Alumni

Kara Morrow is the first GCU Honors College student to be selected for a White House internship. The 2018 graduate is surrounded by exceptional students. Her sister, Kelsey, is a 2015 GCU graduate slated to complete chiropractor school in May, and her brother, Kaleb, a GCU freshman, is a National Merit Finalist and an aspiring forensic scientist.

Just a day after GCU’s music faculty hosts the All-Regional Honor Band Audition Workshop, they’ll be nestled in the University’s Recording Studio on Tuesday night for the faculty recital, “Duets.” Adjunct clarinet professor Tim Haas will perform duets with flutist Dr. Jenna Daum, oboe instructor Dr. Rachel Messing, tuba player Kevin Bock, guitarist Dr. Jonathan Crissman and alto saxophone player Dr. Scott Zimmer. Also performing will be GCU alumna Grace Baughman. “We have some major faculty here. I always love collaborating with the faculty because they’re so good,” said Haas of the concert, which starts at 7:30 p.m.

Allison Fassinger wanted to help people, but she wasn’t exactly sure how — until the GCU alumna took a trip to Kenya. It’s where she now lives and works, helping Kenya’s children at Naomi’s Village.

One of the impressive early graduates at winter commencement Friday morning was Payton Kuhnel, who needed just 2 1/2 years of college to get his Sports Management degree. But that’s only part of the story. Not only was he summa cum laude; he also worked the whole time he was on campus and already has a job in Major League Baseball.

The Canyon Worship Songwriters Showcase drew a large crowd to the Canyon 49 Grill on Monday night, and with good reason. The 13 songs featured a lot of new faces, a lot of different genres, a lot of worship and, notably, a lot of engagement by those in attendance. It evoked reminders of how much the program has grown in four years and how it continues to evolve.

To call Kevin Warren accomplished might be an understatement. The GCU Athletics Hall of Famer played college basketball at an Ivy League School before transferring to GCU to finish his undergraduate degree — his 23.3 points per game average during the 1985-86 season is fourth best in GCU basketball history. He went on to become a lawyer and run his own firm and now is the only black chief operating officer in the NFL. But Warren’s accomplishments should hardly be a surprise. He is carrying on the legacy of his parents.

Jeff Barton, a university development counselor in Gilroy, Calif., took his family to a Lopes on the Road event at San Jose State this fall and was amazed by the big turnout of Lopes fans. “None of us knew each other,” he said, “but it was really neat school spirit.”

Cancer has challenged the family of former ASGCU President Slate Herman in ways that defy belief. Not only did he lose his father and an older sister to the disease; he was diagnosed with leukemia in September — and then his sister Isabelle was, too. The news was shocking to the many people on campus who fondly recall his time at GCU.

Brian Smith was a junior at Alhambra High School when he applied to then-Grand Canyon College. He was elated to be accepted. Unfortunately, his family moved back to Ohio and he was unable to attend. He held onto his admissions letter from 1975 for more than 40 years before he decided to pursue a master’s degree in Nursing at GCU. He will carry the letter across the stage with him at Online Commencement.

In 1999, the political situation in Venezuela declined to the point where Carlos Macias and his family knew they had to get out. Most of his family fled to Spain, but Macias had a different path out through soccer. He landed in Arizona, bounced around through a vastly different culture and finally found his solitude at GCU. Macias strongly believes that God opens doors to blessings, and now he spreads that message to his high school soccer team and the Major League Baseball players who call him pastor.