Photos by David Kadlubowski
GCU News Bureau
The 9 a.m. Commencement ceremony Thursday featured online students from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
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Keynote speaker Kirk Cameron shakes hands with the graduates as they approach the stage.
Story by Ashlee Larrison
Photos by David Kadlubowski
GCU News Bureau
It was part of God’s mission for Kirk Cameron: his journey through the world of show business, his spiritual awakening and his most recent title — keynote speaker at Grand Canyon University Fall Commencement.
Cameron said he was a little nervous about giving his first Commencement speech.
From a young age, Cameron always wanted to be a doctor. He was a shy kid and didn’t like getting on stage and talking in front of people. He had to overcome his fear.
“I wanted to be Ben Carson — I wanted to be a surgeon,” Cameron said. “I ended up becoming Mike Seaver.”
As in young Mike Seaver on the 1980s hit show “Growing Pains.” Cameron went on to become a prominent actor in Christian films such as the “Left behind” franchise or “Fireproof,” but that wasn’t the only prominent change in his life.
“I grew up as an atheist as a kid,” Cameron said. “I never went to church, didn’t grow up in a Christian home. But I discovered the Lord when I was about 17 years old, and that was the biggest change in my life.
“Knowing who I am and whose I am and being in a relationship with God as my Master made all the difference.”
Through his growing faith and relationship with the Lord, Cameron made moral decisions on “Growing Pains” and other key decisions that he said shaped his character and reputation.
Cameron lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Chelsea Noble. Five of their six children are scattered across the country, in college or working. He is focused on projects that allow him to combine his career with his mission of sharing the Gospel.
“One of the things that I’ve really long to do is share the Gospel with people through evangelism,” he said. “I’ve been able to do some television shows and other things that have the gospel in them and shares the gospel with people so that people can know Christ. I think that’s a big part of God’s plan and mission for me.”
Cameron also teaches at marriage and parenting conferences and does keynote speeches for ministries and organizations.
Cameron also teaches at marriage and parenting conferences and does keynote speeches for ministries and organizations. He said he is interested in teaching at the university level.
He tackled his first commencement speech as he does most things in his life — by overcoming fear.
“This was really exciting,” Cameron said. “I was a little nervous. I’ve never done it before. I knew with all these Christian families, it was just really a special blessing to be part of this day that they’ll remember for their whole life.”
Cameron talked to the Fall Commencement gatherings about the importance of overcoming fear to take that next step and shared with them the three most important companions to carry with them: The Master (the Lord), Their Mission and Their Mate (Friend or Spouse).
“Fear is like an invisible wall,” Cameron told them. “Once you take that first scary step through that imaginary wall, something wonderful happens. That fear has lost its power over you.”
He also urged the audience to forget their past, focus on their future and not to let fear keep them from perseverance when the going gets tough. Reflecting on Derek Redmond’s 1992 Summer Olympic games 400-meter run and his determination to finish in the race despite tearing his hamstring, first on his own and then with the assistance of his father, Cameron highlighted the courage it took for Redmond to keep going.
“Graduates, if you never give up and refuse to quit, you will finish your race,” he concluded. “Enjoy the trip, I’ll see you at the destination.”
As graduates approached the stage to receive their diplomas, Cameron stayed true to his word, meeting and shaking hands with them.
“I was excited for everybody, so it was just a spur-of-the-moment thing. I wanted to say congratulations,” he said. “It was great to meet so many of them … it was really exciting.”
Photos were taken, questions were answered and Cameron’s message was one the audience won’t soon forget.
Contact Ashlee Larrison at (602) 639-8488 or ashlee.larrison@gcu.edu.
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Grand Canyon University students Lily Cooper and Katryna Eastwood (from left) oversee the flash fiction story unfolding to celebrate the National Day on Writing at GCU.
By Mike Kilen
GCU News Bureau
Much can be said in few words. Students walked past words scribbled on sticky notes. They walked over words in chalk on the Promenade.
“I woke up and regretted it.”
“Food is life. Life is food.”
They were six-word autobiographies posted on a board, one of several public writing exercises on display Monday outside the Grand Canyon University College of Humanities and Social Sciences Building for the National Day on Writing.
“The six-word story was inspired by Ernest Hemingway, who wrote, ‘For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn,’” said Kimbel Westerson, a GCU instructor in English and writing.
“This day is an opportunity to show students that we can do a lot here.”
With few words.
“Wake up beauty. Time to beast.”
Students wrote six-word autobiographies on sticky notes.
“Reminds me of a T-shirt from a gym,” said Morganne Scheuerman.
She wrote, “Your thoughts are controlled by you.”
“Everyone tells me I overthink things. So writing is kind of talking to myself,” she said.
The National Day on Writing celebrates writing and the reasons why we write, a day launched by the National Council of Teachers of English, which has a GCU student chapter. English Department faculty and student writing clubs hosted the event.
“We are all writers,” Westerson said. “We don’t just write for assignments. Writing is an act of fun and creativity.”
The students wrote in sidewalk chalk the answers to “Why I Write.”
“I find inspiration in writing,” said Yaritza Hernandez, who wrote “To Inspire Others” on the sidewalk. “I find comfort in writing. I find strength. I read memoirs and I like to write them to inspire others to overcome challenges in their lives.”
Christina McSheffrey is a theatre major who was enthused about the day, too: “I love the collaborative process,” she said. “And it all starts with words.”
The students said writing helps people understand each other, especially in divisive times. It encourages empathy. It makes you feel.
“This is to celebrate the writer and shine a light on them and how important they are,” said Katryna Eastwood, who founded the student club Write Here, Write Now.
“But anybody can be a writer. You can write a blog.”
A flash fiction story emerged on the GCU campus Monday.
Another activity was flash fiction, in which one writer begins a short story and the following writers build on it. One started with a Russian agent and ended with a gun pointed at a family member; it was a bit dark. Another story involved an alien heart attack; it was a bit whimsical.
The teachers’ council encourages writing by starting with one sentence. It could be the first line of a poem or a journal entry to a poignant social media post that helps unleash creativity.
Or it could have meaning for someone else.
The group Love Your Melon, whose mission is to improve the lives of children battling cancer by putting a hat on every one of them, has a campus chapter who decided to write those children beautiful words.
They decided to write cards – and distribute them across the country.
“It’s always a good day to make a good day.”
Megan Benedict, a GCU student who is involved in the group, wrote that. “They want to know life isn’t just about what they are going through,” she said.
“You’re a ray of sunshine.”
Aleah Austin wrote that. She visited the children in the hospital last year. “It was important to share they are something beautiful.”
A few written words can do that.
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 Students take note of National Day on Writing appeared first on GCU Today.
The Association of Christian Schools International job fair Tuesday and introduced students to foreign employers.
By Ashlee Larrison
GCU News Bureau
There is a world of possibilities for students looking to make an impact on future generations, and that world just got a little bit closer to home at Grand Canyon University’s first international job fair on Tuesday.
More than 700 international positions have been submitted to ACSI, and future graduates are needed to fill them.
GCU partnered with the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) to bring 26 schools and eight organizations from 28 countries to campus and get aspiring educators and service-driven students connected with international employers. Although it’s only in its first official year on campus, GCU’s Senior Vice President of K12 Educational Development, Dr. Tacy Ashby, and ACSI both believe it’s off to a strong start.
“We anticipate that it’s really going to grow,” Ashby said. “We are very excited about our relationship with ACSI.”
It is an opportunity that steps outside of the box of what a traditional job fair at GCU looks like, and Ashby said that’s what makes it exciting.
“We have a variety of job fairs and career fairs, but mostly they’re local and national. This is opening up the door in a large way to the number of professions in that international sphere,” she said. “The College of Education is really excited about this because it affords incredible ministry opportunities while allowing their students the opportunity to serve in Christian schools abroad.”
CCSC Scholars, who help out with every career and recruiting event, spent the entire event working alongside other departments to make sure the job fair ran smoothly.
In addition to the K12 Development department, the ASCI job fair would not have been possible without the contributions of multiple other campus departments.
“This event is such a great example of the strong collaboration which exists between both GCU and GCE,” said Aysha Bell, Program Manager within the Strategic Employer Initiatives & Internships department. “SEI has worked alongside with K12 Development, Event Services, GCE (Marketing and Admissions), COE (and all the colleges), ACE, CCSC and many more to bring this event to fruition. The goal of what we all work toward is to contribute to the success of our Lopes.”
Schools and organizations from 28 different countries came to GCU’s campus for the ACSI job fair.
