment for any parent, but just imagine getting to graduate right next to your child.

Well, that was a reality for Melodee Breazeale as she sat along side her son Patrick Jr. as they both graduated with their Master of Science degree in Psychology with an Emphasis in Industrial and Organizational Psychology on Friday morning at Grand Canyon University spring commencement.

The pair both received their bachelor’s from GCU as well, Melodee graduating in 2016 and Patrick in 2017. They decided on their major because of the demand.

“There’s a lot of emphasis on corporations right now where they have a very high attrition rate and we found that that was going to be the best opportunity for us to be able to go into different fields,” Melodee said.

Melodee works at Chase and hopes her master’s degree will help her make a difference within the company. Patrick, who works for the state of Arizona, said his goal is show people within the government what it means to put taxpayers first.

Side by side in their cap and gowns, the pair go to walk up to the stage together and get a closeup view of each being handed a diploma.

“I actually got to see my son right next to him while he was graduating. You can’t get any closer than that,” Melodee said. “I was proud the whole time I was sitting there.

“I cried up there, I cried coming back, like, ‘Oh my goodness, my son. I’m so proud of him.’”

Patrick will never forget the experience, either.

“It’s very surreal,” he said. “It’s not something you get to do every day. I really proud of her and all of her hard work.”

Contact Ashlee Larrison at (602) 639-8488 or ashlee.larrison@gcu.edu.

***

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The post Mother-son duo graduates side-by-side appeared first on GCU Today.

By Ashlee Larrison
GCU News Bureau

When most people think of a role model they think of a mentor, in most cases someone older who has helped you grow into the person you are today. But for Chalise Williams, those role models are her children.

The New Jersey mom stayed at home for most of her four children’s lives, but watching them grow up and pursue their careers and degrees helped Williams return to her academics.

“My children have done it before me. They’re my role models,” Williams said. “I raised them to be a strong and be able to overcome any circumstances in their lives. That’s how I raised my children because I didn’t have that growing up.”

Chalise Williams graduated with a degree in behavioral health on Friday morning. (Photo by Ashlee Larrison)

Williams first returned to school to receive her associate’s degree from Essex County College before pursuing a bachelor’s.

Raising children and attending a ground campus for school was out of the question for Williams, leading her to look for an online degree program that would fit with her busy schedule. Eventually, Williams and GCU’s online program would cross paths.

“I looked it up and just called one day out of the blue and talked to my counselor and she encouraged me to go for it and now I’m here,” William’s said.

This week, Williams traveled to Arizona for the first time to participate in Friday morning’s commencement ceremony, and she returned to New Jersey with a bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Health.

“It doesn’t feel real yet,” Williams said. “I worked really hard to get here, but I came a long way and I can’t believe it. I’m in shock.”

She also was surprised to see the community that has been built on campus.

“This campus is amazing. It’s beautiful. It feels like a community,” she said.

Williams credits the GCU online experience for her success, specifically a time-management course she was required to take before beginning her classes.

“I had other people do it the same time as I was and I was like, ‘How are you doing this?’ because everything has to be done in a week’s time,” she said. “But GCU prepared me for it.”

She recalls her efforts to always go above and beyond on her assignments to make sure she would keep her 3.95 GPA.

Williams didn’t always have it easy growing up but never let that halt her growth.

“My favorite quote to use is a Bible scripture. It is, ‘I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me,’ and that quote has gotten me over difficult times from my childhood to now,” she said. “I had a rough childhood, so for me to be standing here today, it’s nothing but God.”

Contact Ashlee Larrison at (602) 639-8488 or ashlee.larrison@gcu.edu.

***

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The post Children inspired stay-at-home mom to get degree appeared first on GCU Today.

By Ashlee Larrison
GCU News Bureau

Stephen Taylor earned his bachelor’s degree from St. Bonaventure University in 1964. Now, 55 years later at the age of 76, he again had the opportunity to walk across a commencement stage Friday morning and receive his Master of Science in Psychology degree from Grand Canyon University.

Taylor, who lives in Louisiana with his wife, Darlene, decided to get his master’s after developing an interest in the re-entry of ex-convicts into society.

Stephen Taylor, 76, wants to use his master’s degree to help ex-convicts better integrate back into society.

“I got interested in life coaching and life skill stuff because I saw the direction of substance abuse and the direction it was going,” he said, “and I saw where there was a fit for it, even in my classes within the court system.”

Taylor has seen what he calls the “revolving door” effect that appears in the the court system today, making it a challenge for many former convicts with drug offenses to truly be rehabilitated back into society. He hopes his degree will allow him to work with ex-convicts in Louisiana.

“It opens up new windows for me,” he said.

Taylor didn’t view obtaining his degree as an accomplishment but rather something he was meant to do to help improve the lives of others.

But he didn’t do it alone.

“A lot of it I truly attribute it to my relationship with God,” he said. “I trusted Him and I have a good wife who helped me along and encouraged me and a lot of good friends that encouraged me.”

Taylor also credited his counselors at GCU, especially Julie Garcia, and the Tech department with playing a critical role in the completion of his degree. He said Garcia’s kindness and transparency about the program is what drew him to GCU in the first place.

Having not visited campus previously, Taylor was surprised to see how modern it is. “It’s a beautiful campus,” he said.

His wife traveled with him to witness her husband’s big moment and was thrilled to see his hard work pay off.

“I’m super proud of him,” Darlene said. “He’s worked very hard … being his age and working still and going through this, he’s done an awesome job.”

Now that he has his degree, Taylor can return to Louisiana and finally do the work he believes he was meant to do: help people.

Contact Ashlee Larrison at (602) 639-8488 or ashlee.larrison@gcu.edu.

***

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The post Still going strong at 76 … 55 years between degrees appeared first on GCU Today.

Jesse Dalla Riva (in green shirt) and GCU President Brian Mueller hold the framed copy of the recent GCU Magazine story about him. Joining them at the surprise party Thursday were several staff members of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (from left): Heidi Vogeney, Director; Dr. Sherman Elliott, the CHSS Dean; Dr. Noe Vargas, Assistant Dean; Denise Krupp, one of his former instructors; and Dr. Jacqueline Webster, Program Psychology and Counseling Program Manager.

Story by Rick Vacek
Photos by Enrique Lucha
GCU News Bureau

This was much more than a surprise party. It was a celebration of the work of the Phoenix Rescue Mission … of the community spirit at Grand Canyon University … of the heavenly miracle being lived daily by Jesse Dalla Riva.

It was perfect.

The tables were appropriately decorated for the occasion.

“This is the ultimate paycheck of what we do,” Jay Cory, President and CEO of the Rescue Mission, said moments before the guest of honor arrived Thursday afternoon at the Mission Possible Café, one week after his graduation from GCU.

And, as Cory ran down exactly what has happened to Jesse the last five years, the breadth of it once again took your breath away.

“To see someone who was on the streets, homeless, incarcerated, the whole nine yards, draining society …

“Come into the Rescue Mission, willing to be changed, to fully cooperate with our programs and services …

“Meet Christ, to come into a relationship with Christ …

“Work all the way up through the system, all through the programs, all the way through our servant leadership and our ministry training …

“Become a staff person, to get the scholarship as a partnership with Grand Canyon University …

“This is what it’s all about. The ultimate paycheck, for me, is to see someone whose life has been transformed, who is committed to being used to transform the lives of others that come behind them. This is the epitome of that. This is beautiful.”

The surprise party definitely was a surprise to Jesse Dalla Riva (in green shirt).

But it even goes beyond that.

“We have successes all the time,” he added. “We just don’t have successes that get a full scholarship to Grand Canyon University.”

The party was an ultimate success because Jesse’s co-workers pulled off the ultimate surprise.

Pam Morrison, the Rescue Mission’s Community Relationship Officer, told him she needed his assistance for a presentation about the opioid epidemic to representatives from the governor’s office.

They supposedly would gather in a meeting room at Mission Possible Cafe, the Van Buren Street restaurant the Rescue Mission opened 18 months ago with GCU’s help. Jesse was unsuspecting because he and his staff frequently hold meetings there.

“He trusts me, so he just followed me,” Morrison said.

But the staff had to clear another hurdle to pull off the surprise: They couldn’t schedule any intakes for Thursday.

GCU President Brian Mueller is gratified that Dalla Riva did so much with his GCU scholarship.

“It was pretty hard because we’re such a close-knit group,” said one of the staffers, Roland Rodriguez. “He depends on us and we depend on him. He was asking questions: ‘So why are we doing that? What’s going on?’”

It worked. The smile on his face as he walked in and saw the large crowd was priceless.

“I was shocked that all the people were here,” he said. “There are people here that I didn’t expect would be here. That was really shocking – that’s why I was so nervous. I couldn’t remember my own father-in-law’s name, I was so nervous.”

Besides a bag of GCU alumni swag, Jesse was presented with a framed copy of the recent GCU Magazine story about his accomplishments. But the heartfelt presentations of Cory, GCU President Brian Mueller and Jesse’s co-workers – culminating with a group prayer around Jesse, his wife, Blake, and their son, Jaxon – will be treasured memories, too.

Jesse’s son, Jaxon, was having a blast, too.

“We are so proud of you, Jesse Dalla Riva,” Cory said. “I’m just bubbling with love and excitement and joy.”

Mueller, who granted the Rescue Mission scholarship that has changed Dalla Riva’s life, underscored the way he was accepted by GCU students but also praised his determination to graduate summa cum laude: “This so much reinforces my faith and what I believe about the God who created this. … There are so many people that fall and get an opportunity, but there aren’t a lot of people who take that opportunity and see it all the way through.”

David Kotter, owner of Integrity Capital, told of how he would take a group of people from the Rescue Mission to Scottsdale Bible Church, and when Jesse was asked what he had learned, he would recite the teachings verbatim. “Absolutely relentless and committed,” Kotter said.

Then there were Jesse’s co-workers. They didn’t mince words when they shared how they feel about the Rescue Mission’s Solutions Supervisor.

