Alumni

Jacqueline Carter was placed in foster care at age 17, one week before she was scheduled to start at GCU. But a Good Samaritan arranged to have her live on campus, and now Carter has her bachelor’s degree and is set to start working on her master’s. Friday afternoon, Carter’s achievement was celebrated at the Arizona Department of Child Safety, where a small gathering included her favorite GCU professor.

Beverly Galbreath gave up a chance at higher education because she was raising her family, but she was determined that her only daughter wouldn’t suffer the same fate. Now she can look proudly at Dr. Trish Galbreath-Varner, who not only is the family’s first college graduate — she has earned her doctorate.

The new GCU Historical Archives are an important link in Arizona’s history, too. The August issue of GCU Magazine explains how the digital collection has benefited the Arizona Memory Project. “It is just so perfectly aligned to what the State Library does,” said Holly Henley, State Librarian and Director of Library Services.

Noah Wolfe loved his time as a student so much, he stayed on as an employee when he graduated last year. Now the former President of the Associated Students of GCU has an even better reason to stay on campus: He has been named Director of Alumni Engagement. “Noah embodies what GCU is all about,” said Dr. Kale Gober, Vice President of Advancement.

Studio space already was hard to come by, even before the pandemic. That’s why nueBOX is working with multiple members of the GCU dance community to offer a safe space to allow them to continue their craft. “I was afraid when I graduated that I’d be counting the days until I could dance again,” said Isiah Johnson, a GCU spring 2020 graduate and nueBOX summer residency recipient. “It’s nice to have it still be as much a part of my schedule as it was before.”

Dr. Breanna Naegeli has worked for the University for almost 11 years and has multiple siblings with GCU degrees, but she couldn’t herself be called an alumna — until now. She successfully defended her dissertation in May and completed her Ph.D. in Performance Psychology.

In times of struggle birds of a feather fly together; at least that’s how GCU Dance Director Susannah Keita sees it. With the pandemic’s huge impact on the arts community, Keita saw an opportunity to bring dance alums together via Zoom to discuss tips and advice on how to get through the pandemic and continue your career in times of COVID-19.

Daniela Barrera spent more than a few of her winter breaks working alongside her mom in the agricultural fields around Yuma, where she grew up. So when the GCU Biology/Pre-Med alumna would hear her high school teachers talk to students about becoming an engineer or an architect or a graphic designer, those careers seemed unreachable to her — until now. Barrera recently was accepted into medical school at Midwestern University’s Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine. “This is what I want to do for the rest of my life. … Just to see the difference it can make,” she said.

Luke Elliot never imagined that he’d be working in medical insurance when he decided to pursue a business degree at GCU, but last month he joined Aetna as a senior project manager. The experience taught him that connections with professors can pay off and a business degree can be valuable in many fields.

When GCU alum Mitchell Holmes won a recent Arizona Golf Association event, he left the field in his wake with a course-record 61 in the first round. He’s hoping that’s a sign of scores to come as he pursues a pro golf career.