Tim Shuman, ACSI’s Regional Director for International Schools, and his team set up several international job fairs with their represented schools on Christian college campuses throughout the country and decided to come to GCU after a meeting with University President Brian Mueller.
“This goes back about two years ago, when Brian Mueller came to ACSI headquarters, and I remember they were looking for ways ACSI and GCU could connect,” Shuman recalled. “We talked about what GCU could do for international schools, and the idea was that we need a world-class job fair.”
Dr. Dan Egeler, GCU’s Vice President of CCSC Outreach and ACSI’s former president, also remembers the beginning of ACSI’s partnership with GCU and has enjoyed watching it play out.
“It’s really exciting to see an idea come to fruition, to have all these schools represented on Grand Canyon’s campus,” Egeler said.
Egeler is traveling in Asia, introducing GCU to people there.
“Three of the schools that have representatives there (at the job fair), I saw them here in Asia before they went to Grand Canyon,” Egeler said. “They were just very excited about getting the opportunity to see Grand Canyon for the very first time. Most folks here in the international context have no idea who Grand Canyon is, and when they hear GCU’s story they’re just absolutely thrilled to be a part of it.”
ACSI has been putting on job fairs for the past two decades and normally shuffles which universities to stop at year to year. But after ACSI officials learned more about GCU, they decided to make it an annual stop.
“We move around the country all the time and we wanted to stabilize that — we wanted to get some anchor points,” Shuman said. “GCU, as it’s up and coming, it being a Christian school, we wanted to be at a school that had a large College of Education.”
Students could learn a little more about different Christian schools all around the world.
Although the employers are largely looking for graduates to fill educational positions, Shuman said there are needs in other areas as well. He describes his recruiting schools as communities and said the employer schools could have positions to fill in many other areas, including IT, counseling, administration and nursing.
The visiting schools work with students ranging from pre-K to 12th grade and will offer students around the world access to Christian educations.
“These are schools that are set up to provide an English, Western-style, American-style education,” Shuman said. “You’ve got Latin America, Africa, Europe, Asia is here, so it’s a chance to move into God’s calling in your life to teach young people your subject area, your specialty — do that in a Christian way and have a bigger impact because these kids are going to be the next world-changers in their own nation and perhaps other places in the world.”
ACSI has postings for more than 700 positions around the world, and start dates can range from as soon as possible to 2022.
One of the employers recruiting on campus came from the Christian International School of Prague in the Czech Republic. Abbey Flaherty, the school’s recruiter, was impressed by some of the qualifications she heard from GCU students who stopped at her table.
Abbey Flaherty was able to let students know about jobs available at the Christian International School of Prague.
“One young lady I talked to, she had a ton of experience. Her mom is a teacher and so I think that’s helpful, but she’s just spent a lot of time volunteering and just spending time in local schools,” she said. “It’s almost like you already have a lot of experience when you come into it, so you’re not so surprised when you step into a classroom.
“I’ve talked to some students who know what they want to do, which is great, but also ones that aren’t quite sure, but they’re just interested in exploring their options. I think it’s been interesting to talk to them and kind of expand. It’s not just education majors that are stopping by, which is great because there are lots of opportunities at our school where you don’t necessarily have to have an education background. If you are studying a specific field, we can train you to teach or have a staff position rather than a teaching position.”
It was Flaherty’s first visit to GCU, and it excited her about coming back next year.
“I think all the schools and organizations represented are really excited to be here and glad that… there will be at least one more and hopefully more in the future,” she said.
For students who were unable to attend the international job fair, Shuman said they still can see what’s available and connect with international employers from the Guidebook App under International School Job Fair 2019.
Contact Ashlee Larrison at (602) 639-8488 or ashlee.larrison@gcu.edu
****
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Elizabeth Fisher (left) and Seth Strawn of Southwest Behavioral Health and Services were among a group of professional panelists to talk with students Thursday about their work.
By Mike Kilen
GCU News Bureau
Seth Strawn was asked in front of a group of Grand Canyon University students when he felt like a real professional therapist.
“People are trusting me with the deepest things they’ve ever gone through, that they’ve never opened up to anybody else,” said Strawn, who works for Southwest Behavioral Health and Services in Phoenix and got his master’s degree at GCU. “Dealing with the weight of that responsibility and honor sunk in. It hit me. ‘I’m a professional. I’m not in school anymore.’
“You are doing your work with real people. I try to never take that for granted.”
A lot of students question what they can do with their degrees, especially as an undergraduate. Then events such as the Behavioral Health Science Career Panel Thursday help answer their questions, said Dr. Chris McBride, an instructor in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Five guests in the behavioral field gave advice, such as taking care of yourself by not bringing your client’s troubles home and being flexible because you never stop learning.
Mostly they heard passion about helping others.
“I work with some of the highest-risk kids in the Valley, and just being able to see them heal and transform, move forward, make goals, I love watching that growth and feel honored to be a part of it,” said Elizabeth Fisher of Southwest Behavorial Health and Services.
Strawn said that being able to help people recognize what their strengths are is rewarding.
“Everyone’s got problems, everyone’s got issues. Most of us here at some point in our lives felt pretty crappy about ourselves. Just being able to encourage people to see within themselves, ‘I am enough. I do have these positive qualities.’ Watching them realize that and seeing them go out on their own is really a great thing,” he said.
It inspired students who are studying behavioral health careers at GCU.
Mashal Jones said she had long wanted to be a counselor but just that day had decided to seek a minor in it. The presentation sealed the deal.
“I want to help others,” she said. “To me, knowing I’m going to do a job — not just proclaiming by faith but going out and practicing it – I liked that he talked about that. Sometimes counseling is too much all about science. I pray for people in my life, even if I don’t know them.”
Strawn said that “it’s not about us.”
“I’m a Christian, but I’m not projecting my faith on them. But I get to show them the value of my faith. I get to show people every day the love of Christ.”
Added Fisher: “I get to spend my day loving on people. Through service. Through kind words. Some days I get to hang out with kids and just play cards and have one-on-one conversations, really deep, emotional conversations. It’s really cool that they confide in me and tell me their story.”
But often you don’t know if you can help them, so it’s a roller-coaster. She worked with a child for a year, playing cards every day, and one day he just opened up.
“He shared things with us and we kind of inched forward with him,” she said. “But there are days when it was down and I have things thrown at me or am called all kinds of words. But at the end of the day I care about them.”
Freshman Makayla Anderson was encouraged to hear Melissa Baker of Jewish Family and Children’s Services talk about opportunities in case management and administration.
“I want to help, but I always knew one-on-one sitting in an office is not right for me,” she said. “I like hearing that she offers support to those who are doing that.”
One word can’t describe what it means to work with clients, Strawn said.
“It’s an honor, it’s a responsibility, it’s rewarding, it’s challenging, its discouraging, it’s a storm of different emotions. It’s real.
“And you as well are human. You are encouraged. You see results. It’s amazing to see our clients making progress.
“You get to bear witness to the journeys they are on. You get to validate that you get to assure your clients that — guess what? — you are not alone.”
Grand Canyon University senior writer Mike Kilen can be reached at mike.kilen@gcu.edu or at 602-639-6764.
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Brooke Ovitt, a senior, had never seen a Day of the Dead display before helping put one up in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences lobby.
By Mike Kilen
GCU News Bureau
To Joy Ramirez, November 1 sparks thoughts of her uncle.
“He owned a strawberry farm in California and at his funeral, instead of a bunch of flowers, there were bowls of strawberries,” said Ramirez, a senior who volunteered to construct the College of Humanities and Social Sciences’ Day of the Dead display on the third floor lobby of Building 16 at Grand Canyon University.
To observe Dia de los Muertos (the Spanish translation), Ramirez will put up a photo of her uncle and a box of strawberries.
At GCU, the altar is a way to introduce all students to other cultures and consider a day with special meaning — to remember those friends and family members who have died and celebrate what they meant to them.
“In Mexico, they look at the positive aspects of their lives instead of being grief stricken,” said Ramirez, one of the student volunteers from Spanish class.
“I’m from Mexico, where it is two days — the first day to remember the children (Nov. 1) and second day to remember adults (Nov. 2),” said Noe Vargas, Assistant Dean of CHSS. “There, people take flowers to cemeteries or get together with family and remember their favorite food or jokes or sayings.
“We always remember the people before us and what they gave us.”
The display at CHSS included paper skulls, candles, bread, religious iconography, flowers, drinks, candy and other items that hold symbolic meaning.
The skulls represent people who have passed, sugary candy the sweetness of life and bread and drinks for hungry and thirsty souls who are attracted to the altar.
