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For Jamaica native and now North Carolina resident Garfield Hyman, getting his bachelor’s degree in Applied Management always has been about making his journey worthwhile. He said his GCU instructors helped him on his online journey: “I found support, making the experience a really good one.”

Kirk Cameron’s Fall Commencement keynote address underlines the importance of perseverance. The former “Growing Pains” star and now prominent Christian actor addressed GCU’s most recent group of graduates with congratulations and a powerful message of overcoming fear, fulfilling their mission and finishing the race. “This was really exciting,” Cameron said. “I was a little nervous, I’ve never done it before … I knew with all these Christian families, it was just really a special blessing to be part of this day that they’ll remember for their whole life.”

You want to hear about determination? Take a listen to the Colangelo College of Business graduate who has battled head and neck cancer for 10 years. Or the one who had multiple strokes and had to learn how to walk and talk again. Or the woman who didn’t think she could have children and adopted three — but then got pregnant after she started the online program.

Some of them found their way after some wayward times in their younger days. Some are in the later years of life and still accomplishing great things. And some had to overcome incredible present-day challenges. But the online graduates at GCU all seem to have one thing in common: They’re grateful. Over the next three editions of GCU Today, we’ll let them tell their stories in their own words. First up: the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, whose grads got their diplomas this morning.

Biologist David Weedman grew up fishing and camping with his dad and turned that love of the outdoors into a 28-year career with the Arizona Game & Fish Department. Now he is sharing his expertise with GCU students as the University’s first Game & Fish liaison. Weedman is on campus every other Thursday, when students can drop by and talk with him about environmental science and conservation careers — or to just share a few big fish stories. “I want to be a mentor, contribute what I can and, hopefully, help students make informed decisions,” he said.

GCU News Bureau The crowd stood, sang along, clapped and raised hands in praise of God on Monday morning as the worship team from Love International filled the Arena with its powerful sound at Musical Worship Chapel. “There is power in the name of Jesus,” they sang over and over, and you truly could feel it. There was no speaker, but this spoke volumes.

Student’s choreography is taking the stage within Thunderground to showcase their talent and hard work for their peers to see. The Fall Student Spotlight Concert is a student choreographed and performed show and will showcase a number of different styles of dance. “It definitely gives students a vehicle to experiment with what they’re interested in and grow their choreography skills with the help of the faculty,” Senior Jessica Symmes said. The concert will take place on October 15 and 16.

The first annual Colangelo Servant Leadership Awards, which were handed out this morning at Canyon 49 Grill, were another chance to celebrate what both Jerry Colangelo and GCU are doing in the community. “I love what’s happening at the school, so I find myself saying yes to whatever they want me to help them with,” said iHeart Media Phoenix President Linda Little, one of the award-winners.

GCU News Bureau There’s no question that Lip Sync Battle is one of the most popular events of the year. Students streamed in the GCU Arena doors an hour early Thursday evening to cram into most all of the 7,000 seats, before gyrating to loud music. By the opening video showing President Brian Mueller, wearing long hair and playing the guitar to Kiss classic “Detroit Rock City,” they were ready to have some fun. Eight teams competed in the Canyon Activities Board’s student-run extravaganza, led off by the team of Pitch Imperfect and its gymnastic flips and music that took the crowd through their coming of age. They ended up the winners. The 13 members had never performed in a contest before. They got a standing ovation.

The ongoing cybersecurity battle is such a fascinating topic, a panel of experts — including Dr. Heather Monthie, Associate Dean of the College of Science, Engineering and Technology — talked about it for an hour and a half Thursday morning in the Library and could have gone on much longer. As one student noted, everything they said aligned with what GCU teaches.