College of Humanities and Social Sciences

There were plenty of proud parents in GCU Arena on Thursday for commencement, but none of them were as incredulous as Jesse Dalla Riva’s folks. Their worries of five years ago during his battle with drug addiction have transformed into stunned amazement about what he has accomplished. “It’s complete redemption,” said Jesse’s father, Frank.

After three years of hard work and hundreds of hours of service, Grand Canyon University’s first Students Inspiring Students graduates walked across the commencement stage Thursday afternoon to receive their diplomas. Yenni Sanchez Perez received her Bachelor’s degree in Government with an Emphasis in Legal Studies, and Sean Oliver received his Bachelor’s degree in Justice Studies. “This is why we began the scholarship,” said Dr. Joe Veres, Vice President of Student Success. “This is probably the most rewarding commencement ceremony that I’ve been a part of.”

Photos by David Kadlubowski GCU News Bureau The Thursday afternoon ceremony for Grand Canyon University spring commencement featured 824 graduates, from the College of Education and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. To watch the replay, click here.  

The graduates have a lot to say about their experience at the University, and they get to share those thoughts in My LopeLife. This week, GCU Today will share the essays of four of them, starting with Erin Honeycutt, whose piece was chosen for the April issue of GCU Magazine.

Of all the commencement stories to come out of GCU in recent years, the metamorphosis of Jesse Dalla Riva probably is the most remarkable. Five years ago, he walked into a detox center determined to get off the streets — and off heroin. Now he’s a husband and father, is a supervisor at the Phoenix Rescue Mission and is about to get his degree. “He’s just worked so hard for it,” said his wife, Blake, fighting back tears. Reprinted from the April issue of GCU Magazine.

Being a teacher these days encompasses so much more than leading a classroom lesson. They also are on the front line as community leaders who must support students in many other ways. They furthered their education on trauma-informed education Friday at the Making T.I.E.S. Conference in GCU Arena by learning how to help students who may be experiencing a crisis in their lives, from bullying to relationship struggles, a stressful home life, abuse and more. “Schools are seeing a tremendous need to be informed and ready to help kids of trauma as they enter the classroom,” said Corinne Araza, Director of K12 Development. It was the first conference on trauma-informed educational support organized by GCU.

The idea for the April issue of GCU Magazine actually was hatched in 2015, when we told the stories of some of the incoming students in the Class of 2019. Now they’re graduating, and it was time to see what their four years were like. The answer: It was a head-spinning time of growth, both on campus and for the students themselves. This issue also features the University’s first graduates from its engineering program and its Students Inspiring Students initiative, a look at how GCU teaches computer programming differently, the heartwarming story of Jesse Dalla Riva‘s transformation from drug addict to graduate, and a My LopeLife piece by another 2019 grad. There’s more: what’s ahead for the GCU men’s basketball program, the increasingly important communication tool utilized by online instructors and students, and yet another heartwarming story — this one on recent GCU Hall of Fame inductee Sharky Baker. To read the digital version, click here.  

Learning and Living Communities are designed for GCU freshmen who prefer to share a residence hall room, suite or floor with students of similar academic interests. Along with the connections they make organically, there are organized activities in Juniper Hall, the building housing six LLC’s: Honors, Colangelo College of Business (CCOB), College of Science, Engineering and Technology (CSET), psychology from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS), and nursing and athletic training through the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions (CONHCP). “It has a different feel,” Kayla Warren said of her freshman year in Juniper. “It is academically centered, where we were all in the same mindset.”

English/professional writing major Jordan Radcliffe said StartleBloom is important because it assures that “student creativity has a voice and an outlet.” About 40 student-created literary works, such as poems and short fiction, are included in the latest edition of the literary review. The StartleBloom team handed out copies of the publication Wednesday on the Promenade.

Washington High School senior Juan Ballez has watched his father struggle with mobility in his hand and, for years, wished there was a way he could help. Now, on the cusp of graduating, he thinks he knows a way — by becoming a biomedical engineer. His dream of helping people, like his father, came closer to fruition Tuesday at GCU, when he found out he was one of 43 students in the neighborhood surrounding GCU to receive the Students Inspiring Students scholarship. “It feels like a huge weight lifted off my shoulders,” said Juan after receiving the scholarship, which covers four years of tuition and books. “… I was determined. I was like, I can’t have my parents pay for it (college). I don’t want that burden on them.”