The holiday has been celebrated throughout Mexico and parts of Latin American for centuries and has become intertwined with Catholic traditions, according to Smithsonian Magazine.
“For me, it’s a beautiful opportunity to celebrate what a lot of people from Arizona and throughout the Southwest will be celebrating,” said Dr. Sherman Elliott, Dean of CHSS. “A lot of students come up and bring a picture of a family or just stand around the altar. It’s very peaceful.”
Photos of loved ones began to appear soon after the Day of the Dead display was finished.
By midmorning, photographs of loved ones were wedged between the symbolic items.
Students will have a chance to learn more about the tradition depicted in the animated movie “COCO,” which will be shown in Thunderground at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
The movie is where Ramirez learned of Dias de los Muertos.
“My grandma is from Mexico and she didn’t bring it to America,” she said. “Then we were watching ‘Coco’ and my mom said, ‘That’s what we used to do.’ “
Ramirez asked her mom why she didn’t to it here, so last year they began the tradition at home.
Others had not heard of the meaning behind the holiday until they helped put the finishing touches on the display Friday morning.
“I’m from New England. This is the first time I have seen an altar,” said Brooke Ovitt, a senior.
She said it reminded her of the people she has loved who died and what made them special.
“My grandmothers meant a lot to me,” she said.
Grand Canyon University senior writer Mike Kilen can be reached at mike.kilen@gcu.edu or at 602-639-6764.
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Alpha Chi’s GCU chapter added 1,212 students as new members Saturday afternoon.
By Ashlee Larrison
GCU News Bureau
Samuel Smith was one of Alpha Chi’s newest inductees.
One of the last messages Samuel Smith’s grandfather gave him before he passed away was for him to continue his education and continue his work in the health care field. Smith recalls that message fitting in alongside his grandfather’s belief that “caring and giving back is one of the most noble things a person can do.”
Smith was his grandfather’s caretaker for 10 years, often working at the same time. After taking a five-year break from school once he received his associate degree, he decided at the start of 2019 that his next step would be to go back to school to receive his bachelor’s in Health Care Administration, taking his grandfather’s message to heart.
“He wasn’t just my grandfather, he was my best friend,” Smith said.
That drive to follow his passion for helping people and desire to make his grandfather proud was what pushed him to excel in his schoolwork and eventually would lead to becoming one of 1,212 students inducted into Alpha Chi’s Grand Canyon University chapter Saturday afternoon.
Alpha Chi recognizes and celebrates the top preforming students from over 300 chapters nation wide.
Alpha Chi is a National College Honor Society organization that recognizes the academic achievement and accomplishments of collegiate learners from more than 300 chapters throughout the country. Students in the top 10% of each graduating class within their individual colleges can be invited to become a member, giving them many perks, such as scholarships and access to academic publishers.
It is an organization that has caught the attention of many GCU students. Breanna Naegeli, Associate Dean of the Honors College and GCU Alpha Chi’s sponsor, said one of the most frequently recurring questions she hears from students is how to join Alpha Chi.
The Honors College Associate Dean Breanna Naegeli is also GCU’s Alpha Chi sponsor.
“Alpha Chi is what I consider our most prestigious honors society across all of the GCU community for a few different reasons,” she said. “One, the criteria it takes to be eligible for Alpha Chi is the most stringent across all populations. Two, it also includes our online undergraduate, graduate and doctoral population, so now we’re looking at the 100,000-plus total student body of GCU,” Naegeli said.
To be eligible, students must complete a minimum of 60 college credit hours (16 of which must be from GCU), have at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA at GCU and rank within the top 10% of their graduating class by college.
The minimum eligible GPA to make the top 10% mark for the College of Education, for example, is 3.99, a minimum that surpasses the standard of 3.5. Naegeli credits it to the University and students’ drive for academic excellence.
Aysha Bell was the keynote speaker at the ceremony.
“GCU does attract a lot of exceptional learners,” Naegeli said. “We place a priority on academic excellence and academic integrity, and students are really working hard to excel. It’s not just passing the class, getting the grade and earning the diploma. Students are really making an effort to excel and graduate at the top of their class.”
Keynote speaker Aysha Bell, Strategic Employer Initiatives and Internships Program Manager, had a similar view on the importance of academic perseverance.
Bell shared her story about her determination to not only reach the goals that her mother had set in store for her but how that drive helped her create and achieve higher goals than she had ever thought possible. The pursuit of academic excellence shouldn’t be taken lightly, Bell said.
Inductees consist of both traditional ground students and online students.
“They (the new inductees) need to understand how important this induction is for them into this honors society and what it can mean for them professionally and personally for the rest of their careers,” she said. “These students are top notch; they are the top 10%. … These students work hard, they have sacrificed personal time, they’ve sacrificed time in their positions, there’s so many different commitments that they’ve had to take time from to make their studies first place in their life, and I commend them for that.”
The ceremony was an opportunity for Smith and other students to be recognized for their hard work, and they also were grateful for the experience.
Jessica Symmes was inducted into Alpha Chi at Saturday’s ceremony and will graduate in December.
“It was wonderful,” Smith said of the first ceremony to recognize his academic excellence. “I’m just so happy and I’m just blessed I can share this with my entire family.”
Jessica Symmes, often referred to as the “dancing nurse” because she is majoring in nursing and minoring in dance, was another Alpha Chi inductee who celebrated her academic achievements with her family, before she graduates in December.
Tahir Bano (right) is an international student but still was able to celebrate with Naegeli and the rest of her GCU family.
“To be in a room with like-minded peers and people who are also achieving academically is something very unique to Alpha Chi,” Symmes said. “Alpha Chi is definitely an honor. Being the top 10% of your graduating class of your college is something that an academic achiever would definitely shoot for, so I definitely came into college with the mind of achieving in the best that I possibly could. And Alpha Chi is just one of those achievements that definitely assures that I did that.”
International senior Tahir Bano wasn’t able to have her biological family with her for the induction because they were back home in her home country of Pakistan, but she still didn’t celebrate alone.
“This is one of the amazing experiences that I’ve had because my family is not here but I consider GCU my family,” Bano said. “This is a big accomplishment for me because I really worked hard, and at the end of the day when you work hard and get an award, this is motivation to do better.”
Watch the ceremony’s live stream here.
Contact Ashlee Larrison at (602) 639-8488 or ashlee.larrison@gcu.edu
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The Scottsdale couple of Ryan Sheade and Erica Tatum-Sheade helped clinicians explore behavioral health issues at GCU’s conference Friday.
By Mike Kilen
GCU News Bureau
Shaming a child is not good, which instinctively most parents know.
Parents do it anyway because it makes the child stop bad behavior, at least in the short term. In the long term, there are consequences, mainly to their self-esteem.
For behavioral health professionals, the challenge is telling clients how to stop shaming.
That’s where the married-couple team of Ryan Sheade and Erica Tatum-Sheade comes in to help clinicians. The private practitioners, lecturers and educators from Scottsdale presented “Parenting Without Shame – What Clinicians Need to Know” on Friday at the GCU College of Humanities and Social Sciences‘ third annual Behavioral Health Conference.
“It’s how not to shame a parent for not parenting without shame,” said Ryan Sheade before taking the podium in a roomful of mental health professionals and students.
The conference was designed “to help professionals expand their knowledge base and show how passionate GCU is about behavioral health,” said CHSS Program Manager and conference organizer Jacqueline Webster.
Other presenters covered principles in working with complicated patients, empowering body and mind to lead a satisfied life and learning the different roles within the behavioral health system.
Shaming survives in silence, Ryan Sheade said, instead of parents asking the child, “What can I do to help you out?”
First, it’s helpful to know the types of parents and parenting techniques – also useful for those who aren’t practitioners.
Erica Tatum-Sheade described the parenting types: authoritarian (the because-I-said-so parents); permissive (“I love you so much, I’ll let you do what you want.”); uninvolved (children should be seen but not heard); the authoritative parent, which is the ideal, a parent with limits and boundaries but also love and warmth.
An authoritative parent doesn’t rely on punishment, but discipline. The former involves a punitive sentence without explanation while the latter issues consequences but also communicates why.
For example, said Ryan Sheade, after a “time out” you ask the child, “Do you understand why you had a time out? OK, I love you. Now go play.”
It’s important to separate the child from the behavior.
“There are no bad kids, just bad behavior and poor choices,” said Erica Tatum-Sheade.
Another mistake is children can grow up assuming they were born angry. Parents tell them they were always the one fussing, even as a baby. It’s a story that gets repeated and internalized. You weren’t born angry, but children do have different temperaments that parents need to adjust to.
