GCU TODAY • 9
Denisse Delos Santos, 18
Hometown:
Phoenix
Major:
Electrical engineering
But for that one B, in Spanish, Denisse
Delos Santos would have a 5.0 GPA. The
Class of 2015 valedictorian at North High
in Phoenix, who took four years of the boot
camp equivalent of learning — International
Baccalaureate — had to settle for a 4.92.
Delos Santos insisted she’s not that smart.
“I’m just really determined when it comes
to work. It runs in my family,” she said.
The tests, essays and homework at North
were a grind, but she refused to be one-note.
Choir, playing piano and guitar and drama
were mixed in with U.S. history, pre-calc and
physics.
Delos Santos, who was born in San Pablo,
the Philippines, chose electrical engineering
because her father, a teacher, is a “frustrated
engineer” who couldn’t afford to follow his
dreams. “I said, ‘OK, Dad, I’m going to finish
your dream off for you.’”
The GCU factor:
“I’m really excited to be in
the first class of engineers. We’re making
history. We’re the first to be in the new
building and classrooms, and whatever we
do, the next class will have to follow us.”
Hometown:
Hershey, Pa.
Major:
Christian studies
From a ready smile to the “I am Second”
bracelet to his confident stride, Easton
Barbour has the countenance of a young
pastor.
“I’m hard-wired for the ministry, especially
for fellowship and discipleship. I don’t have a
passion for anything else,” he said.
When Barbour’s parents moved their
family from North Carolina to Gilbert in 2011,
it was a faith wakeup call. His new school,
Basha High in Chandler, had more than 2,500
students, and Barbour felt a bit lost.
He joined the school soccer team and
tackled the books, finishing with a 4.75 GPA
and amassing more than 30 required
college credits.
“I took AP classes so I wouldn’t have to
take them later,” he said. “I wanted to focus
on Christian studies.”
Barbour has taught children and teens at
Mission Community Church and co-founded
Basha’s chapter of Fellowship of Christian
Athletes. He recently spent three weeks in
Europe, a pack on his back and God on his
heart and lips.
The GCU factor:
“I wanted to stay local for
college because I want to stay connected to
my church and keep those relationships.”
Here’s a look at Grand Canyon University’s incoming class of students,
which brings total ground enrollment this fall to a record 16,000:
SOURCE: GCU
Easton Barbour, 18
By the
numbers
• Gender:
66 percent female
• Age range:
15 to 50
• Home states:
46
• FromArizona:
55 percent
• Living on campus:
70 percent
• Studying in STEM
fields:
60 percent
*Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number. Current as of Aug. 7, 2015