Rodriguez said Dalla Riva is the best boss he’s had in his nine years at the Rescue Mission: “He’s smart, patient, always willing to teach, follow through and get you through the hard times. He’s a great person and a great supervisor. On a day-to-day basis, he’s really fun to be around.”

Dalla Riva and his wife, Blake, shared their personal stories at the celebration.

“I look at Jesse like a brother to me, you know?” Gilbert Hernandez said. “He’s taught me everything I’ve learned in my position, working in solutions case management. I’ve learned a lot from him.

“He’s the one that pushed me forward to getting my high school diploma. He’s been a big inspiration to me. I look up to Jesse. He’s helped me out in many different ways. I needed help, and I can’t thank him enough. Later on, maybe I’ll have the opportunity to get my bachelor’s.”

Many Rescue Mission employees followed the same path as Dalla Riva. That’s part of the reason he’s such a role model.

“Coming through the program the way I did,” said Sean McKeller, “it’s great to have people you can look at and see their success and model yourself after them.”

“It was inspiring to see that, OK, if he can do it, and he can follow Christ and he can still receive blessings and just move forward in life, then I am capable of doing the same,” said Tyler Sivright. “He was just a good inspiration – great boss to have.”

And what kind of boss is he?

“Always available. Always available. Always available,” Sivright responded. “I can’t say it too much. Anybody could go up to that guy and ask for help, and he would give it to them.”

A group prayer gives thanks for what has been accomplished.

Another highlight of Thursday’s celebration illuminated why it was a cause for such reverie. Jesse and Blake went into great detail to explain the depths of their despair while living on the street before they found Christ … and each other.

“When I accepted Christ, that changed my whole life, you know? It totally transformed my way of thinking,” Jesse said. “I dove into it and I loved it and I fell in love with God. I was not like that before. I had resolved myself to being someone that had an identity that’s just a drug addict, and she (Blake) gave me a new way.”

Said Morrison, “It’s just amazing when he talks about being that young man with no self-confidence. They were both that way. To see where they are today and to know that it’s God who has done all the work, I just feel blessed to be part of their world.”

Many in the room have firsthand knowledge of what Jesse and Blake are feeling, starting with Cory.

“I’m 30 years clean from cocaine – that’s how I got involved in this,” he said. “To see somebody like Jesse – God gave him the break, gave him the opportunity. He kept walking, he kept doing it, he poured himself into it. Now God is using him in a mighty way.

“I’m assuming he’ll do my job, if he wants to, down the road.”

If that happens someday, it probably won’t be a surprise. The celebration of Jesse Dalla Riva’s accomplishments might have just begun.

Contact Rick Vacek at (602) 639-8203 or rick.vacek@gcu.edu.

***

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The post As party celebrates Dalla Riva, prayer reverberates appeared first on GCU Today.

Dr. Steven Farmer (left) and Elizabeth Forsyth speak at the ethics workshop Thursday on campus. (Photo by Ashlee Larrison)

By Ashlee Larrison
GCU News Bureau

What does doing good mean?

That was one of the main questions speakers Elizabeth Forsyth and Dr. Steven Farmer were tasked with clarifying Thursday morning at the three-hour continuing education ethics workshop hosted by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS). A group of about 40 community members looking to renew their ethics training traveled to Grand Canyon University to participate.

Kathy Britton

Forsyth, an adjunct professor at GCU and a past president for the Arizona Counseling Association, and Farmer, Associate Clinical Professor and Program Coordinator at Northern Arizona University, worked to create a discussion on what to do during ethical situations within both their personal and professional lives in fields such as counseling and social services.

“They both bring a wealth of experience and in-depth knowledge of ethics because they both teach ethics,” said Kathy Britton, Clinical Manager for CHSS. “They’re looking at ethics combined with personal value.”

In 2014, when requirements changed and updated for therapists, the challenges of personal values not lining up with the clientele they were getting became a hot topic. It was an issue that was discussed throughout the workshop through multiple controversial client scenarios.

The event, a collaboration of GCU and NAU, gave back to the community and fellow professionals in the field.

Dr. Noé Vargas

“We see this as a community service because a lot of professionals need to get continued education units,” said Dr. Noé Vargas, Assistant Dean for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. “We provide the service which we invite guest speakers to provide a workshop and we invite people from the community to come for free and receive this workshop where they get their units.”

Vargas said workshops such as this one help build relationships and collaborations among organizations, opening more connections for students seeking internships.

“We want to make sure that we have a good relationship so they know us well and we know them well, so we can actually have our students get their hours and get out into the world,” he said. “It’s a good thing, I think, for everybody.”

Britton said the goal is to bring workshops like this to campus quarterly to allow professionals the chance to earn their Continuing Education Units (CEUs) at GCU.

Contact GCU staff writer Ashlee Larrison at ashlee.larrison@gcu.edu or at 602-639-8488.

***

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The post Ethics workshop provides continuing education help appeared first on GCU Today.

Two of Curriculum Developer Ruth Douthitt’s stories are included in “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Running for Good.”

By Lana Sweeten-Shults
GCU News Bureau

Grand Canyon Education College of Humanities and Social Sciences Curriculum Developer Ruth Douthitt doesn’t run just to log in the miles.

Douthitt didn’t want to run the Lake Powell race, which came so soon after she lost her sister to cancer.

She drinks in the quiet. Loves the brush of the wind against her hair. The chirps of the birds. The whir of the early morning. The buzz of the late afternoon.

It’s how she resets her clock.

But she didn’t want to run at all after her sister, Tammie, died.

Tammie fought stage 4 liver and colon cancer. For a year. And in October 2015, she succumbed to the disease.

Douthitt was scheduled to run in a race at Lake Powell in Page, Ariz., soon afterward, though her heart just wasn’t in it. Everyone told her that her sister would have wanted it; she knew how much Douthitt loved to run.

“As I crossed the finish line, I felt renewed,” writes Douthitt, whose story about that Lake Powell run, called “Storms and Strength,” is included in “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Running for Good – 101 Stories for Runners & Walkers to Get You Going!”

“Chicken Soup for the Soul: Running for Good” features 101 inspirational stories about running.

It is one of two inspiring stories written by Douthitt that make up the recently released collection. The 101 stories are presented by Chicken Soup for the Soul and renowned ultramarathoner Dean Karnazes, who once ran 350 continuous miles and has completed 50 marathons in all 50 states in 50 consecutive days.

“The simple act of putting one foot in front of the other can transform individuals; it can transform lives,” Karnazes writes in the book’s introduction.

Douthitt, who works with Grand Canyon University to write the courses that Humanities students take, ran cross country through college.

But it wasn’t until she was 40 that she started racing competitively again.

Her husband piped up one day that they should run a marathon. So they did.

“He’s not a runner; he did one marathon,” Douthitt said with a smile, though after that first 26-mile run, she wasn’t too eager to test her endurance again: “I said, ‘Well, that’s my last marathon.’”

Douthitt running in Rome.

It wasn’t.

In the 12 years since, Douthitt has run six full marathons and four ultramarathons (the most popular ultramarathon distances are 50 and 100 miles) — something she might not have done without the support of her husband.

“Now I LOVE doing races,” she said.

She tries to enter one race a year to keep her focused, and you can find her about four times a week running along the Arizona Canal. She hits her running route by 4 a.m. to try to beat the relentless heat of the Arizona summer months or moves inside on the treadmills if the heat is too much. She’ll run after work, too – whenever she can make time for it.

“It’s a challenge,” she said of conquering a 26.2-mile marathon. “But it’s also therapeutic while I’m running. I’m doing a document dump.”

She makes time, too, for her creative passions.

Besides being a runner, Douthitt is an artist known on campus for helping co-workers organize the first Curriculum Design and Development Art Show in January. Although Douthitt’s master’s degree is in education, her bachelor’s degree is in art. She contributed acrylic paintings of a wolf and a sunset to the Curriculum Design and Development show and has exhibited her work at galleries in New Bern, N.C., as well as locally in Scottsdale.

Her creativity doesn’t stop there.

Eleven of Douthitt’s stories for children have been published. The latest is “The Cafeteria Club.”

She also is a Christian author who has written 11 books for middle schoolers, including her “The Dragon Forest” series, about a prince who longs for adventure and decides to follow the royal knights into the forest to find and kill the dragon for its scales; “The Children Under the Ice,” about 12-year-old crime-solver Mikey; and her latest, “The Cafeteria Club,” about a group of friends who start a club in their middle school to combat bullying.

Douthitt, who was a middle school writing teacher for a time, found it interesting when some of her own students started reading her books.

“It was scary … to see my target audience read them; it mortified me,” she said with a laugh.

But it also would brighten her day when a student would ask her to autograph a book for them or when she would hear them whisper to each other, “She’s the one who wrote that book!” A former student of hers who wants to become an author has been in contact with her, she said, asking her, “How do you go about doing this?”

She’s thrilled that two of her passions – writing and running – converged in this one Chicken Soup for the Soul project.

When Douthitt was checking the Chicken Soup for the Soul website, she saw a call for entries for stories about running.

“I’ve got dozens of them,” she thought, and so she submitted the story about her sister and the Lake Powell marathon.

“That was spiritual and personal for me,” she said.

Her favorite race is the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C.

She also submitted “Gold Star Day,” when Douthitt ran the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C., a race so big its runners have to be chosen by lottery. She’s from a Marine Corps family – her father, husband and uncle have served as Marines — so for her, “that was the big race,” not the Boston or New York City marathons. Known as “The People’s Marathon,” the race is famous because civilians get to run among Marines, and a Marine Corps officer places the medal around your neck at the finish.

“I grew up hearing the Marine stories,” she said, and now she has one of her own to tell.

“Chicken Soup for the Soul: Running for Good” tells so many other stories, about runners who have lost 100 or 200 pounds or more, who have conquered depression or anxiety, or who have bonded with their children by running races together.

Douthitt continues to run several times a week and is busy working on her first contemporary romance for adults, set for release in the fall. She said she would love to start a GCU running club — though, when she’s setting her pace along the Arizona Canal, she’s already taking communion with so many other people like her who love to run: “This is a running city; you’re never alone.”