“You have to parent every single child differently. That’s why teaching is so hard,” said Ryan Sheade, who also teaches social work courses at GCU.
All this talk of shaming doesn’t mean you heap praise on a child for everything. It doesn’t raise self esteem but creates a person always looking for the next fix of praise to feel good about themselves. A parent should focus on the effort, not the outcome.
The challenge is to get clients to recognize these factors without just writing a to-do list.
“When I’m training therapists, I tell them that our job is not to give people advice and tell them what to do. And so many therapists, that’s what they do,” Ryan Sheade said.
If you want to give advice, just be a hairdresser or bartender.
“If we tell people what to do, they go out and it works, then they don’t get to own that solution. They go out and it doesn’t work, it’s my fault,” he said.
People will ask Ryan or Erica, who have three children together, “What should I do?”
“I tell them I have no idea. I don’t live your life. I’m not in your house. There is no way I can have a full assessment. What do you think the best options should be? Brainstorm. Pick three. Try it. Come back and tell me how it works.”
The task is to tell parents how they may be shaming their children, what it looks like and feels like, and how to break those habits and set boundaries.
Erica describes parenting by using three body parts:
Hands: You give children support without pulling them along, just like when they are learning to walk. But you’ve got them when they fall.
Ears. “Listen to what that behavior is trying to tell you. Understand the need that behavior is trying to fill.”
Heart: “Heart is coming from a place of compassion and empathy. Our job is to sit with them and say this is hard. We are sitting with them in that hard place. Then they feel like they can come to us when it is hard. If you parent without shame, they will come to you.”
Grand Canyon University senior writer Mike Kilen can be reached at mike.kilen@gcu.edu or at 602-639-6764.
The post GCU conference explores parents’ shame appeared first on GCU Today.
Editor’s note: My LopeLife is a feature in which GCU students, staff and alumni share enlightening experiences. To be considered for My LopeLife, please submit a short synopsis of your suggested topic to GCUToday@gcu.edu with “My LopeLife” in the subject field.
By Izabela Fogarasi
Special to GCU Magazine
When I was 11, my parents moved our family across the world, from a small town in Serbia to beautiful and sunny California.
People move all the time, so what’s the big deal, right? But here’s the thing: I had lived a very comfortable life in Serbia.
I lived in a small town where I knew every corner of every neighborhood. I lived in a culture where everyone was friends with everyone. I was always playing outside and went inside only when it was time to sleep.
Izabela Fogarasi couldn’t speak English when she arrived in the United States nine years ago. Now she’s majoring in Professional Writing at GCU. (Photo by David Kadlubowski)
There was no limit to my freedom, and I adored it.
On August 7, 2010, this picture-perfect life went from regular routine to cherished memory in just one day. My life took a complete left turn when my father accepted a job in California. There wasn’t anything wrong with my new home. It’s a great place. It also was safe. The people weren’t scary.
But there was one problem: I couldn’t speak English. The only three things I knew how to say were “Hi,” “Bye” and “Thank you,” and I had to begin middle school three days after the big move.
I tried my best to convince myself that it would be OK, but even after all these years I still can clearly recall the blank, weirded-out looks I received when people would notice how red and tear-stained my face was.
I went to my classes terrified that my teachers would call on me in front of everyone and I only would be able to say, “I, no English.” Whispers and giggles instantly would fill the room after I would improperly say that one, short sentence with my thick Serbian accent.
Thankfully, the crying stopped, and after about three years I was able to pick up the language pretty well. But the uncomfortable, lonely and lost feeling still reappears, even to this day.
As time went on, things began making more sense, but I never stopped wondering why all of this had to happen. I questioned God a lot – His character, His intentions and the purpose behind my family and me having to go through such a rough experience. Out of all the kids on the planet, why did I have to get picked to move to a completely new country and relearn everything about life?
I began questioning these things more than ever when I came to Grand Canyon University. Ever since I could remember, I wanted to be a writer, so it was not much of a surprise when I chose to major in English despite my rough relationship with it.
But right when I arrived in Phoenix, it seemed as if the language barrier had increased. At one point during my freshman year, I felt as if I couldn’t speak or write English properly. I forgot how to say some of the simplest things and how to spell some of the shortest words. I barely could engage in a conversation and be understood.
I was feeling lost all over again until a friend randomly asked if I wanted to go to The Gathering on a Tuesday night – but to God, it definitely wasn’t random. The Lord wanted me to be there that night, to hear the message He had been trying to tell me for so long.
That night, I encountered the Lord’s presence stronger than ever before. The message was, “How can I be lost when You have called me found?” It was repeated so many times and spoken so clearly, it was impossible for me to ignore it.
The only way I knew how to respond was by crying. I cried because throughout all those years, I neglected the fact that when I had felt all alone and completely lost, the Lord was right there by my side.
When I felt as if no one could understand me, He knew exactly how I was feeling. When it seemed absolutely impossible to build this new life, He filled me with His strength. God knew exactly how to uplift me and comfort my heart because He is the One who created it.
It has been nine years since I left my home country, and I finally can say that things aren’t completely upside down. I am in my third year at GCU. My parents and my brother have steady jobs and are settled in.
We all have managed to learn the language, make friends and achieve personal goals. Things definitely have become brighter. I even have a little niece who is at that cute stage where she is beginning to form words – in both English and Serbian although her English is actually better – and if she doesn’t know them yet she simply will point at objects until we make sense of what she’s trying to say.
I never thought I would be able to relate to a toddler, yet this is exactly how the past nine years of my life have felt. I might never find out why this had to happen to me, but that’s OK because I serve a God who does know.
If there is one thing I have seen repeatedly in my life and especially in my time at GCU, it is that God moves in miraculous ways. Just as my little niece eventually is able to grab hold of whatever she is pointing at once we come to her aid, so will I be able to grab hold of all the things I wish to reach and accomplish because God always will be by my side, leading me.
He always works for the good of those He loves, and the one thing I always will know for sure is that He loves me so much.
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ABOUT IZABELA FOGARASI
Izabela Fogarasi is a junior majoring in Professional Writing and double minoring in Literature and Communications. Besides writing, Izabela loves to drink coffee, sing all day, read and color. She also enjoys spending time with friends, going to the beach and, more than anything, loves eating her mom’s home-cooked Serbian meals.
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The post My LopeLife: She learned the language of God’s love appeared first on GCU Today.
Editor’s note: My LopeLife is a feature in which GCU students, staff and alumni share enlightening experiences. To be considered for My LopeLife, please submit a short synopsis of your suggested topic to GCUToday@gcu.edu with “My LopeLife” in the subject field.
By Madeline Thielke
Special to GCU Today
Grand Canyon University has created an environment where exploration is encouraged and learning is constant, and it has had a noticeable effect on me.
Thanks to GCU, I have explored new opportunities that would’ve petrified “high school me” — call-in-sick-to-school, refuse-to-show-my-face petrified. But now I seek out those opportunities with my head held high.
Madeline Thielke
It all started with Welcome Week.
You know how good it feels when you walk through the door of your home and are hit with an instant wave of comfort? Now imagine what that would be like with 1,000 family members waiting to greet you with open arms. That’s Welcome Week.
But behind that excitement lies a sense of community that lasts far past one week.
As I think back three years ago to my freshman year, it’s like imagining a character in a book. The scene is set with the sun rising over 35th Avenue, each window shining with a blinding light.
The protagonist is a young, naïve college student who feels as if anything is possible. I was looking forward to many “firsts” – my first college lecture, my first midnight snack run, my first dorm room girls’ night. But before my firsts could begin, I had to tackle the biggest first of all. My first Welcome Week.
It is the all-encompassing, pivotal event in a GCU student’s life, the first defining moment of the journey through Lope Country. For me it was the culmination of all my firsts. It was my first moment stepping onto campus. It was my first moment being in my new home.
As I drove up to campus with my life packed away in the back of my old Ford, my mind raced with uncertainty. I came here not knowing a soul, so it was incredibly heartwarming to see an ocean of smiling faces excited to greet me.
When I chose GCU, I was nervous that I might not find my place. Like any college kid I was going out on my own for the first time completely unaware of who I was or where I was heading.
As we all are, I was completely comfortable just remaining comfortable. However, GCU has always felt like a place where the uncomfortable is embraced and accepted, just as I was when I first came here.
After my freshman year, I was able to see how easy it was to grow into myself. The welcoming environment acted as a catalyst and launched me forward to my next adventure.
