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volleyball at Mt. Carmel High
School in San Diego.
Joanna Simpson,
M.A. in Teaching,
’06, and D.Ed. in
Organizational
Leadership with
an Emphasis in Instructional
Leadership, ’13,
is one of three
program directors in GCU’s
College of Education working to
further develop the curriculum
for future educators. COE Dean
Dr. Kimberly LaPrade was
Simpson’s English teacher at
Alhambra High in Phoenix.
Sonia Jones, B.S. in Corporate
Fitness andWellness, ’07,
coaches Benedictine
University’s
women’s volleyball
inMesa, Ariz.
Jones also owns
Instinct Sports Volleyball Club in
Chandler, Ariz., and is the faculty
department chair of Fire Science
and Emergency Medical Science
at Mesa Community College.
Ezequiel Prado,
M.Ed. in Secondary
Education, ’08,
coaches football
at South Dakota
School of Mines and Technology
in Rapid City, S.D. Previously,
Prado was an assistant coach at
Dakota Wesleyan University in
Mitchell, S.D. He volunteers with
various organizations such as Big
Brothers Big Sisters and South
Dakota GEAR UP.
John Steele,
M.Ed. in School
Counseling: K-12,
’08, andM.S.
in Psychology
with an Emphasis in General
Psychology, ’13,
an online full-
time faculty member at GCU, has
co-authored an article, “Why You
Should Care About What Your
Students Know, Want to Know
and Learned,” in the publication
Faculty Focus.
Derick Adamson,
M.Ed. in Education
Administration,
’09,
is the first full-
time women’s cross
country/track and field coach at
Rowan University in Glassboro,
N.J. As its part-time coach,
Adamson helped Rowan win 14
conference titles.
Jeffrey Collins,
M.Ed. in Education
Administration, ’09,
is assistant principal
and athletic director at Estes Park
High School in Estes Park, Colo.
Collins previously was assistant
principal and athletic director at
Ellicott High in Calhan, Colo.
Cybill Jacob, M.Ed.
in Educational
Administration,
’09,
is director
of the Peoria
Transition Center in the Peoria
(Ariz.) Unified School District.
Jacob is a former teacher in
the district and also was a
curriculum and instruction
coach at Ironwood High School
in Glendale.
2010s
Justin Dennery,
B.S. in Nursing,
’10,
was the
Arizona region
winner for
volunteerism and service in
the Nurse.com GEM Awards.
Dennery is a registered nurse at
Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix
and a student in GCU’s Family
Nurse Practitioner Program.
Thomas Dyer,
M.Ed. in Education
Administration
in Organizational
Leadership,
’10, andM.S. in Psychology
with an Emphasis in General
Psychology, ’13
, an online full-
time faculty member at GCU, has
co-authored an article, “Why You
Should Care About What Your
Students Know, Want to Know
and Learned,” in the publication
Faculty Focus.
Heather Fuller,
M.A. in Teaching,
’10,
is a finalist for
Newton County
(Ga.) Teacher of the
Year. Fuller teaches marketing
GCU
Alumni
Kea Goode and Raul Saenz, ‘12
After Kea Goode and Raul Saenz graduated from Grand Canyon
University in 2012, they were hired by Elevate Phoenix, a nonprofit
organization that helps at-risk students in the Phoenix Union High
School District build stronger futures.
Five afternoons aweek, Goode, 27, and Saenz, 25, teach peer
leadership to about 30 students at Cesar Chavez High. Goode
(B.S. in Psychology) and Saenz (B.A. in Christian Studies) bring an
approachability and consistency to the classroom that many students
have never known. Day in and day out, they emphasize the importance of
taking responsibility for their choices and being in control of their lives.
Already, there’s progress, Goode said, referring to a youngmanwho
initially was difficult tomanage, had no boundaries and didn’t respect
others. “I would pray, ‘Lord, this kid gets onmy nerves somuch, I don’t
knowwhat to do, but I knowYou do,’” she said. “Toward the end of his
freshman year, something shifted. Now, he’s a junior, and he’s shown how
talented he is, howopen and honest , and he’s really excellent with the
younger kids.”
Saenz, GCU’s first Servant Scholar graduate, said Elevate Phoenix
works because of its holistic approach—emphasizing academics,
offering referrals to community resources and training teens to pass
their knowledge down to younger students.
“If we help students with issues outside of school — hunger,
financial, spiritual —and point them to where they can get these
resources, they become much more receptive to us and it helps them
to focus academically, too,” he said.
To read more about Goode and Saenz’s work, visi
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