Follow GCU senior writer Lana Sweeten-Shults at lana.sweeten-shults@gcu.edu or at 602-639-7901.

The post Douthitt shares her passion for running in new book appeared first on GCU Today.

David Salgado and his parents, Rudy (left) and Jovi, were overjoyed by his law school scholarship.

By Mike Kilen
GCU News Bureau

David Salgado became the first college graduate in his extended family last December at Grand Canyon University. In the crowd was his 90-year-old grandfather, Romualdo, who cried.

His parents had pooled resources to get David through college without debt — his father, Rudy, drove a truck while his mother, Jovi, operated a cleaning business. David worked part-time in GCU’s Information Technology Department while taking classes.

“All for one, one for all,” said Jovi, who raises three children north of the GCU campus. “We need to work together as a team, and they need to see we are there for them.”

David had even bigger dreams, inspired by his time at GCU. He wanted to be an attorney. To achieve the next step, law school, he would need determination and faith.

And money. Lots of it. The average law school tuition over three years can reach between $130,000 to $160,000, according to the American Bar Association.

But landing a full scholarship to law school is rare, said Kevin Walling, Chair of Justice Studies, Government and History at GCU.

David waited two months after applying for a scholarship to Gonzaga Law School last spring before getting the email.

Denied.

David Salgado’s grandfather, Romualdo, wept at GCU commencement.

“Don’t worry, we will get through it,” Jovi remembers saying. “Maybe that means we have to rearrange our budget.”

“So we canceled our vacation.”

David said, “I didn’t know what I was going to do. I just put it up to God, praying about it.”

He had done what he could so far despite not “coming from a lot of money.”

He found GCU, surprised to learn of the curriculum designed by Walling that combined government with legal studies to emphasize preparation for law school. Walling said his program also utilizes faculty with “real world experience” and encourages the same for his students via internships.

What Walling noticed is a quiet young man, sitting in the back of class.

“He is quiet, but his wheels are turning,” Walling said. “I think of it as biding his time and then asking a really good question of me.”

Salgado said he thrived in GCU’s community-focused environment. He joined the mock trial team and secured an internship at Superior Court in Phoenix. He said his character also was shaped by community outreach. In his volunteer work in and around campus and at his church, he learned that the people at the food bank were not just stereotypical homeless men but people from all backgrounds, even college kids, who were broke.

He also used his Spanish-speaking skills to assist with legal terms. “It was my job to help them in any way I could.”

But after his graduation, he was stuck. For three months, he didn’t know what he would do. He decided to go back to GCU’s IT Department as an employee.  The itch to practice law continued, drawn to how it “shapes society, who we are as a people. And I’m people oriented. I love to help people.”

First, he needed to take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), a much feared exam required to apply for law school admission.

He remembered Walling’s advice.

“There’s a presumption the test will all be about the law. False,” said Walling. “It’s a test of comprehension and logic.”

Salgado said it was mentally draining to prepare for it. He did several practice tests every weekend until he sat down for it in July 2018. He did well, plenty good enough to pump out three law school applications.

“I got three nos. Each one hurt more than the last one,” he said. “That really took a toll.”

David Saldago (center, rear) is shown on a work day with other GCU student volunteers.

In February, he got a call from Gonzaga School of Law. They not only wanted him to attend its law school but to apply for the Thomas More Scholarship, a full ride. The hitch was it was due the next day.

At 8 p.m. while writing an essay, he called teachers and others for letters of recommendation, due to him at midnight. He scrambled but got it done, then waited for two months.

Denied.

Prayers, canceled vacations, all kinds of second-guessing followed.

But just weeks later, there was a surprise. After reconsidering, Gonzaga wanted another interview with Salgado for the Thomas More Scholarship.

“Then on April 29 – I still have the date in my head,” said Jovi Salgado, “David calls to tell me he has a scholarship.”

“I was jumping up and down for joy.”

He earned the rare full ride to law school and wants to use it to one day practice law with a focus on data or intellectual property.

Every time David doubted himself, Walling told him he would get there. Every time he didn’t think he could afford it, his parents told him they were behind him, just as they are for sister Diane, who is now going to GCU, too.

“One day,” Jovi Salgado said, “he will turn around and help pull his sister through medical school.”

Grand Canyon University senior writer Mike Kilen can be reached at mike.kilen@gcu.edu or at 602-639-6764.

The post Graduate’s journey becomes full ride to law school appeared first on GCU Today.

Lexi Clubb enjoyed the reactions from freshmen that she helped move in. (Photo by David Kadlubowski)

By Ashlee Larrison
GCU News Bureau

Volunteers had a blast welcoming new freshmen to campus. (Photo by David Kadlubowski)

Most Grand Canyon University students who experience Move-In want to pay it forward by volunteering. It’s an experience that can be transformational — just ask Makenzie Powers.

“When I was a freshman, going through the line of cars and things, I was particularly shy,” Powers said. “My mom was loving it and I was like, ‘Oh, whoa, I’m not sure about this.’ But as soon as somebody came up to my window and was like, ‘Hey, this is where you’re living, let me take you up here,’ I was like, ‘OK, this is awesome,’ and they conversed with me and I immediately felt like I had a friend on campus.

“My freshman experience was very impacted by the community that GCU provides. … It was the workers at Welcome Week that all kind of made the experience for me. Just seeing that changed me from coming into it with more of a negative, pessimistic attitude. I want to be that person for somebody else.”

Despite waking up early, (from left) Arie McQuaig III, Bria Meeks, Adrianna Tosi and Tyrale Luken were all energetic as they welcomed freshmen at Move-In.

Arie McQuaig III, Bria Meeks, Adrianna Tosi and Tyrale Luken saw Move-In as a chance to get involved on campus and show their school spirit in an exciting, energetic way.

“This is my first time doing this and I love it,” Luken said. “I forgot to turn on my alarm, but these people got me up and got me going and I’m really feeling it.”

Despite the early start to her day, Tosi agreed that the high energy of Move-In  kept her from feeling tired.

“It’s nice to be this excited this early,” Tosi said.

Meeks, who is both a resident assistant and an orientation leader, said she was “pumped” to make the experience as exciting as she could for the freshmen.

Aubrey Krezmien also was seeing the Move-In scene for the first time, but for a different reason: She’s a freshman. Because she’s in the Thundering Heard Pep Band, she already was on campus, so she joined other band members in helping her classmates.

“I’m kind of sad that I’m missing this,” Krezmien said. “But I’m glad I can make it a good experience for everybody else coming in.”

Aubrey Krezmien (left) was covered in sticky notes that Angelica Galaviz had placed on her shirt.

Krezmien was quite a sight: She was sporting a bunch of sticky notes on her volunteer shirt, placed there by another Thundering Heard member, Angelica Galaviz, after they had been removed from arriving cars. Krezmien hopes that by volunteering, she can help other freshmen feel more comfortable on campus.

“It’s a little daunting to see this many people out here screaming at your car,” she said, “but I hope they know we’re all here for them.”

Volunteering was sophomore Lexi Clubb‘s first exposure to what GCU’s Move-In process at The Grove looks like. “I’m glad I can be a part of it now,” she said.

Andrew Faitz and Matthew Hull said the experience was all about the thrill of welcoming new students to campus.

“It’s really exciting,” Faitz said. “Campus begins to become alive once kids start moving in.”

For Hull, it also was an opportunity to be reunited with his friends.

From left, Matthew Hull, Andrew Faitz and Bowen Moreno  were on their “A” game while helping freshmen at Move-In.

There’s music, there’s dancing and there’s an opportunity with every freshman to make a new friend — those are the GCU memories that keep students coming back to volunteer.

Seniors, such as McQuaig, Galaviz and Bowen Moreno, rang in their last Welcome Week as undergraduates lifting boxes and throwing their Lopes Up in the air as cars of excited families passed.

“When I first did it, I noticed instantly that I wanted to be a part of that next year for sure,” McQuaig said. “It’s my third year, and it’s always the same energy.”

Galaviz also likes meeting the families and getting them hyped up for the new school year. That’s why she called her last Welcome Week “incredible.”

Moreno, who has participated in Move-In four times, never seems to get tired of the excitement.

“It’s a very hectic and crazy experience, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” he said.

Contact GCU staff writer Ashlee Larrison at ashlee.larrison@gcu.edu or at 602-639-8488.

***

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The post Move-In unpacks emotions of volunteers, too appeared first on GCU Today.

Photos by Elizabeth Tinajero and Enrique Lucha
GCU News Bureau

Thursday’s Welcome Week activities included socials for the Academic and Career Excellence (ACE) centers and transfer students, ROTC orientation and a welcome-back party for Worship Arts students.

The post Slideshow: Welcome Week, Day 4 appeared first on GCU Today.

DR. JULIE NELSON

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Dr. Julie Nelson

Title: Associate Professor of Psychology

Years at GCU: 2011-present (began as Chair of the Ph.D. in Psychology programs with the College of Doctoral Studies in July 2011; taught adjunct for CDS from August 2013 to 2017; full-time psychology faculty from January 2017 to present)

Academic degrees: Ph.D. in Social Psychology; M.A. in General Psychology, B.S. in Journalism

Faculty scholarship (publications, scholarly presentations, fellowships, etc.): 19 conference presentations; 7 peer-reviewed publications

Notable research in your field: Three publications on the effects of written praise notes

Notable employment in your field: I have taught undergraduate and master’s psychology students since 2000. I was chair of the Ph.D. in Psychology programs (College of Doctoral Studies) at GCU from 2011 to 2013. I now teach GCU undergraduate psychology students but have continuously taught online and ground doctoral courses, residencies for CDS, and I chair doctoral learners’ dissertation committees.

What are you most passionate about in your field? I really love to discuss everything psychology, but I am most passionate about teaching statistics to psychology students. Many of them enter afraid that they will fail the course; most have nearly perfect attendance during the semester and say it was their hardest but one of their favorite courses. As a professor, this is most rewarding!

