1 8 • GCU TODAY
On
line
T
ravis Fischer lives at nearly 200 miles per hour.
He needed an education that could keep up.
Fischer, who goes by “T.J.,” grew up a “track
kid” in Vacaville in northern California and began
racing go-karts competitively in elementary school. He won
multiple championships at every karting level before moving
to open-wheel Formula Mazda cars while at Vacaville High
School. He also played wide receiver for his California
Section champion football team and earned a scholarship
to Pacific Lutheran University in Washington.
Juggling football, classes and nearly 30 races his
freshman year at PLU forced him to push his
education to the back seat. He often left for race
tracks on Wednesday and would return on
Monday. After racing over the weekend, he
managed to attend school for only a couple
days a week.
A racing business adviser suggested online
programs at Grand Canyon University to fit
his frenetic lifestyle.
Fischer, 20, a GCU sophomore, is
currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree
in business management. He has used
the flexibility of his online program to
On Education’s
Fast Track
Race driver pursues IndyCar dream
with help of online education
GCU student T.J. Fischer ended
2013 on a tear, winning three
national race championships
and setting three California
track records. He was named
a Mazda Club Racer Shootout
finalist and earned a spot in the
2014 Protyre Formula Renault
in England.
photo by jakob ebrey
Before entering
racing full time, Fischer
played football as a
freshman at Pacific
Lutheran University in
Tacoma, Wash.
photo courtesy of
collegiate studios