That’s why I felt comfortable changing my major. Becoming both an English and Communications major has allowed me to find aspects of my personal interests that I didn’t even know existed. It has allowed me to refine my skills as both a writer and a communicator in ways that I know will be valuable in whatever fields I choose.
The effect GCU had on me was even more telling when I joined the Speech and Debate team my sophomore year. I had never thought much of my public-speaking skills, so I pushed myself to speak publicly.
My growth continued last summer when I challenged myself to get a job in Grand Canyon Education’s Marketing Department. I knew the opportunity for growth that I could have by merely being in a new field and gaining new chances to learn.
With graduation a few months away, I don’t even want to think what my life would be like if I was still wandering down the path that was familiar and safe to me.
GCU inspired me to be brave and stop at nothing to get a running start on the future I want. College has made me confident, courageous and passionate, and that wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t find my true purpose along my path.
From the first moment I was here, GCU claimed me as one of its own. I know that this welcoming spirit is the reason I’ve been able to achieve my goals every single day.
I wanted to pass on this sentiment to those coming to GCU each year, and that’s why I have been involved in Welcome Week the last two years. It has given me a thousand opportunities to know that maybe even just my smile or one conversation helped a new student feel just a little bit at home. I know the look of uncertainty on their faces all too well, and the feeling Welcome Week inspires makes the long days more than worth it.
Growing past the expectations of myself couldn’t have happened if not for Welcome Week. From the uneasy girl I was pulling onto campus for my first Welcome Week to the woman I am today, confident on my path, I know that the feeling of acceptance I felt from the beginning initiated the drive that grew within me. It is the drive that pushed me to see just how much I could grow in my three short years here at Grand Canyon University.
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GCU Magazine: Student shows how inspiration can hit home
The post My LopeLife: How GCU’s warm welcome changed her appeared first on GCU Today.
GCU student Brett Baldizon attacks the man playing a bad guy during self-defense training. (Photos courtesy of Cornel Stemley)
By Mike Kilen
GCU News Bureau
The man is really big. He’s an attacker threatening a woman. She tries to talk him down, reason with him. No dice.
So, boom. They take him down. Three women converge on him from behind, and in a split second he’s face-first in the grass.
“There is nothing more critical than teamwork in law enforcement,” Ryan Sand, a Justice Studies instructor and former police officer said at his self-defense and scenario-based training for Justice Studies students Thursday on the Grand Canyon University soccer field.
GCU student Brianna Lopez works on her self-defense skills with instructor Ryan Sand.
The practice sessions, which included a take-down of that man in protective padding, will help more than students who go into law enforcement. It can be a dangerous world for attorneys, social workers or just anyone walking down the street.
“It can help you in the real world, especially with the holidays coming up and more people trying to grab your purse,” said Sharon Harden, a Justice Studies student who wants a job in social justice. “You have to be able to de-escalate.”
She said she learned a defensive forearm shield to protect the middle part of her body. But an altercation may not even have to get physical.
“That’s the biggest part of the lesson,” Sand said. “Develop the gift of gab. They need to be on the same caliber as a used car salesman. If you can sell me a car, you are going to be a great police officer. Talking someone into dropping a weapon is a win.”
The hands-on class, also offered Friday to Discover GCU students, is a vital first step toward law enforcement.
“Research shows a lot of people who applied to the academy have never been in a fight before,” said Cornel Stemley, a Justice Studies instructor and another former police officer.
The first time in practice can be surprising, he said, but the first time in a real situation against an attacker can be terrifying.
“My first guy was on PCP. It was a rodeo,” said Stemley. “We were getting our butts whipped. I tell you, it was a reality check. There’s no timeout, no start over.”
He was asked the most important element in self-defense.
“It’s all about courage. I’ve seen much smaller people do what it takes to fight and live,” he said.
Travis Vickers, a sophomore, said he has never been in a fight, but it’s good to be prepared.
“The main thing I learned is the palm heel strike,” he said, thrusting his arm out straight with the heel of his hand leading the way. “It’s much better than a closed-fist punch.”
Sand began self-defense classes six years ago for anyone interested at GCU “and 250 girls showed up. In one year, I trained 10,000 students and staff.” He said it’s now an added hands-on training for Justice Studies students that supplements mind-heavy classroom work.
Self-defense is also about being in shape, especially going into police work.
“I’m going to be jumping walls, running and doing push-ups, so I need to start getting myself not just mentally but physically in shape,” Sand said.
Sometimes self-defense is just flat out running away.
“We call it tactical retreat,” Sand said. “We had one officer who was 105 pounds, soaking wet, a marathon runner.”
A bad guy was running after him through the woods, carrying a machete. He outran him until the rest of the good guys arrived.
“We took care of it,” he said. “We don’t want to shoot people, so if we can run around and play a bit, we’d rather do that.”
Grand Canyon University senior writer Mike Kilen can be reached at mike.kilen@gcu.edu or at 602-639-6764.
The post Talk, run, take down — it’s all part of self-defense appeared first on GCU Today.
Evelyn Racette
Title: Instructor, MPA Coordinator
Years at GCU: 3
Academic degrees: B.A. in Music Performance, Master of Public Administration
Notable research in your field: The Fair Housing Act and Sober Living Facilities in Arizona
Notable employment in your field: City Manager in Pinetop-Lakeside, Ariz., City Manager in Fort Atkinson, Wis., and City Administrator in Prairie City, Iowa.
What are you most passionate about in your field? I love public service and government because it’s about people. My students often joke with me that Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation is really based off of my experiences in city management. Leslie Knope is passionate about government because it serves people, and that is what draws me to public service, too!
What aspect of your teaching style is the most distinctive and/or memorable? Everything I do is about connecting to my students, and I find that humor helps – I do a couple of goofy but fun things to connect to my students. I use my bitmoji in my PowerPoints to signal that I’m talking about something important that needs to be remembered. (My bitmoji is also doing something relevant to what I’m talking about. For example, I might use my bitmoji behind a desk with a lot of papers when explaining that bureaucracy literally means to “rule from the desk.”) This year I started giving high-fives to my students as they walk into the classroom before class starts!
What do you like to do for fun in your spare time? I like being outside and exploring Arizona. My husband and I enjoy riding and racing mountain bikes.
What is something interesting about you that most people don’t know? Growing up in South Dakota gave me a love for the outdoors (even though it’s freezing there in the winter!) and helped me learn how to create fun. My family built a tree swing with a three-level platform to jump off (we had to do all the math so we didn’t hit the platform as the swing returned). We’d ice boat in the winter and play in the lake in the summer. I also enjoyed riding my horses and feeding our bottle calves.
The post Faculty Focus: Evelyn Racette appeared first on GCU Today.
Charis Courtney presented a study on heart rate and depression at the Undergraduate Learning Community and Research Symposium.
By Mike Kilen
GCU News Bureau
Serious research work is ongoing at the undergraduate level at Grand Canyon University. That was crystal clear when Charis Courtney took the Ethington Theatre stage Friday.
“Stress, anxiety and depression is an epidemic problem among young adults, especially in college,” said Courtney, describing the problem her group of student researchers and faculty advisors studied and presented at the Undergraduate Learning Community and Research Symposium.
Five groups presented research, among dozens of projects at GCU, and “today we get to celebrate the top ones,” said GCU Provost Dr. Hank Radda. “We are taking our curriculum and what we are learning and students’ passion and really working on something that is meaningful.”
Courtney said the need for her group’s research is clear. The rate of stress, anxiety and depression is 30-40% among GCU students, which “is on par with national statistics on college students.”
The study, “Heart Rate Variability: Physiological Effects of Stress, Anxiety, and Depression on the Autonomic Nervous System,” found that low heart rate variability is correlated with anxiety and depression.
The group studied college students with written surveys, electrocardiograms, blood pressure and other body metrics and found that when the autonomic nervous system does not return to normal level after environmental changes, it can be reflected in modifications in HRV, which is correlated with mood disorders and cardiac disease.
They studied factors such as sleep, exercise and caffeine that can affect HRV, but one thing especially stuck out.
“We thought this (correlation) had to do with lack of stress coping skills. We found as stress coping skills increased, anxiety scores decreased,” Courtney told the group, consisting of academic and executive leaders, professors and students who filled the auditorium. “Education about stress coping skills and other support systems should be readily available to college students.”
Alec Washington and Talia Brown presented research on opioid misuse.
Courtney, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology last April, started the research with Dr. Anju Dubey and was joined by 10 other GCU students on the research and College of Science, Engineering and Technology (CSET) faculty advisors Dr. Chinenye Anako and Dr. Madhavi Chakravadhanula. After the program, she said that when they began the work two years ago “it was a fairly new concept and we were right on the edge with this.”
