Colangelo College of Business

Tim Kelley of the Colangelo College of Business has worked hard to infuse entrepreneurship into every college at GCU, not just CCOB, and his latest hire is yet another example of that effort. Abenezer Gebrehiwot, an IT/cybersecurity major, is the new Executive Manager of Kelley’s Canyon Angels investment group. Gebrehiwot was instrumental in organizing and executing a recent Canyon Angels event.

Shawn Boskie and Tyson Hintz both waited a long time, for various reasons, to earn their bachelor’s degrees from GCU, but they didn’t stop there. Both are members of the Colangelo College of Business advisory board, and Hintz actively recruits GCU students for his company, Knight-Swift Transportation. “That’s college today,” said Dr. Randy Gibb, the CCOB dean. “You can go back and finish it anytime.” Reprinted from the April issue of GCU Magazine.

Summer isn’t as quiet as you’d think around the University this year. More students than ever — 1,137 — are housed on campus this year. For the first time, they can live in University apartments, and many are eager to make up for lost time after a year of pandemic disruptions. “For me, having the option of being on campus and getting a job and doing it for a lower expense – I would take that to be with my friends a bit longer,” said Caleb Canfield, a resident assistant.

The virtual Commencement ceremony for online students Saturday was actually eight prerecorded ceremonies — one for each college, with a promise of more ceremonies this fall for graduates who would like the in-person experience. But the acknowledgment of their accomplishments amid the pandemic couldn’t wait. “What you have accomplished is remarkable, and we are celebrating it today,” GCU President Brian Mueller said.

When Stacy Etsitty earned her associate degree, it was important to her to return to her hometown of Navajo, New Mexico. She wanted to make a difference — and did — when she helped secure funding to fix the only road to and from the elementary school, where she worked as a bookkeeper. She continues to dedicate herself to her community, recently starting a new job in Window Rock, Arizona, capital of the Navajo Nation. “I want to do more for my people. … Look at this place,” she said. “How can someone do their education and NOT come back to this place?”

It’s been a year like no other, and that notion is especially true in regards to this year’s GCU Hall of Fame recipients. Rachel Winkler, Scott Van Newkirk, Garth Bailey and Dan Snyder were selected to be added to the growing list of impressive alumni who are making an impact in their fields. From business to the health insurance industry, each recipient holds an impressive resumé and an even more impressive journey. “I feel like your education is just the start,” Van Newkirk said. “Nothing is going to be given to you, and how you prepare your work ethic through school is going to carry on into your career.” Reprinted from the April issue of GCU Magazine.

No one would blame Rosemary Zuniga for quitting after she started college as a single mother in Las Vegas 30 years ago. She had worked fulltime as a cocktail waitress, had medical problems, her parents died of cancer months apart and she had back surgery. But Zuniga made a promise to her mom during their last conversation and to her daughter Mariah, who was a newborn when she first started college. She wouldn’t quit. She is set to graduate from GCU on Saturday.

Victories in the annual Collegiate DECA competition are getting to be habit-forming. Matt Sostrom became the third GCU champion in the last five years when he won the Entrepreneurship (Growing Your Business) category recently. Sostrom runs a photography business after previously starting a shaved ice provider, but what’s even more interesting is the exotic names he chooses for his businesses.

GCU’s Eta Chi chapter again conducted its Delta Mu Delta induction ceremony via video conferencing Saturday, but that has become standard during the pandemic. The talks by Dr. Henry Cooper of the Colangelo College of Business and Dr. Randy Gibb, the college’s dean, were anything but regular, however. Both had important things to say about the way business should be done.

Ripped jeans and flip flops in class? Not for Adrianna Romero. The business administration major considers dressing in a businesslike fashion a uniform part of her determination to succeed at GCU and in life. That attitude has not only helped her be a strong leader on campus; this summer, she will take part in a hard-to-attain internship program with Charles Schwab. But it’s interesting to see how she reached this point.