Career Services

While pet harnesses are already available on the market, no standard exists to test them. So GCU students designed a canine crash test dummy to help make those pet harnesses safer. Another team developed their Smart Valet to help travelers traverse the airport with ease. And a third team developed a seating system for students with disabilities. They were just a few of the 30-plus projects presented at Monday’s virtual senior Engineering Capstone Showcase.

Uriel Serna has always been intrigued by big data and knew it could be used to save lives, so he created a portable nanny camera that uses machine learning to recognize children’s faces. He wanted to help parents better monitor their children to prevent tragedies, such as children drowning in their family’s swimming pools. Shelby Clow and Kolten Spencer created an app for first-time pet owners. And Deep Contractor and Michael Stauffer designed a virtual reality chatroom where people who don’t speak the same language can communicate, despite the language barrier. Those were just a few of the 40 or so projects computer science, computer programming and information technology/cybersecurity seniors created for the senior Technology Capstone Showcase, which was virtual this year.

Academic and Career Excellence (ACE) is presenting a series of “Adulting 101” workshops the next two weeks that should give students a good idea of what’s ahead, when there are bills to pay, savings plans to follow and other new responsibilities. Most notable are two sessions with Edward Jones financial advisor Angelica Prescod, a dynamic speaker who can talk the talk in a friendly, fun way.

It wasn’t long ago that Christian Clifton and Kylie Shaplin were GCU students listening to lectures, working in the engineering labs and sitting in on career talks. But recently, the alumni — Clifton graduated in 2019 and Shaplin in 2020 — found themselves in an unexpected position. Instead of listening to industry panelists, they WERE the industry panelists at a recent talk by Benchmark engineers, and this time students were listening to them.

Strategic Employer Initiatives and Internships (SEI) has begun putting on virtual career fairs, and the early returns are promising. Students say it really isn’t that much different than an in-person career fair. In fact, if you prepare properly, it might even be better because there’s less pressure.

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of all campus events, that included the career fairs. No problem: The Strategic Employer Initiatives and Internships (SEI) staff quickly shifted gears and will conduct four virtual career fairs before the month is over.

When students strolled through the Promenade on Tuesday at the Lopes Launch Senior Sendoff Event, they were likely to run into a graduate of GCU now working in the community who had come back to recruit them. One organization, Central Leadership Institute, has hired GCU grads for seven of its 23 residency posts in the past four years — and it sent a GCU alum to get more.

Are Google interviews really as intense as everyone has heard? Is it true that employees get free food, free massages and have access to an onsite gym and health clinic? What is the next big thing for Google? And what about privacy? A panel of “Googlers,” including account executives David Tully and Alexis Russo, account manager John Dzera and software engineer Mauricio Molina, stopped by GCU on Wednesday to answer some of those questions, give away some cool Google swag (mesh Google laundry hamper, anyone?) and talk about everything from how they got to Google, what they do, what they love about working at the $75 billion technology company and more. The talk, called “A Day in the Life of a Google Employee,” was brought to campus by Grand Canyon Education’s Digital Marketing Team and Strategic Employer Initiatives and Internships.

The Association of Christian Schools International’s first international job fair at GCU brought representatives from 28 countries to campus Tuesday. “We have a variety of job fairs and career fairs, but mostly they’re local and national. This is opening up the door in a large way to the number of professions in that international sphere,” said Dr. Tacy Ashby, Senior Vice President of K12 Educational Development. “The College of Education is really excited about this because it affords incredible ministry opportunities while allowing their students the opportunity to serve in Christian schools abroad.”

The recent Honors College Leadership Conference helped those students build connections with business professionals and better prepare themselves for the future. “I think it was a great opportunity to meet established individuals in the various fields, whether it be business or different markets of leadership, but also meeting other motivated individuals that are students as well,” Honors student Elisha Fronda said.