She said it’s important to continue the work and provide education about coping techniques because students today can be isolated on social media, “so they don’t seek out good social support, falsely believing they have it on social media.”
Other students in the research group include Karla Shields, Breana Schiete, John Parales, Jack Short, Adam Copeland, Brianna Reha, Maria Gonzalez, Emily Mann, Payton Oxner and Izabel Thompson.
GCU President Brian Mueller said the University needs to lead on the problem. And the growing environment of undergraduate research at GCU will help.
“It’s very clear to me that what used to be done at the graduate level is now being done at the undergraduate level and with significant excellence,” he said, addressing the audience after the presentations.
Carter Rice presented a project on software for a nonprofit.
Four additional groups presented their work Friday:
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 Undergraduate research highlighted at symposium appeared first on GCU Today.
Carla Ceja used her Students Inspiring Students scholarship to graduate in a field of study that can help others suffering from her grandfather’s disease.
Story by Mike Kilen
Photos by Mathew McGraw
GCU News Bureau
Carla Ceja will step onto the Grand Canyon University Arena stage for her diploma Friday with the guiding hand of family history.
Her Mexican grandfather journeyed to the U.S. to work intermittently so he could provide for his family. He was selfless, Ceja said, and adored by grandchildren who would watch his beloved soccer at his side.
She didn’t understand yet the changes that began in him.
The last time she saw her grandfather, he didn’t recognize her.
“I was really scared,” Ceja said after father Jose decided to move the family to Phoenix for a better life when she was in first grade. “I didn’t know English at all.”
It wasn’t until fifth grade that she broke through. A teacher asked for a paper on what she wanted to be when she grew up.
“My grandpa had Alzheimer’s disease,” Ceja said. “I asked the teacher, ‘What can I be to help those with Alzheimer’s or those with mental illness?’ And she told me a psychologist, psychiatrist, a doctor.
“So, I wrote my paper on that. Ever since, I’ve had the idea I wanted to become a psychologist.”
Ceja first noticed that everyone opened doors for each other at GCU.
The English started to come easier. She studied harder, like her parents had advised.
They taught her to do her best. “That way when you are older,” her father said, “you don’t have to have a hard time in life.”
By the time she was a senior at North High School in Phoenix, her stay-at-home mom, Margarita Gonzalez, and dad, who worked in shipping and receiving, had witnessed a strong-willed daughter work through a rigorous International Baccalaureate program.
But college was destined to leave her in debt and far away from family and new baby sister Nathaly.
Then one day in English class, she got a surprise call to the office. In the room were officials from GCU, the college right in her West Valley neighborhood.
“They had goody bags. In them was a full-tuition scholarship,” she said. “I was shocked.”
Ceja was in the initial class of Students Inspiring Students scholarship recipients in 2016. And now she is among the first large group from that class to graduate – nine who had only distant dreams of college. They are following in the footsteps of the first two SIS graduates, Sean Oliver and Yenni Sanchez Perez, to walk the GCU Arena stage and receive their degrees in April.
“This is such a proud day for these remarkable students and their families,” said Shari Stagner, director of K-12 Outreach. “We hope they continue to always shine and do great things with their lives. Given their start four years ago, I feel quite certain this moment is only one of many great moments in store for them.”
The SIS scholarship is a collaboration among GCU, the Grand Canyon University Scholarship Foundation, local high schools and philanthropic leaders to grant four-year, full-tuition scholarships to inner-city students who have at least a 3.5 grade point average, meet financial-need requirements and have received 100 hours of academic assistance at the Learning Lounge.
Ceja remembered going to the Learning Lounge at GCU, designed to help area children with school work, mentor them or just be there to listen.
“The people we met really impacted me. They told us their stories,” she said. “It also was their kindness and how they cared so much for us every time we went in. They asked, ‘Did you guys eat? Do you guys need help with anything?’ Even the simplest questions they would answer.”
SIS graduates took part in a surprise ceremony in early December to award 2019 recipients.
The first thing she noticed when she got on GCU’s campus as a student was that everyone opened the door for her.
Ceja began volunteering in the Learning Lounge for 50 hours a semester to give back to students who were in her shoes, “telling them my story, letting them know it is possible to go to college, even if they don’t come from the best background.”
During her time at GCU, her grandfather Eleazar died after years of living with Alzheimer’s.
She poured herself into studies of the disease in GCU courses, such as Cognitive Neuroscience, Health Psychology and Abnormal Psychology.
Her path hadn’t changed since fifth grade but now it was a reality.
“I can’t see myself doing anything else,” she said. “The brain is one of the organs we know the least about. And psychology goes in depth on learning about the brain. I found that fascinating, learning about the mind and human behavior.”
She will begin working in the field to earn money for a year with a goal to enroll in graduate school and become a neuropsychologist.
“The Students Inspiring Students scholarship allowed Carla to experience higher education, which she wasn’t sure was possible,” said Megan Serafini, Program Manager of K-12 Outreach. “Now, Carla sees the value in continuing her educational journey, which speaks to her experience at GCU these past few years.”
First, she will stand before her family with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology.
Ceja inspired sister Wendy, right, with her hard work.
“She is like my role model,” said sister Wendy, a high school sophomore who hopes to follow her footsteps to GCU. “She is very independent and tries her hardest. She is striving to obtain her goal.”
Ceja’s parents will be proud that her hard work got her through college – and debt free.
“Ever since I was little,” Ceja said, “my parents ingrained in me: ‘Do good and that way you have good opportunities.’”
Do good, and someday she may be able to help others battling Alzheimer’s like her grandfather.
Grand Canyon University senior writer Mike Kilen can be reached at mike.kilen@gcu.edu or at 602-639-6764.
SIS RECIPIENTS GRADUATING FRIDAY: Carla Ceja, Analy Orduno, Debora Bautista, Dulce Alvarez Sanchez, Elva Martinez, John Nguyen, Karime Salas, Lucy Men, Paulina Aguilar Valenzuela.
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The post Diploma honors memory of grandfather for SIS grad appeared first on GCU Today.
Photos by Ralph Freso and Elizabeth Tinajero
GCU News Bureau
The 2 p.m. ceremony Friday in Winter Commencement at Grand Canyon University featured graduates of the College of Education, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Science, Engineering and Technology and the College of Theology.
The post Slideshow: Winter Commencement, Friday afternoon ceremony appeared first on GCU Today.
By Ashlee Larrison
GCU News Bureau
Grand Canyon University graduates often share a lot with their parents, from personality traits to life views and interests. But 2019 Winter Commencement graduates Sydney Teerink and Tori Triguero now share something even more with them — the accomplishment of being a GCU graduate.
It wasn’t the original plan for Teerink, a Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurial Studies graduate, and her mother, Master of Business Administration graduate and Grand Canyon Education Employee Ra’Lene, to share the same alma mater, much less the same graduation year. But Ra’Lene sums up the convergence of all those things in four words: “God had a plan.”
After Sydney started her program, and after working in an environment that allowed her to be a part of the energy of a university, Ra’Lene decided it was the perfect time to fulfill her dream of receiving an MBA.
Ra’Lene (left) and Sydney Teerink (right) both graduated with business degrees from GCU in 2019.
Ra’Lene and Sydney, both business majors, studied together, helped each other with questions on assignments, and even spent time together on campus. They completed the bulk of their programs together but didn’t expect to finish their degrees within such a short time frame of each other.
“I graduated in April, and I thought she was going to graduate a year from now. But then she said, ‘I want to be done early’ and took some summer school classes and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh. That’s kind of cool that two family members can graduate from the same school, same university and the same college within the same year,’” Ra’Lene said. “She was really supportive, because when you have those trying moments in whatever degree you’re pursuing, it’s really good to have someone that really is in the middle of it all and say, ‘Oh, I understand why she’s grumpy today.’”
Sydney, who lived on campus for her first three years of and decided to commute from her home with her parents to campus for her last semester, said going through undergraduate process with her mom kept the pair close.
“I think that it’s just a really great way of showing that it’s crazy, but God has a plan for everyone, and He definitely had a plan for us,” Sydney said. “Being here at the same time with each other and everything that we went through, I don’t know if I could have done it without her being here. I don’t think I could have finished it without her and without my family.”
For Ra’Lene’s mother, Beverly, who traveled from Idaho to watch her daughter graduate earlier this year and is back again to watch her granddaughter, it’s been a year of immense pride.
“I think it’s amazing,” she said. “I think it was meant to be.”