What aspect of your teaching style is the most distinctive and/or memorable? I think I have positive energy in the classroom; I’m enthused, passionate about what I teach and I care about my students personally. I genuinely look forward to interacting with students and want them to have a good academic experience in my class.

What do you like to do for fun in your spare time? I’m crazy about golf, hot yoga and hiking the hills of Phoenix while listening to music or to one of my many favorite podcasts — the Hidden Brain, Radiolab, The Daily, This American Life, Serial, etc.

What is something interesting about you that most people don’t know? I’m a card player! My family has been playing a card game called “Rummy” since I was very young, and we get very competitive! Recently, I was playing with friends and an opponent caught me with a lot of points, to which I responded: “You had better sleep with one eye open tonight!” Another friend who was playing with us called my daughter, Karley, and said: “Do you know what your sweet mom, who is usually so nice, said last night?” Karley replied, “Were you playing Rummy? Because if you were, that makes perfect sense!” Karley also plays family Rummy — very competitively!

****

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The post Faculty Focus: Dr. Julie Nelson appeared first on GCU Today.

The number of Generation Z students who want to be social workers is increasing at GCU.

Sixth in a nine-part series on GCU academics

By Mike Kilen
GCU News Bureau

The purpose is to help others.

For the leading edge of Generation Z, it’s no trite motto. They are spurring a growth in the number of students studying to be social workers in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Grand Canyon University.

“I believe our generation is more about mental stability and being aware of who you are,” said Laura Leon Morales, a senior pursuing a degree in Sociology with an Emphasis in Social Work, which has grown from 40 ground students three years ago to more than 275 this fall. “On social media, people are always asking if you are OK. Our generation is one that depends on each other. I also believe our generation wants to do the right thing.”

For Morales, the “right thing” is “being witness to the injustices in my (Hispanic) community. Many people in my community are disadvantaged and don’t have a voice. I want to be part of that voice that supports them.”

There are several types of social work – child and family, health care, immigration and mental health social work. The needs are great today, and Generation Z, a group that demographers typically peg as born between 1995 through the following 15 to 20 years, are particularly primed for the task.

“I think our growth speaks to this generation wanting to connect with people in the community and to give back,” said Dr. Kathleen Downey, Director of Social Work in CHSS. “This age group is so connected to technology that they are disconnecting from people, so they are searching for ways to connect. They are hungry to connect.”

On a national level, the Council on Social Work Education’s university survey shows an enrollment increase of 16 percent from 2013 to 2017, though a detailed analysis of the year-over-year numbers is forthcoming this year.

Make no mistake, other generations have valued giving to those in need, said Dr. Sherman Elliott, Dean of CHSS. “With this generation, however, we are seeing a passion at early ages and with deeper commitments to improving the lives of others and society overall.”

They want a job with deep purpose. In a Heartland Monitor Poll, 25 percent of younger people’s priority in their first job is “making a difference,” compared to 11 percent for older generations. And 60 percent of those ages 16-19 in a Sparks and Honey survey in 2015 wanted jobs that “impact the world.”

There are many ways to do that in social work jobs, projected to grow by 16 percent through 2026 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“With all the violence and the issues in our society, social work is on the rise as a job outlook because there are so many ways to deal with it,” Downey said. “Really, social work is about advocacy. It’s about working with vulnerable populations and populations that are marginalized and helping those populations find their voice – not doing it for them, but helping with skills to advocate for themselves if they are able.”

Karolina Dyduch, a GCU senior, said the desire to be a social worker stems from taking care of her five siblings as the oldest.

“I have the gift of advocacy for people — to get resources to people,” she said. “I like the idea of walking through life with someone. It’s something we all need.”

Downey said enrollment growth at GCU is also related to the University’s Christian foundations.

“The foundation of social work is Christianity. Students interested in social work get that foundation as a part of the curriculum. It’s just a natural fit.”

Dr. Kathleen Downey, GCU Director of Social Work

Another strength of GCU’s program is going beyond the “micro-level one-on-one focus,” Downey said.

“Social work is about more than that, it’s about policy — knowing what is going on in the world in social justice and injustice and addressing policy issues that impact social justice.”

Students attend state legislature sessions to observe policy discussions.

“Then one of the ways we want to do it differently is to turn it into application,” she said. “Yeah, we know about the policy, but how can we change situations that are based on policies that don’t work or policies that need to be developed?”

Social work was a natural fit for some GCU students.

“People are always spilling out their life stories to me. You go with your gifts,” said Ashton Rogers, a GCU senior. “Some of us will be giving up security but might be more gratified because of who we are on the job.”

Rogers is talking about the reality of social work: It’s not the highest paying job. The median income in 2018 for a social worker in the U.S. was $49,420 annually, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“I started out in business. It was all about the money,” said Brendan Selby, a senior. “I felt like I wanted to do something more helpful and fulfilling. People my parents or grandparents age are more about stability. It seems like this generation is more about you don’t have to be stable but just make enough money to pursue what you want. It seems like a fulfilling path.”

Downey has noticed the same with many in Generation Z.

“They are not interested in cars. They are not interested in material things,” she said. “Their phones? Yes. Their electronics? Yes. But not really anything else. They are not contributing to the financial dysfunction that exists in our country.”

Johnathon Wistuber doesn’t want to discourage others from social work with salary talk. He graduated from GCU in 2018, quickly landed a social worker job and said you can rise in the ranks with hard work.

But it’s still the heart of his work that counts most to him. He remembers the exact moment he decided he wanted to become a social worker. He was in a class two years ago and was handed a bracelet that read, “Imagine A World Without Hate.”

He was abused as a child, he said.

“It’s what I went through, that hate,” he said. “I thought I could do something. Society is calling for it. The world needs help right now.”

He has worn that bracelet ever since, even as he investigated child abuse with the Arizona Department of Child Safety, where he has seen tragic situations.

“I don’t look at it as this horrible thing but this good thing instead,” he said. “If I hadn’t gone out to that house, that child would still be getting abused.

“(Social work) pays in another way.

“It pays in soul.”

Grand Canyon University senior writer Mike Kilen can be reached at mike.kilen@gcu.edu or at 602-639-6764.

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The post The heart of a generation fills CHSS social work appeared first on GCU Today.

Melissa Davis with her mother and seven of her eight children. Top row (from left): Ruby, 13; Allison, 18; Melissa; Samantha, 16. Bottom row (from left): Nicholas, 11; Sue McDonald (Melissa’s mother); Zack, 21, holding Olivia, 4; Madison, 7. Melissa’s oldest child, 25-year-old Kathryn, was not able to be in the photo because she lives out of state.

Editor’s note: This story is reprinted from the August 2019 issue of GCU Magazine. To view the digital version, click here. 

By Mike Kilen
GCU Magazine

Davis works overnight jobs in Fresno, Calif., so that during the day she can home-school three children and study online for her master’s degree in English at GCU.

Melissa Davis often finds random notes that her eight children have written to her.

Mom, you are amazing.

You got this.

We’re behind you.

“Those notes,” Davis says, “keep me going.”

Davis, 39, said she overcame an abusive childhood and young adulthood marked by drug abuse and crime to become a scholar and a model for her children.

She works overnight jobs in Fresno, Calif., so that during the day she can home-school three children and study online for her master’s degree in English at Grand Canyon University.

That this mom of eight children ages 4 to 25 earned an undergraduate degree was no small upset.

“Years ago, when she was going through the drug struggle, I wondered how we were going to get out of this. I didn’t know if she would go to prison and I would raise the kids,” said Davis’ mother, Sue McDonald. “It’s incredible how it worked out.”

It was after reading a GCU Magazine piece about a woman overcoming difficulties to graduate that Davis was inspired to do the same.

Davis said she finally subdued her substance-abuse problem with spiritual faith in 2010, and two years later at a rock concert of Christian performers she saw an advertisement for GCU on the big screen.

She subsequently read a GCU Magazine piece about a woman overcoming difficulties to graduate and was inspired.

“If she can do it,” she told her mom, “I can do it.”

It didn’t matter that Davis was pregnant with her eighth child at the time. She enrolled in 2014 – and studied in the maternity ward.

“At first, I had the attitude that these people are good Christians, and I’m a dirty Christian,” Davis said. “But I found out that was not true. We all have our issues.

“In my classes, I was engaging with people from all walks of life and all different histories, all of us striving toward the same thing. It’s such a wonderful sense of community. And I never even met these people in person.”

It didn’t matter that she contracted a severe infection in 2017 and was in critical condition; she studied in the hospital.

Davis did volunteer work, cared for her kids – including newborn Olivia, today age 4 – and kept hitting the books.

She marched toward an undergraduate degree in Christian Studies, graduating with a 4.0 grade-point average and winning the Ray-Maben Scholar award for academic achievement

“Her positive attitude is infectious. She is super strong in her faith, which she brought to the classroom in a gentle way without being too much,” said Jan Wakefield Darvas, one of her College of Humanities and Social Sciences instructors. “She’s an inspiration.”

Soon after, Davis said, she and her husband separated. She is raising seven of the eight children still at home mostly on her own, with an assist from her mother.

She also quickly decided to go for her master’s degree in English.

“I was a prime example of God’s restorative power,” Davis said. “I’ve come a long way. It would be crazy to give up now.”

Davis inspired her son, Zack, 21, to also go to college. He also takes classes at GCU.

That means her schedule is challenging, to say the least.

She works on her courses during the day and home-schools some of the children before going to bed early, so she can get up at 3 a.m. to teach English as a Second Language to students in China for three companies online.

Then she grabs an hour or so of sleep before she has to get the children going.

How does she get through it?

“Lots of prayer,” Davis said. “Every day I’m like, ‘God help me out of this mess, please.’”

When Wakefield-Darvas was talking to her on the phone one day, Davis was with her daughter shopping for a prom dress; when she was being interviewed for this story, he was on the way to the grocery store and then dropping off her daughter’s library book.

“I swear she must not sleep at all,” Wakefield-Darvas said.

