College of Science, Engineering and Technology

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.

When Madison Strong heard that Dr. Jeff La Belle was joining the College of Science, Engineering and Technology, she knew what a dedicated researcher he was and wanted to be part of his research team. So she introduced herself and was the first GCU student to join La Belle Lab. She has since been listed as the first author of a research paper and was accepted recently to the biomedical engineering Ph.D. program at Northwestern University.

Dante DeSimone was never a stranger to taking on a challenge, and that’s what made him perfect for his new role as a project manager for Intel. After graduating in April with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, DeSimone has transitioned from an intern at the company to a full-time employee who strives to make a difference in the field. But he also has strived to take part in a lot of different activities and learn many new skills.

It was a coup for the College of Science, Engineering and Technology, whose students swept the top spots in the the oral presentations category of the recent meeting of the Arizona and Southern Nevada branch of the American Society for Microbiology. At the virtual event, hosted by Touro University in Henderson, Nevada, GCU took first and second place in oral presentations, two others talks were named runners-up, and student Karson Rush-Briones was recognized with the W.W. Norton Award in the category of Undergraduate Poster Presentations.

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.

For some, it takes a life time for their wildest dreams to come true. For recent Honors college Graduate Quyen Phan, his dream of landing a job with SpaceX came to fruition straight out of college. As a new Associate Engineer Phan hopes to be a trail blazer for fellow engineers graduating from the College of Science, Engineering and Technology. “I want to do good so I can prove that a GCU student can provide this much impact on the company,” Phan said. “I’m hoping that other future GCU students can come on board with me as well.”

Lists are interesting. They spark conversation. And there was plenty to talk about in the 2020-21 academic year at GCU, which made it a year to remember — not because of the pandemic, but because of the way it kept moving forward despite the challenges of COVID-19. Here are the top 10 stories of the year, reprinted from the April issue of GCU Magazine, with extra photos depicting the most memorable moments.

Countless seniors during the global pandemic shelved their caps and gowns as commencement ceremonies across the country were canceled. So parents were thrilled to hear GCU would open its Spring 2021 ceremonies to family members. Said one parent, Breanne Ramirez, the tears flowed when she heard that Commencement for her daughter Patty would in person. “I was very emotional, excited beyond belief that we were able to attend.”

Photos by Ralph Freso GCU News Bureau The final ceremony of Spring Commencement brought back to campus spring 2020 graduates whose ceremonies had to be canceled last year because of the pandemic. The student speaker was Samuel Yonan, the 2019-20 president of the Associated Students of Grand Canyon University.  

Photos by David Kadlubowski GCU News Bureau The Tuesday morning ceremony for Spring Commencement at Grand Canyon University featured graduates of the College of Nursing and Health Professions; College of Science, Engineering and Technology; and College of Theology. Elaina Marchegger of the College of Theology was the student speaker.