Now that they have marked their degrees off their bucket list, Sydney plans to work in marketing for a financial services company. Ra’Lene hopes to continue her growth and learning, wherever life takes her.
Tori Triguero always had an interest in attending GCU, since she had attended a nearby high school. But that interest blossomed after watching her father, Dan, graduate with his Bachelor of Science in Business Management in 2017. At the time, she was attending Glendale Community College and decided GCU would be where she would receive her Bachelor of Science in Psychology.
As Tori’s journey at GCU began, Dan decided to take that extra step in furthering his education by pursuing his Master of Science in Leadership degree. Now as the final round of 2019 Commencement ceremonies wrapped up, the pair got to add 2019 GCU graduate to their list of accomplishments.
Dan (left) and Tori Triguero helped each other push through their degree programs.
Dan, having been through a GCU undergraduate program, was a source of support for his oldest daughter when she needed help with the ins and outs of the University. Tori provided the same kind of support for her dad when he needed peer editing or help with APA format, a writing style commonly used for academic papers.
“I went into GCU not knowing anybody. I just went as a commuter and didn’t really have any friends there because I don’t live on campus. It’s just been my classmate buddies,” Tori said. “So I feel like, going into it knowing I have him there next to me … (was nice). He’s my friend, too, so I feel like that was better than if I’m just by myself and didn’t really know anyone.”
For Dan, watching his daughter graduate from college and getting to be so involved in her experience gave him a sense of pride.
“She’s my daughter. She’s the first to graduate college and then being there and a part of it, I’m just honored, really.”
Tori and Dan took classes on campus and online and often missed each other on campus, since Dan’s classes were in the evening and Tori’s were in the daytime. Still, watching each other push through the academic challenges was a source of inspiration for both of them.
Tori hopes to get a job as a University Admissions Counselor, while Dan hopes his master’s degree will put him on track to becoming a manager at the Salt River Project (SRP), where he works.
Contact Ashlee Larrison at (602) 639-8488 or ashlee.larrison@gcu.edu
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The post These GCU parents have a special view of graduation appeared first on GCU Today.
GCU News Bureau
A special edition of the Journal of Instructional Research features several articles from Grand Canyon University faculty.
JIR features theoretical and empirically-based research articles, critical reflection pieces, case studies and classroom innovations relevant to best practices in post-secondary instruction (including teaching, learning and assessment).
The articles listed below are available here:
The post GCU faculty research published in JIR appeared first on GCU Today.
GCU News Bureau
It’s only natural that heartwarming stories should abound at Grand Canyon University, with so much servant leadership on campus and in the community. Here’s a chance to relive 10 topics from 2019 that went beyond all the regular outreach and touched our hearts a little extra:
Athletic trainer Deborah Storm and men’s volleyball coach Matt Werle present freshman player Camden Gianni (center) with a signed GCU flag.
Jan. 24 – Volleyball player’s life saved at practice
Freshman Camden Gianni was living the dream with his Lopes volleyball team beginning in-season practices. It became a near-death nightmare when he suffered seizures and cardiac arrest during practice at Antelope Gymnasium. Because it happened there, athletic trainer Deborah Storm and special assistant to the head coach Dennis Flowers immediately rendered aid that revived the 19-year-old and led to successful open-heart surgery on Jan. 14 in Los Angeles. GCU Today’s Paul Coro joined Storm and men’s volleyball head coach Matt Werle for their reunion.
GCU Police Officers Bill Green (left) and Mark Potts
March 8 – Police officers who fix bicycles
Public safety is more than just safety for GCU Police Officers Mark Potts and Bill Green, who don’t pass up an opportunity to help students. Not only did they start a bicycle registration program on campus, they have reconditioned abandoned bikes and donated them to students — and to nonprofit organizations. They make an air compressor available in the Grove Parking Garage to anyone who needs to fill their tires with air, carry tools with them in case anyone has car or bike trouble, and even have donated tennis rackets and painted faded pingpong tables in Thunder Alley.
Jesse Dalla Riva
April 22 and 26 and May 3 – Jesse Dalla Riva
Of all the commencement stories to come out of GCU in recent years, the transformation of Jesse Dalla Riva probably is the most remarkable. Five years ago, he walked into a detox center determined to get off the streets — and off heroin. Now he’s a husband and father, is a supervisor at the Phoenix Rescue Mission and got his degree, thanks to a GCU scholarship. “He’s just worked so hard for it,” said his wife, Blake, fighting back tears. Our coverage continued with the scene at Jesse’s commencement and the celebration a week later.
Jose Monarrez, a Students Inspiring Students scholarship recipient and a learning advocate (LEAD) in the Learning Lounge, meets two young students on the first day of the new Learning Lounge in the Milwaukee Brewers’ complex.
April 23 and June 25 and July 30 – Brewers Learning Lounge
The new Learning Lounge at the Milwaukee Brewers’ training complex opened, which was cause for celebration in Maryvale. It’s an easy walk for many students from local schools, in particular Borman Elementary next door. “This is really an incredible opportunity for us,” said Borman’s new principal, Sierra McAllister. Subsequent stories included a progress report two months later and the Governor’s Award it earned.
June 14 – A dad’s video
Kevin Scruggs with daughters Mackenzie (left) and Madison
When his daughters, Mackenzie and Madison, headed to school for a new year, Kevin Scruggs knew that someday he would want to see those moments again. So he filmed his daughters on those first days of school, every year — and those videos went viral. They have been viewed by more than 100 million people, and the family’s story was featured on “Good Morning America.” “You get tears. There is a lot wrapped up in that video,” Kevin Scruggs said of his latest montage of younger daughter, Madison, a freshman at GCU (Mackenzie is a GCU graduate). “As a dad, you get to see her life play out in a minute.”
Jerry Colangelo speaks at the first annual Colangelo Servant Leadership Awards ceremony.
Oct. 15 – Colangelo Servant Leadership Awards
The first annual Colangelo Servant Leadership Awards, which were handed out this morning at Canyon 49 Grill, were another chance to celebrate what Jerry Colangelo and GCU are doing in the community. “I love what’s happening at the school, so I find myself saying yes to whatever they want me to help them with,” said iHeart Media Phoenix President Linda Little, one of the award-winners.
Oct. 17, 18, 21 – Online Commencement stories
Many graduates couldn’t have earned their diploma without the support of family members.
Some of them found their way after some wayward times in their younger days. Some are in the later years of life and still accomplishing great things. And some had to overcome incredible present-day challenges. But the online graduates at GCU all seem to have one thing in common: They’re grateful — to their families, to GCU, to God. Over three days of Fall Commencement, we shared their “My LopeLife” stories. Humanities … Business … CSET/Theology/Fine Arts/Education (bachelor’s) … Doctoral … Nursing … Education (master’s)
Lynette Stant
Oct. 25 – Alumna named Arizona Teacher of the Year
Lynette Stant became the first Native American woman to be named Arizona Teacher of the Year at Arizona Educational Foundation ceremonies in Phoenix. Stant earned her Master’s of Arts in Teaching at GCU in 2006. She stressed being a role model for Native American children and bringing equitable education to rural parts of the state. GCU alums dominated the top 10 in the contest. Three of the five semifinalists are also GCU alums.
Nov. 12 – Izabela Fogarasi
Izabela Fogarasi
It took an impromptu visit to The Gathering on a Tuesday night for junior Izabela Fogarasi to realize that amid all the heartache she felt in coming to the United States from Serbia, God was right by her side the whole time. She was so inspired, she submitted a “My LopeLife” that was chosen for the November issue of GCU Magazine. We think you’ll find it inspiring, too.
Jean Steve Mfuranzima with his wife and daughter
Dec. 18 – Online graduate from Burundi
Jean Steve Mfuranzima fled Burundi and came to Arizona with only $187 and a suitcase. But after years of work, he graduated from GCU with a master’s degree, just weeks before the birth of his new baby, Anneke. He dedicated the diploma to her. Another story that appeared in the November issue of GCU Magazine.
The post The most heartwarming GCU stories of 2019 appeared first on GCU Today.
GCU students Kyla Hansen (left) and Jen Gutierrez wrote a grant that landed $70,000 to assist Glendale Union High School District students.
By Mike Kilen
GCU News Bureau
The school district applied for grant money to pay for vital college entrance exams for its students, a majority from economically challenged families.
Glendale Union High School District was denied.
Until two Grand Canyon University students stepped in to help.