Davis’ mother is astounded to see the transformation of her daughter, who used to think she wasn’t smart or disciplined enough to succeed.

“It has been a wonderful journey watching her grow as a mother, as a woman and as a Christian, seeing her grow mentally, physically and spiritually,” she said. “It changed he way she related to her kids. She’s like a different person.”

Davis’ son noticed.

“Both of our lives we have been depressed and living in low income houses and life was tough. Once I saw her go to school, I saw her go from depressed to someone who has hope,” said Zachary Walker, 21. “She started realizing what she was worth once she went to college.

She was surrounded by people telling her she can, not she can’t.”

She so inspired him that last spring Walker began taking classes at GCU.

It turns out, her children’s notes were right.

Mom IS amazing.

She does, indeed, have this.

“I’ve got to keep going,” Davis said. “I’ve got too many people watching me.”

The post Mother of eight presses on toward degree appeared first on GCU Today.

By Rick Vacek
GCU News Bureau

Easier said than done. But so important to do.

That’s why Grand Canyon University faculty members gather six times during the academic year to talk about their commitment to teaching from a Christian perspective. The One Foundation Lunch and Learn sessions, scheduled for the second Friday of the month, are an excellent opportunity to compare classroom experiences – to see how it’s done.

Dr. Jason Hiles, Dean of the College of Theology

“It sustains a conversation that is necessary,” College of Theology Dean Dr. Jason Hiles said. “You can come in and get the foundational understandings of faith integration, but when you try to walk into the classroom it’s actually harder than it sounds.

“Theoretically, this makes all the sense in the world. But when you try it out, there’s a possibility, one, of discouragement and, two, you’re maybe not totally comfortable and confident.”

The 2019-20 theme is “Faith Integration in the Classroom and Beyond,” and the first session was Friday in the Technology Building.

College of Theology instructor Manny Cota led it off by talking about what ethics actually is. He said it’s not the law or church doctrine; instead, it comes down to “what kind of a thing a human being is” and “what kind of a life a human being should live.”

“What kind of life fulfills the function and purpose of being a human being?” he asked the group, pointing to four Bible passages: Genesis 1:26-28, Genesis 5:1, Genesis 9:6 and this one from James 3:9-10:

Manny Cota

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.

“To be human is to be created in the image of God,” Cota concluded.

The Lunch and Learn features a presentation by a different college each month, and the College of Education (COE) again was in the leadoff position because, Hiles said, its group does such an outstanding job in its annual One Foundation session.

Moderators Sonya Berges and Dr. Lisa Bernier led a panel of three COE instructors, one from each credit area: Paul Danuser (traditional), Michelle Keso (adjunct faculty) and Brian Clark (online).

In response to the moderators’ question about how specific courses lend themselves to the discussion and consideration of human value and dignity, Danuser pointed to an example in his EDU 330 class (Social Justice for Educators) that occurred just two days earlier as the terrorist attack of Sept. 11, 2001, was being remembered across the country.

Paul Danuser

“It’s a lot about the ‘isms’ that we see in our world,” said Danuser, who leads off the class every semester with Zechariah 7:9-10:

This is what the Lord Almighty said: “Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.  Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.”

“How do we prepare students for the trauma they will see?” Danuser asked. “If we can get these students to realize they have value and to teach their students that they have value, that’s a step.”

He said real-world issues come up in just about every class, and on 9/11 he asked his class these questions: “What can we do? How do we pray about this? How do we prepare to work with our kids who are going to be dealing with these things?”

Keso added, “I think we’re all very purposeful about telling students this is a profession where they will make a difference.”

The discussion then transitioned to integrating the Christian worldview into the classroom. Keso said she does it by trying to get past academic performance and modeling, “I care about you.” She said she often asks to pray with students after asking what their best hopes are.

These are instructors who are well-versed in teaching and in how GCU goes about it.

Keso met her husband at the University and has two children who graduated from GCU. “GCU has had a huge effect on my family,” she said.

Danuser, better known for his work as the public-address announcer for GCU men’s basketball games, is in his 38th year of teaching and is as passionate about that subject as he is about how GCU shows students the right way to do it. In discussing COE’s intentional approach to demonstrating the importance of value and dignity throughout the program, he said it’s all about learning, leading and serving.

“The most important thing to have,” he added, “is humility.”

The most provocative discussion came when the panelists were asked how they teach students to effectively handle the hot-button issues that come into play in education today, such as a student who refuses to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

They cited a C.S. Lewis quote …

“Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil.”

… and Psalm 56:3:

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.

Keso talked about the importance of seeking wisdom in dealing with troubled students, and Danuser stressed the benefits of having more Christian teachers modeling Christian values – even if they can’t discuss them – in public schools.

At GCU, of course, Christian values are a regular, very evident part of every class. The University wants those discussions to be positive and effective, and that was the idea when the Lunch and Learns were launched in 2013.

Faculty members who want more useful information and examples about integrating faith in the classroom are encouraged to attend the Lunch and Learns. That way, Hiles said, they can learn and then apply those lessons several times over, if necessary. The first 100 faculty members who sign up get a free lunch.

“Continual improvement, continual adjustment with a community that’s encouraging you can be a much more sustainable, more much viable, much more long term strategy,” he added.

Here are the remaining Lunch and Learns, which college is leading each one, and sign-up deadlines and links:

Oct. 11 – College of Nursing and Health Care Professions, sign up here between Sept. 20 and Oct. 2

Nov. 8 – Colangelo College of Business, sign up here between Oct. 18 and 30

Jan. 10 – College of Humanities and Social Sciences, sign up here between Nov. 15 and Jan. 1

Feb. 14 – College of Fine Arts and Production, sign up here between Jan. 17 and Feb. 5

March 13 – College of Science, Engineering and Technology, sign up here between Feb. 21 and March 4

Contact Rick Vacek at (602) 639-8203 or rick.vacek@gcu.edu.

****

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GCU Today: One Foundation explores world view of creation

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The post Providing a strong Foundation for Christian teaching appeared first on GCU Today.

DOMINIQUE ADKINS

College of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Doctoral Studies

Dominique Adkins

Title: Online Full Time Faculty for Clinical Mental Health master’s program and Counselor Education and Supervision doctoral program.

Years at GCU: 1½ years. 

Academic degrees:

● Ed.D. 2015, Counselor Education and Supervision (CACREP-accredited) from Marymount University

● M.A. 2012, Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CACREP-accredited) from Marymount University

● B.A. 2008, Psychology from Georgetown University

Faculty scholarship (publications, scholarly presentations, fellowships, etc.):

Professional conference presentations:

● Adkins, D. (2019, November). “As We Forgive Our Debtors: Predictors of Forgiveness Among African Americans.” Virginia Counseling Association (VCA) Conference, Hot Springs, Va.

● Boie, I., Adkins, D., Holmes, V., Spafford, J., Hudson, S. (2014, November) “Horse Power and Wisdom: Equine Assisted Psychotherapy in Counseling.” Virginia Counseling Association (VCA) Conference, Williamsburg, Va.

● Holmes, V.,  Adkins, D., Hudson, S., & Georgieva, M. (2014, October). “Healing, Health & Spirituality in Counseling Multicultural Populations.” Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (SACES) Conference, Birmingham, Ala.

● Holmes, V.,  Adkins, D., Hudson, S., & Georgieva, M. (2014, September). “Healing, Health & Spirituality in Counseling Multicultural Populations.” European Branch of American Counseling Association, Milan, Italy.

● Holmes, V. & Adkins, D. (2013, October). “Get with the Program! Unifying Counselor Educators and Graduate Counseling Students on Best Practices for Helping Students Through Their Program Healthier Than When They Started.” Research presented at Association Counselor Education and Supervision Conference, Denver.

● Spafford, J., Holmes, V., Adkins, D. (2013, February). Creativity in Counseling Supervision. Paper presented at the Virginia Counselor Education and Supervision Graduate Student Research Conference, Harrisonburg, Va.

Poster presentations:

● Adkins, D. (July, 2019). “As We Forgive Our Debtors: Predictors of Forgiveness Among African Americans.” The Association of Black Psychologists, Orlando, Fla. 

● Adkins, D. (March, 2017). “As We Forgive Our Debtors: Predictors of Forgiveness Among African Americans.” American Counseling Association (ACA), San Francisco.

● Adkins, D. (October, 2016). “Cultural, Religious/Spiritual, and Transgression-Related Predictors of Forgiveness.” Southern Association of Counselor Educators (SACES), New Orleans.

● Jackson-Cherry, L., Foster, R, Holmes, V., Hudson, S, and Adkins, D. (2014, September). “Spiritual and religious issues encountered during mid-life.” European Branch of American Counseling Association, Milan, Italy.

● Holmes, V. & Adkins, D. (2014, April). “Burnout Prevention and the Importance of Self-care.” Poster presentation at Marymount University Student Research Conference, Arlington, Va.

● Jackson-Cherry, L., Foster, R, Holmes, V., Hudson, S, and Adkins, D. (2014, March). “Spiritual and religious issues encountered during mid-life.” Poster presented at American Counseling Association Conference, Honolulu.

● Hudson, S., Holmes, V.,  Adkins, D., Zapf., L., & Zappalla, S. (2013, October). “Creativity in Counseling Supervision.” Poster presented at the Association Counselor Education and Supervision Conference: Denver 

● Holmes, V. & Adkins, D. (2012, October). “Burnout Prevention and the Importance of Self-care.” Poster presented at the European Branch of American Counseling Association, Weisloch, Germany

Notable research in your field: My research looking at the factors that influence forgiveness within the African American community. I am currently working toward replicating the study with a larger sample.

What are you most passionate about in your field? As a licensed professional counselor and counselor educator, I am passionate about educating and empowering my students to advocate for the profession and their clients. In my clinical work with children and families, I am passionate about equipping each family with skills and resources to improve their overall well-being.

What aspect of your teaching style is the most distinctive and/or memorable? My enthusiasm and positivity. I try my best to make the learning experience enjoyable and meaningful by incorporating creativity and technology into the learning experience.

