Community

The annual Students Inspiring Students scholarship banquet on Tuesday was a true testament of not only the student’s hard work, but that of the families, teachers and community leaders who together are making a difference in the lives of hundreds of high school students. “This is not just Grand Canyon University – it’s a whole bunch of people coming together and saying that as a greater West Valley community we can do something significant through the lives of the students that are coming up in this next generation,” said President Brian Mueller.

“We’re here tonight to hopefully, not only mourn together and remember together, but to celebrate their lives together,” Dr. Tim Griffin, Dean of Students, said at Tuesday night’s Celebration of Life ceremony. The GCU community honored the lives of Christian Applegate, Roy Pietrek, Keisha Nicole Oyola Perales, Dr. Tiffany Mealman and Taylor White.

GoDaddy’s Jason Veiock didn’t get his start in cybersecurity. He was a cop. He spoke to educators and other attendees at a recent Code.org meetup at the GCU-based Arizona Cyber Warfare Range about how he got into cybersecurity, what it’s like to handle security for a company as big as GoDaddy, and what qualities educators should look for in their students when it comes to encouraging the next generation of cyber professionals.

Conscious Capitalism Arizona, which seeks to turn business into a force for good in this state, did a lot of good Wednesday afternoon in GCU Arena with two inaugural events. The Investment Seminar drew a big crowd, and then the Collegiate Challenge handed out more than $60,000 in prizes — including $5,000-plus to a GCU startup, Prophet Insight.

Imagine you’re a video game character trapped in an arcade game, and the only way to get out is to defeat the boss. That was the scenario for hundreds of high school students who dressed as “Pac-Man,” “Legend of Zelda” and “Futurama” characters and brought their 120-pound robots to compete in the 2018 Arizona Regional FIRST Robotics Competition this weekend in Grand Canyon University Arena.

The Colangelo College of Business will be host to two major entrepreneurial events Wednesday afternoon — an educational seminar for angel investors and then the AZ Conscious Capitalism Collegiate Challenge, which will feature two Grand Canyon University entries competing against teams from six other Arizona universities and community colleges. Both events are free and open to everyone.

GCU student veterans and ASGCU honored fallen veterans by together cleaning nearly 1,000 headstones at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, the 3rd largest veteran national cemetery with 88,672 graves consisting of veterans and family members.  

People who live in the neighborhood around Grand Canyon University say they can easily see the positive effects of the Neighborhood Safety Initiative, GCU’s partnership with the Phoenix Police Department.

The final 50 Students Inspiring Students full-tuition scholarship recipients from local schools in Phoenix and Glendale walked into a life-changing surprise Tuesday at GCU Library. “This continues to be one of the most memorable nights each time at GCU,” said Dr. Joe Veres, GCU’s Vice President of Student Development and Outreach.

Photos by Travis Neely GCU News Bureau  The Students Inspiring Students initiative at Grand Canyon University celebrated the final 50 full-ride scholarship recipients Tuesday night at a special ceremony on the fourth floor of the Library. Each year, the University awards 100 full-tuition scholarships to students from inner-city schools who meet academic criteria and demonstrate financial need.