Kyla Hansen and Jen Gutierrez are Professional Writing students but had no real-world experience at grant writing before they were approached by Dr. Thomas Skeen, who has worked to expand the course offerings and real-world experience in grant writing in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
“They had strong writing skills coming in and a good sense of how to write persuasively,” Skeen said.
Officials at Glendale Union were game to give GCU students the chance to rework a grant proposal previously rejected by the Tohono O’odham Nation, which distributes a portion of its gaming revenues to governments or nonprofits each year.
Over the summer, Hansen and Gutierrez read books on grant writing, conducted online research on templates and researched the needs of the school district.
What they learned was that for many of the 3,500 junior students at GUHSD who take the ACT exam, the fees and test preparation classes can be a financial burden. In the district, 62% of students qualified for free and reduced lunches, a marker of financial need. For underprivileged students, getting into college paves a way to a more prosperous future.
They met weekly with Skeen and Kim Mesquita, Administrator of Community Relations for the school district’s 10 schools and 16,800 students in Glendale.
“For me, a lot of it was about the communication. I didn’t understand how much communication is necessary to really understand what the client wants and what they are trying to convey in the grant,” Hansen said.
Skeen said the “real-world experience” helps students gain an understanding of grant writing beyond the classroom, which he hopes to offer more students as the program expands.
Dr. Thomas Skeen
GCU is launching a new undergraduate grant writing course for the spring semester, in addition to its graduate-level course, and is creating a grant writing certificate — a credential students can add to their resumes.
“Even if students don’t go into fundraising or grant writing, if they work for a nonprofit or school or volunteer for churches or other groups they are involved with, those skills could be useful,” Skeen said.
He said grant writing is basically a proposal: “Here is the need, here is why it’s important and here’s specifically what we will do.”
A key factor, he continued, is “the ability to tell a story. You’ve got to tell the story behind the grant, who needs it and why. It needs to be told well.”
Layering in solid facts will supply the justification.
“I’ve always had my eyes on copy editing (as a career), but I do see the value now in grant writing,” Hansen said. “It is its own genre of creative writing. It is telling someone’s story. The main goal is to try to persuade your readers that there is a problem you are trying to address in the community.”
Gutierrez added, “Our main argument was that since students are struggling to afford lunch, that is a more basic need than taking an exam. So we want to encourage all the students to take the ACT exam, regardless of their financial situation.”
They carefully read the requirements of the grant to hit key words and subject areas and then wrote and rewrote several drafts of a cover letter proposal.
“I think the focus was leading with the idea of success – making sure students have success – and the idea that they are valued,” Hansen said.
The students’ proposal hit hard.
“After encouraging students to set their standards high and instilling a sky’s-the-limit mindset in them, GUHSD would be doing them a disservice by letting any one of them pass up a potentially life-changing opportunity simply because of a lack of room in their budget,” they wrote to the tribe.
Students who don’t take the ACT exam are a disadvantage, they continued, “as it is now a requirement at many colleges in order to even be considered for admission.”
They concluded by writing that the “long-term impact of this program will be felt for generations to come” in the community because a college-educated population is a way to a more prosperous one.
In July, the students got word: The tribe granted the district $70,000 for test fees and preparation classes.
“I was shocked when they sent the message,” Hansen said.
Though Hansen wants to work as a copy editor at magazines and Gutierrez is exploring a career in technical writing after a December graduation, they realized the power of grant writing to do good in the community.
“They were so valuable. They put into practice what they learned,” Mesquita said of the GCU students. “The funds will pay for the test of any and all students, including students who would never think of taking the test, allowing them to take it without a financial burden.”
Grand Canyon University senior writer Mike Kilen can be reached at mike.kilen@gcu.edu or at 602-639-6764.
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Compound archer and Grand Canyon University student Alexis Ruiz competes at the Macau Indoor Archery Open in November. She is a nominee for World Archery’s Athlete of the Year.
By Lana Sweeten-Shults
GCU News Bureau
Ruiz represented Team USA on the Archery World Cup circuit in 2019. She also excelled in individual competition and was the only archer, male or female, to medal in all four stages of the World Cup.
Compound archery phenom Alexis Ruiz: calm, cool, steady as an arrow.
In control.
Slows her breathing.
Sloooowwws her breathing.
Sings in her head sometimes when she shoots; counts most of the time.
Inhale, exhale, draw, transfer … release …
Alexis Ruiz: the zen in the hurricane.
It’s that quality that has propelled her so exceptionally through her sport of compound archery and how, at just 20 years old, the Grand Canyon University student has accomplished the seemingly unreachable in her incredible debut international season on the Archery World Cup circuit.
One commentator last year described her as the “teenage sensation (who) has taken the archery world by storm this year.” USA Archery News said Ruiz at one title match was an “international standout” — a young “hotshot” hungry for the gold who soared through match play.
It’s no wonder why.
In her ventures around the world in 2019, the biggest was the Hyundai Archery World Cup, a four-stage international tournament in which Ruiz brought home bronze medals from Medellin, Columbia, and Shanghai, China; a silver from Antalya, Turkey; and a gold from Berlin — her first international gold medal.
She was the only archer, male or female, to win a medal at all four events and also helped Team USA win two golds, a silver and two mixed-team titles in the Archery World Cup.
Only the top 32 athletes qualified for the final in September in Moscow; she was one of them.
Those wins helped earned Ruiz a No. 1 ranking in the world in women’s compound archery.
Undoubtedly, 2019 was a good year for the GCU student, who is taking a year off from her GCU nursing studies though is continuing in her coursework for a minor in psychology.
Ruiz brought home a bronze medal from the Antalya, Turkey, competition of the four-stage Archery World Cup event. (Photo courtesy of www.worldarchery.org)
All those accomplishments could be why World Archery nominated her for Athlete of the Year – an award decided not just by expert panel vote but by public vote, too (vote here through midnight Jan. 31 Central European Time, which is 4 p.m. Jan. 30 Arizona time). The competition encompasses six categories: recurve men and women, compound men and women, and para men and women.
She also is in the running for Breakthrough Archer of the Year, an award decided by expert panel only.
Ruiz’s path to archery began when she was just 10 years old.
She wanted to be like her dad, who hunts with a bow. As serendipity would have it, she found out her charter school, Hearn Academy in Phoenix, participated in the National Archery in Schools program.
She signed up and took to the sport immediately. Just a few months later, she qualified for nationals though she didn’t attend that year.
In 2018, Ruiz won the notoriously hard-to-win Vegas Shoot. More than 100 women from around the world competed in her class that year.
“The best of the best come here,” Ruiz said of the tournament in a GCU Today article from 2018.
It was her biggest tournament win yet, and her momentum hasn’t slowed one bit.
Ruiz credits much of her success to the hours of practice she puts in.
“I train every day for four to six hours,” said Ruiz, who shoots up to 300 arrows in practice. “And I work out to keep up my strength and endurance.”
Outside of her dedication to the physical game, she also keeps her mental game sharp, too.
Ruiz is majoring in nursing and minoring in psychology at GCU.
Although the adrenaline might be barreling through her, you’d never know it. Somehow, she keeps all that adrenaline, all those nerves and all those emotions at bay.
“I use a mental management system,” she said. “The guy who made it was an Olympic rifle shooter.”
Besides traveling to compete in Colombia, China, Turkey and Germany, Ruiz recently competed in the first event of the Indoor Archery World Series for 2019-2020 in Macau. And in December, she shot at the Roma Archery Trophy event, also part of the 2019-20 Indoor Archery World Series.
With her tough physical and mental game, Ruiz made every team she could make in her rookie season, except for one.
“I had one of the best rookie years there has been,” said Ruiz, who loves the game because it’s something anyone can do.
She loves the feeling. too, of everything coming together as it should — when the universe aligns and she achieves that perfect shot. There’s no better feeling, she said.
Ruiz will have plenty more chances to do just that. She’ll be traveling to more competitions in 2020 with her coach, Mel Nichols, who led the USA Olympic Archery Team in 2012 at the London games and in 2016 at the Rio de Janeiro games. Her mom will be traveling with her, too, to some of those games.
Next up is a competition in Nimes, France, in January, another competition in Lancaster, Pa., in February, and then it’s back to Las Vegas on Feb. 8 for the Indoor Archery World Series Finals, where the Athlete of the Year will be announced.
You can reach GCU senior writer Lana Sweeten-Shults at lana.sweeten-shults@gcu.edu or at 602-623-7901.
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Related content:
GCU Today: Nursing student has world-class aims in her sport
World Archery: Alexis Ruiz named world number one after first career victory in Berlin
USA Archery News: Alexis Ruiz wins first world cup stage in incredible rookie season
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