What do you like to do for fun in your spare time? I enjoy traveling, exercising and spending time with friends and family in my free time. I hope to combine my love of tennis and travel by attending all the Grand Slams.

What is something interesting about you that most people don’t know? In college I was a member of the Georgetown University Gospel Choir, and I sang with Yolanda Adams at the Kennedy Center during the Martin Luther King Day celebration. The experience was truly awesome!

The post Faculty Focus: Dominique Adkins appeared first on GCU Today.

A group of GCU education and justice students does a simulation of mediation before the pilot program with a local elementary school begins.

By Mike Kilen
GCU News Bureau

The answers were once clear. A student wrongs another, and the teacher hauls him to the office – perhaps issuing a suspension if it’s serious.

But legal and education officials are rethinking that discipline strategy as out-of-school suspensions increased drastically over the past 40 years, to dire effects.

Suspended students are less likely to graduate on time, more likely to repeat a grade, drop out and enter the juvenile justice system, according to federal Justice and Education Department research. Once there, the chance they become an adult offender rises by 50%.

It’s called the “school-to-prison pipeline,” said Kevin Walling, Chair of Justice Studies, Government and History at GCU. “This program exists to break that cycle.”

A pilot program that will use restorative justice methods to deal with disputes will launch in October, pairing GCU students in the College of Education and College of Humanities and Social Sciences with those at Desert Oasis Elementary in the Tolleson Elementary School District.

Fifteen GCU students were trained as mediators to lead the two parties – one harmed, one who did the harm – to talk about a resolution.

“It really empowers the students to come up with their own solutions,” said Art Montoya, Director of the Restorative Justice Center in Phoenix, which trained the GCU students. “They are so used to being told by adults. When you give them back the power, they really appreciate it.”

Art Montoya of Phoenix Restorative Justice Center trained GCU students on mediation.

Restorative justice is a transformative way to look at disputes rather than the punitive model that mirrors the criminal justice system, when children only think “I’m in trouble,” he said.

“We are listening to each other, without interruption. We are not talking about who is at fault.”

The training is an important tool for GCU students who will be teachers. Classroom behavior issues can be a difficult part of the job.

“A lot of times students who do something and are suspended or expelled view it as a free day. This makes them more accountable,” said Dr. Marjaneh Gilpatrick, COE’s Associate Dean. “It’s non-punitive and it’s very Socratic, working together to find a solution.”

How it plays out was demonstrated recently in a GCU classroom, where students were taking a refresher training.

The group simulated a dispute between two young women – one who stole information off a test paper and one whose answers were lifted. The group described what happened without assigned guilt, figured out what could be done to make it right and decided what could be done in the future.

In this case, the person harmed was given an apology, the cheater promised to never do it again, to instead ask for help, and the teacher vowed to better answer questions about the test.

No one was suspended or sent to the office.

“I think there are a lot of kids turned away from education because of the way schools handle disciplinary actions,” said Paige Weinstein, a senior education major who acted as the mediator in the simulation. “When (students) have negative things going on in home life, it comes out in school. And school just sends them home; they are expelled or suspended. It drives them away from school, and no one finds out what is happening at home. With mediation, that stuff comes out. We get to talk about it and dive in and help students move forward.”

Gilpatrick said the training and the in-the-field experience as a mediator will benefit future teachers.

“We are in the process of reviewing the steps for offering a certificate of completion to GCU mediators who complete a certain number of hours of service and mediation,” Gilpatrick said. “That looks good on a resume. If you are a trained mediator, you are a commodity. Conflict is everywhere, not only in family, but in school and work environment.”

The same goes for justice students.

“I had to wait until I got to law school for mediation training. It’s something they will use in their careers,” Walling said. “There is a growing recognition that the punishment system isn’t working as well as they would like.”

Restorative justice isn’t about being soft, however.

“The criticism we get about it: ‘You are letting people off the hook.’ Actually, the opposite is true,” Montoya said. “You are holding people accountable for their actions, and you are putting it in writing, and they have to follow through.”

The parties are told the process is voluntary and is not a legal contract. It is presented to students as one of the options to resolve the conflict. The other options involve parents or the principal.

Once mediation begins, listening to each viewpoint and practicing empathy, or putting yourself in the other’s shoes, is emphasized. If it’s a success, a realistic plan that restores the relationship between the parties is drawn up.

It doesn’t always work and isn’t even tried for severe bullying or assaults, for example. But most discipline challenges in school don’t rise to that level, said Gisselle Herrera, Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction at Tolleson Elementary School District.

It could have benefits for students beyond solving one dispute.

“It takes a lot more for people to agree, to take ownership and admit mistakes. But the vision is we are building a community of learners who can problem solve,” Herrera said. “Not only when they are in school, but beyond.”

Grand Canyon University senior writer Mike Kilen can be reached at mike.kilen@gcu.edu or at 602-639-6764.

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Raymond Burden speaks to students Wednesday at the Provost Speaker Series event on medical careers.

Story and photo by Aubrey Grasz
GCU News Bureau

Grand Canyon University students hoping to pursue medical careers packed a classroom Wednesday night to hear from professionals in careers ranging from dental work to plastic surgery to medical social work.

Six panelists from Gamma Mu Educational Services shared why they became interested in the medical field and talked about career opportunities, applying for medical school and how they make a difference through their work. It was the latest installment of the Provost Speaker Series, a collaboration of the Academic and Career Excellence Centers (ACE), Multicultural Office and Honors College to connect students to professionals in their desired fields of work.

The panelists emphasized that medical schools are looking for well-rounded applicants. Students were encouraged to branch out from their traditional science and math classes to explore additional learning opportunities in areas such as the arts and social sciences. Students who acquire a variety of skills may be able to explore a wider range of career paths.

Panelist Raymond Burden sought to encourage the students: “Whichever way you’re headed in your medical career, you’re not making a bad decision.”

Senior biology major Riley Davis is Vice President of the Pre-Pharmacy Club and plans to attend pharmacy school. “It was a personal experience to be able to go and talk to health care professionals … the personal aspect of GCU is what makes it so great,” Davis said.

The next Provost Speaker Series event, titled “Pathways to Legal Professions,” is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Nov. 6 in the Engineering Building, Room 230, and will be for students interested in careers such as law, law enforcement, politics and business law. No RSVP is required, and light refreshments will be provided.

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Fifth grader Melia Robison (left) and seventh grader Angelica Martinez program a LEGO MindStorms robot at Saturday’s Girl Powered STEM Workshop.

Story and photos by Lana Sweeten-Shults
GCU News Bureau

Workshop attendees make gooey gak, a non-Newtonian fluid that acts as both a solid and a liquid, depending on the pressure put upon it.

Fifth grader Melia Robison and seventh grader Angelica Martinez culled all their cognitive powers and focused on the computer screen in front of them.

They were not – absolutely not – going to let an insignificant line of coding defeat them.

Then a click-click-click and a tap-tap-tap.

And done!

Quick. Grab the LEGO MindStorms robot. Place it on the floor, where various strips of tape are lined up and serving as starting — and stopping — lines.

Hit go.

Watch the robot churn its wheels in a high-pitch zip and stop at the correct line, then slowly turn.

“It worked!” Robison and Martinez said.

This was the second year for the Girl Powered STEM workshop, designed to encourage girls to go into STEM fields.

They smiled in glee after completing one of the stations at the Girl Powered STEM Workshop Saturday in the Grand Canyon University Technology Building.

For the second year, the GCU Robotics Club partnered not only with VEX Robotics but the Robotics Education Competition Foundation and the campus’ K12 Educational Development to bring the workshop to campus. This year, the free workshop exceeded capacity, with 40 girls showing up to fire up their neurons in science, technology, engineering and math concepts – and to listen to women speakers who work in the STEM fields.

One of those speakers, GCU Associate Dean of Engineering Dr. Janet Brelin-Fornari, spoke about when she first thought she could become an engineer. It was for a school project in which she did a mechanical drawing of an airplane.

“I won an award for that. … It was the turning point that made me think, you know what? Mechanical engineering is something I can do. … It made a big difference in my life,” Brelin-Fornari said.

GCU Associate Dean of Engineering Dr. Janet Brelin-Fornari, landscape architect Andrea Pedersen and rocket engineer Amy Peters (from left) speak to the fourth through eighth graders about their careers in STEM.

That’s something the workshop’s organizers were hoping the Girl Powered workshop might spark – that turning point when it might click in the minds of some of those fourth through eighth grade attendees that a career in STEM could be something for them, too.

Corinne Araza, K12 STEM Outreach Director, said, “Girls are deciding their professions as early as the fourth grade, and if they aren’t exposed to professional women in these fields, they are less likely to believe they, too, can be a robotics engineer, for example.”

Brelin-Fornari also told the students about the work she has done in crash safety. She has worked with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for the last eight years in developing a side-impact standard for child seats.

One of the cool things that has happened in her career, she said, was to see herself featured in a video at Target stores speaking to consumers about crash safety.

Makayla Jewell, president of the GCU Robotics Club, addresses the 40 girls who signed up for the Girl Powered STEM workshop.

GCU Robotics Club President Makayla Jewell asked the speakers panel, which also included rocket engineer Amy Peters and landscape architect Andrea Pedersen, about some of the failures they’ve experienced in their careers.

Brelin-Fornari said she remembers a time when someone forgot to buckle the seat of the crash-test dummy that ended up sailing through the air after the test car, which sped forward at 30 miles per hour, made a hard stop.

“We learned we had to have a better process,” she said, adding how things sometimes don’t come out the way you design them. “… That’s engineering. We learn as much from the things that don’t come out as the things that do.”

Peters, Senior Director of Mission Assurance Engineering for Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems, shared with the students that even the smartest engineers sometimes forget things and spoke about a time when her company was supposed to launch a rocket for a customer who paid for that rocket to go up on a certain day.

The rocket didn’t launch.

“Those cases are a little embarrassing,” she said, and it ended up being one team thinking another team had completed a certain task and the other team thinking the same thing when, in the end, no one completed that task. Without that communication between the teams, the rocket failed to launch. It was something that the engineers quickly fixed and were able to launch the rocket two days later.

Peters (right) told students not to be afraid of failures.

“At the end of the day, we got better. … Don’t be afraid of failures,” Peters said.

Pedersen, who works with Studio DPA Planning and Landscape Architecture, spoke about her job designing landscapes for neighborhoods and shopping centers for projects not just in the United States but in Africa, Haiti and China.

“You think landscape architects only deal with plants, but we also deal with the technical stuff,” Pedersen said, and addressed the amount of teamwork that goes into what she does.

She works with the owners of the land on which projects are being built but also with the city, which approves the projects. Sometimes it takes up to two years for a project to be approved, she said.

Pedersen also works with contractors who sometimes will counter her designs. She said she has told contractors before, “No, this is what I drew. This is what the city requires. … You have to build that,” but she has listened to contractors, too, to make sure she hasn’t made a mistake — and like everyone, she has made those mistakes. It’s about working with a team but also having confidence in yourself, she told the students.

When Jewell asked the three panelists about awards they have won, Pedersen conveyed how the award for her is something different — when she happens to drive by one of her landscape designs.

“I’ll say, ‘Hey, that’s cool,’ ” she said.

More than a dozen students from GCU’s Robotics Club volunteered at the workshop.

In addition to listening to the speakers, the workshop attendees played the Meet New Friends Bingo Game as an ice breaker, then rotated through various STEM stations. Besides programming LEGO MindStorms robots, they made a simple battery motor and also stirred together some gooey gak, a slime-type substance that’s a non-Newtonian fluid, acting both as a solid and a liquid depending on the amount of pressure placed upon it.

Jennifer Holt signed up her two daughters for the workshop. Her oldest daughter saw a flyer about the event at her school, North Valley Christian Academy, and was excited about attending.

Holt said her father was a nuclear engineer and she was in the nuclear engineering program in the Navy. She has passed down that love of science and engineering to her daughters.

“We like to do experiments at home,” she said, but she always is looking for ways to encourage her daughters and was most looking forward to her daughters hearing from the women on the STEM panel.

Ann Sanchez, a GCU sophomore computer programming major who wants to be a software developer, was one of more than a dozen Robotics Club members who volunteered at the workshop.

Sanchez said her parents are first-generation immigrants. None of her family members are involved in STEM.

“They definitely think it’s a little different,” she said of her parents’ reaction to her choice of a STEM career, “But they’re excited for me.”

The workshop was important, she said, “to raise awareness (of the STEM fields) and encourage females to join the field.”

Madi Abercrombie, a GCU sophomore psychology major and member of the GCU Robotics Club (right), said it’s important to empower girls at a younger age and give them confidence to go into STEM fields.

VEX Robotics came up with its Girl Powered initiative after noticing that most of the students competing at their robotics events were boys – only 23% were girls. The company wanted to change that statistic and encourage more diversity in the robotics world. The number of women working in the STEM field also is not equal to the number of men in the field, according to VEX, which notes only 24% of those employed in STEM fields are women.

Fellow Robotics Club member Madi Abercrombie, a GCU sophomore psychology major, was busy Saturday helping girls program their LEGO MindStorms robots and seeing some success – and some failures, too – but also saw a lot of learning.

“I really do believe the big gap between engineers – male and female – is that girls are told it’s a boy’s job,” Abercrombie said. “We’re empowering girls at a younger age and helping them to have confidence.”

GCU senior writer Lana Sweeten-Shults can be reached at lana.sweeten-shults@gcu.edu or at 602-639-7901.

***

GCU Today: New engineering leaders bring industry savvy to GCU

GCU Today: Girl Powered event: Sugar, spice and everything STEM

GCU Today: Oobleck on deck at Thunderbots’ STEM bonanza

The post Girl Powered event helps STEM gap in science fields appeared first on GCU Today.

DR. BOB STAPLES

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Dr. Bob Staples

Title: Online instructor 

Years at GCU: 6

Academic degrees: B.A. Journalism, Th.M. Old Testament and Semitics, Ph.D. Rhetoric and Composition

Faculty scholarship (publications, scholarly presentations, fellowships, etc.): Published writing manuals and articles while a professor at Bethel University.

Notable research in your field: Researching the relationship between Soren Kierkegaard’s philosophy and teaching.

Notable employment in your field: I have been a pastor and youth minister and have taught at Tarrant County College, Texas Christian University, Bethel University.

What are you most passionate about in your field? Helping students learn to think.

What aspect of your teaching style is the most distinctive and/or memorable? It is all about Christ.

What do you like to do for fun in your spare time? Watch old movies, run/hike, landscaping, read.

What is something interesting about you that most people don’t know? I am dad to three West Highland Terriers (Gracie, Scout, and Ranger) and two horses (Romo, Cowboy).

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Students lined up to talk to employers Wednesday afternoon at “Meet the Agencies” in the Colangelo College of Business Building courtyard.

By Rick Vacek
GCU News Bureau

Just about every day on the Grand Canyon University campus, there are more opportunities for students to meet potential employers – and, just as important, for employers to meet the students they very much want to hire.

They connect on Mondays through Thursdays at Companies on Campus at the Student Union, where representatives from companies across the Valley, usually three at a time, meet with students.

The event drew 633 students from the Colangelo College of Business, the College of Fine Arts and Production and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

They connect at regular job fairs and networking events set up by the respective colleges. GCU is projected to welcome more than 850 companies onto campus during the 2019-20 academic year, up from 725 in 2018-19.

They connect through the Career Connections website.

And they connected in a big way Wednesday afternoon in the comfortable courtyard of the Colangelo College of Business (CCOB) Building for the Meet the Agencies event – 57 companies, 633 students and who knows how many future internships and full-time jobs obtained.

It was by far the largest hiring event of the year and yet still felt cozy, as if everyone knew everyone.

“Just because we’re bigger doesn’t mean we don’t still have that intimate feeling in job fairs,” said Alexa Wennet, who supervises Employer Outreach for GCU’s Strategic Employer Initiatives and Internships (SEII), which works in tandem with the Academic and Career Excellence (ACE) Centers to prepare students for these opportunities.

Wennet works closely with Bianca Shaw, the Employer Relations supervisor for SEII, to make these events happen, and Shaw could smile at what their work created Wednesday as she caught her breath amid all the hubbub.

“It was just a huge collaboration,” said Shaw, who has 68 events on her calendar for this semester alone. “It was a lot of phone calls and emails to try to get the companies out and students, too – they all came through.

Alexa Wennet and Bianca Shaw regularly organize events like Wednesday’s.

“We’re just making sure we’re not redundant with our events and that they’re meaningful to the students and to our employers, that they get what they need.”

There are so many ways those needs are being met.

It starts with ACE, which provides academic resources at centers all over campus. Then SEII creates opportunities to put those skills to work starting in their freshman year, when students are urged to take advantage of training that includes building a resume, dressing properly for a job interview and understanding what that interview might be like.

But it goes even further than that. Students sign up for the Career Connections database, which can be accessed by employers. For example, they easily can get a list of all the marketing students looking for an internship or full-time position.

Marketing was a big part of Wednesday’s event, and not just for CCOB students. There also were a number of digital design, advertising and graphic arts students from the College of Fine Arts and Production, the Meet the Agencies co-sponsor. The College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS), which emphasizes professional writing, had students there as well.

Collaboration is key, just as the CCOB namesake, Phoenix business icon Jerry Colangelo, wants it.

“This event is awesome – as Mr. Colangelo would say, ‘Life is relational,’” said Dr. Randy Gibb, the CCOB dean. “Between SEII, COFAP and CCOB, the industry relations we have in turn provide opportunities for our students. In some ways these hiring events are turning into an alumni homecoming event with many companies sending former GCU students to hire more GCU students.”

Angel Salazar, President of GCU’s chapter of the American Marketing Association, wants to make his club the biggest on campus.

Another big player in the event was GCU’s chapter of the American Marketing Association, which is having its busiest week of the semester. The club meets at 11:15 a.m. every Wednesday, and on this day that meeting included three GCU grads who are former AMA chapter presidents – Josh Bray, Aislynn Brant and Kevin Ertl.

“We try to build a community here at GCU. We try to emphasize being a family,” said the club’s president, Angel Salazar. “I want guest speakers that our students want to model and say, ‘I want to be like her, I want to be like him.’”

Also just this week, the club conducted a tour of the Yelp offices, where executives met with students at each table, and there is a pizza party scheduled for Friday. It’s a reflection of how important marketing is to so many companies, something the club’s advisors, CCOB instructors and marketing veterans Chuck Jarrell and Mindy Weinstein, know all too well.

“We tell students that every company is using marketing in some form,” said Jarrell, adding that marketing is the third-largest expense for most companies, after employees and benefits, and is the only division that’s solely responsible for generating revenue.

The marketing boom is all around us (Can you watch television for 15 minutes without seeing an ad for insurance?), and creating that content requires a variety of people. That’s why digital design majors are part of the feeder system – and why the AMA chapter is partnering with COFAP’s Design United Club.

“When we do projects, we get the marketing people to do the thinking heavy lifting and we have the creative team doing the creative,” said Sheila Schumacher, Director of Digital Design Programs.

It’s a good thing there’s a lot of space in the CCOB courtyard — the event was packed.

It’s easy to see all the ways digital design is part of the equation – animation, web design and graphic design – and that’s why COFAP partnered with CCOB on Wednesday’s event. The list of attending employers was created with that in mind.

“With the variety of companies that are here, it covers all aspects and we’ve got students who can fill all their needs,” COFAP Dean Claude Pensis said.

The SEII office also surveys employers to make sure students are filling those needs, and Shaw said the recent feedback has been that “our students are well-prepared and they have their handshakes and their elevator speeches down.”

They got plenty of chances to shake hands and practice their introductions Wednesday. In some cases, the employers greeting them were GCU grads themselves, such as former Havocs Co-President Shelby Langston, now an Associate Loyalty Program Manager for Shamrock Foods.

Many more just like her are ready to march into the workforce, and GCU is eager to help them complete the journey. It all starts with that family atmosphere, a feeling that pervaded the AMA event earlier Wednesday.

“We all had the same comment – we want to help our neighbors, our students,” Salazar said. “We were all trying to help each other and basically say, ‘Hey, you have the opportunity to be happy, smile and get a job.’”

Every day. Just about every single day.

Contact Rick Vacek at (602) 639-8203 or rick.vacek@gcu.edu.

****

Related content:

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Earning a college degree is a way to make family members proud.

GCU News Bureau

Editor’s note: They all have a story, every single online graduate at Grand Canyon University. And to celebrate Fall Commencement, GCU Today is publishing their amazing stories, in their own words. First up: the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, which filled the 9 a.m. ceremony Thursday. The photos, by David Kadlubowski, are from various scenes at the ceremony.

****

In June 2017, even though I had a full-time job as a police department communications supervisor, was married and raising two young children, was teaching dance and was battling lupus, I charged into the unknown universe of online education.

To say I was intimidated, insecure and feeling completely inadequate would be grossly understating how I felt and would continue to feel the first week of each of my 14 classes throughout my degree program.

I will not lie – it was not pretty. I cried a lot, threw larger tantrums than my young daughters, pulled all-nighters, had regular meltdowns, and at one point threw my laptop across the room. I almost quit three times.

But then some amazing things started happening along the way; I started stringing together A’s. Then I got a letter that I was on the President’s List, I got an invitation to be inducted into GCU’s chapter of Alpha Chi, and suddenly my girls were recognizing my accomplishments academically. They became my fuel to finish.

All I wanted more than anything now was to walk across that stage to show my girls that no matter how old you are, how sick you are, how busy you are, with determination and hard work you can accomplish the impossible.

Tiffany Coulombe

B.A. in Government with an Emphasis in Legal Studies

****

After I had started working toward my master’s degree, I was involved in a serious car accident. It took several months of evaluations and testing to determine the exact nature of my injuries. I continued to try to maintain my established work/school balance while trying not to be overwhelmed with the uncertainty associated with my physical condition.

After I was placed on bed rest, I decided to use school as a way of focusing on something other than the pain and discomfort. Almost a year after the accident, I underwent surgery on the base of my neck to repair three disks that had been damaged, and today I continue to recover.

My professors and advisors have been understanding during the long process. My fellow students have been very kind with their prayers and positive thoughts. My family, friends and co-workers have been encouraging and supportive.

I am grateful to God for seeing me through this long and painful journey. I have learned so much during this process and look forward to whatever is to come.

Elizabeth O’Brien

M.S. in Addiction Counseling

****

I struggled with addiction for a long time but have been sober for several years. I have not forgotten that one of my mentors told me that my life experience would only take me so far; I needed to get my formal education so that I could be balanced and offer the best services to those that struggle. 

I started my M.S. in Addiction Counseling in July 2017 with the goal of completing with a 4.0, which I have achieved. My experience with GCU has been absolutely blessed, and I know that my journey is in God’s will.

Sheri L. Sheneman 

M.S. in Addiction Counseling

****

The confetti rains down on the new graduates Thursday morning.

As a teenage runaway, I dabbled with drugs and alcohol and had no idea how lost I was. I fell in with the wrong crowd in my young adult years, became addicted to methamphetamine and found myself on the streets of south Phoenix, struggling to survive.

I later was arrested on drug-related charges and spent the next 90 days being pursued by God in the most unexpected place – a jail cell. I have never heard God speak louder to me than I did then, and I gave my life to the Lord within those walls. I left with a passion burning inside me, knowing that God was going to use me.

I set out to pursue higher education with the goal of providing counsel and hope for those who have been through traumatic events. Now that I have my degree, I still hear God’s promises to me in the desert of a jail cell.

Leah Echeveste

B.S. in Psychology

****

I enrolled at GCU in January 2016 and during this time have had a demanding job in Human Resources and have helped care for my four grandchildren while my single-mom daughter worked toward her BSN, which she earned in January. Then my younger daughter gave birth to my fifth grandchild, and they both live with me.

When I was less than halfway through the program, I wavered in my resolve to see this through and decided to seek some guidance from a therapist: Should I continue or cut my losses?

I laid out to her all my woes and challenges and ended with “and I will be 57 when I graduate.” She looked at me ever so calmly and said, “Well, you will be 57 anyway, so you might as well have a degree.”

I have used her words to spur me on, and I hope that I can inspire others who may not think they can do something like this at “their age” or because of “their” obstacle. Thank you, GCU, for your online program and for helping me fulfill a 30-year dream.

Sherri L. Wright

B.S. in Psychology

****

My story is for all of you who think you’re too old. I just turned 69, and now that I have my master’s, I’ve decided to work toward a doctorate.

I care for and home-school my 11-year-old grandchild and his sister, who is 26 and has been with me since she was 8 months old. I am a breast cancer survivor, and school was all I held onto except for my faith in my Father above. Through His faith and grace, I am here today. Praise God.

Jennifer Simpson

M.S. in Mental Health and Wellness

****

The Arena was filled with graduates and their families.

At age 66, the thought came to me more than once:

“Carolyn, what are you thinking? What makes you think you can get your master’s degree at your age? And what about your bipolar disorder?”

And to add insult to injury, “You can’t even work the new Mac Pro your husband bought in his excitement for your studies!”

But I was driven by the mandate God gave when He spoke to me: “I have need of your master’s degree.”

Fear, trepidation, insecurity and downright paralysis gripped my heart, mind and soul. No exaggeration: The stress and anxiety caused loss of feeling in my left arm two weeks in. And that was just during the introduction to the program!

Discussion questions took me from 2-3 hours, responses at least an hour. Wednesday assignments consumed 20-30 hours of intense study. On top of all that, life kept happening. Work, ministry, household responsibilities and my husband’s hip surgery threatened to derail me.

But God! He used my coursework to show me myself. I began to look at each week’s assignment one at a time rather than looking 16 months down the road. Engaging discussions with classmates and professors were opportunities to learn and grow, and the degree at the end is an amazing bonus!

Carolyn Hunt

M.S. in Mental Health and Wellness with an Emphasis in Ministry

****

I was working on a master’s degree at another university when my father was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. I struggled with school, supporting myself, working full-time and helping with mom and dad as much as possible and, when I thought I could graduate, I found out I did not have enough credits for what I wanted to accomplish. So instead of walking at commencement, I was totally discouraged.

I researched and found that GCU offered the degree I wanted, so I went back to school one more time. This time, I was going to have closure.

In the meantime, I met and married my God-chosen mate, and with his encouragement and incredible support I have made that long-awaited walk across the stage to receive my diploma.

Patricia McDougald

M.S. in Sociology

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On Oct. 31, 2018, two weeks from completing my coursework, with my practicum start date secured, I suffered a hemorrhagic stroke while out for my daily 3-mile run. No warning signs, no health risks, just two brain aneurysms on a beautiful fall day.

I actually made it to class that night, thinking that it was just a bad migraine. The doctor in the ER confirmed otherwise: right-sided craniotomy, two weeks in intensive care, loss of vision in my right eye.

I once again found myself battling the depression that had plagued me before, and for the first time in my life I wanted to give up. I knew nothing else but to get down on my knees and pray – like I had never prayed before. I simply asked God to help me remember that no matter what physical or emotional pain I was in – I WAS ALIVE! 

Now almost a year later, this cap and gown represent so much more than graduation. They represent all the help that I received from advisors, faculty, family and friends. They are symbols of resilience, courage and healing. But most importantly, they remind me once again that I AM ALIVE!

Tina Tarin

M.S. in Professional Counseling

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Dr. Tim Griffin, Pastor and Dean of Students, leads the processional at the end of the ceremony.

I was on my own completely by age 12 and dodged foster care by squatting in abandoned houses and doing everything from roofing houses to pulling rye in wheat fields.

When my oldest was born, I was a single mom. Not only was she the best thing to happen to me, having her meant I legally qualified as an independent. Having no parents to complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), I finally was able to enroll in community college. Since then, I have been slowly working my way toward my dream of a Ph.D. and a professorship.

My program with GCU has helped make me competent and competitive and has truly allowed me to come into my own as a professional. I am reaching those goals that also help me realize who I wanted to be as a person.

JoAnna Scott

M.S. in Professional Counseling

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Three months into my program, I learned that I had cancer. The prognosis was not good, and at first my heart was broken because I wanted so badly to show my three boys that you can set your mind to anything and succeed. My emotions were all over the place.

By the grace of God, I was misdiagnosed. Even though it was still Stage 4 cancer, it turned out to be thyroid and not lung. I could get through this. I had surgery and radiation and prayed … a lot.

I was out of work for about six months, and when I finally returned to the job I had held for 25 years, I was told my position was being eliminated. Even so, I felt blessed and knew God was with me and had a plan for me. I decided to get right back at it and move forward as planned with my dream of getting my degree and teaching my boys a life lesson I hoped they could follow.

My faith is strong and I’ve worked hard, and God has certainly led the way.

Romana Ruiz

B.S. in Sociology

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Being part of this ceremony today is a big accomplishment for me because I am from Brazil, my grandparents could not read or write, my parents did not go to college and I had to suspend my university education in Brazil because I could not afford it anymore.

But when I decided to go back to school, I heard criticism about my age (I was 39 at the time), about my family (they needed me as a mother and wife) and the money I would spend on the program. They said I would never have a job because I am an immigrant. They said a lot of people start college but wouldn’t finish it.

I had never had used a computer for anything beyond reading and sending emails, which made an online course seem impossible. But when I contacted GCU, the advisor was so positive and made me feel so comfortable.

My husband said the sky was my limit. My youngest son said he would help with the computer and English if I needed it. My closest friends proofread my papers and understood when I could not be there for them. They knew how important it was for me to cross the finish line.

Yolanda Djom

B.S. in Behavioral Health Science

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