College of Theology

There was no shortage of inspirational redemption stories at Wednesday’s Phoenix Rescue Mission Signing Event as three of four scholarship recipients signed their letter of intent to attend the University in the fall. The recipients, who have completed the nonprofit’s Recovery Program, include Amanda Jaramillo, Jacqueline Mix, Brian Farretta and GCU 2019 alum Jesse Dalla Riva. “These people have had some significant challenges and they’ve taken the first step now, they’ve gone through the Phoenix Rescue Mission Program, they’ve come out of it successfully and they’ve started their new life,” said GCU President Brian Mueller. “For us to be able to offer them this opportunity to take their life now to a whole new level is a blessing.”

There were innovations aplenty as GCU dealt with the pandemic. But none of the required alterations were more visible than the cutouts in GCU Arena, where the basketball environment still was plenty loud enough to be noticed by visiting coaches. Reprinted from the February issue of GCU Magazine.

The Spring Songwriters Showcase went off without a hitch Monday night. No surprise there — the Recording Studio is more than capable of presenting the livestream. But the list of performers did have some surprises, such as Yoo Jin “Gabby” Kim, who had to fully learn English when she came to GCU from South Korea three years ago, and freshman Briseyda Payan, who converted to Christianity only a year and a half ago.

Dr. Debbie Fulthorp, an Online Full-Time Faculty member of the College of Theology, has many interesting stories to tell. There’s her involvement in a project to add stories of notable women of influence within religion into Wikipedia. She joyfully shares how her phone call with a student encouraged the woman to renew her faith. And the real capper is the caper she experienced when she was traveling with her parents and got left behind at a rest stop in the days before cellphones.

Dr. Dwayne Pedroza of the College of Theology finds such joy in his role as Director of Internship and Ministry for the Barnabas Pastoral Program, he doesn’t consider it work. He’s still amazed that he has come so far from learning challenges when he was younger. “The fact that I was able to achieve a doctoral degree makes me shake my head and just think of what people can do and accomplish if they just keep taking the next step and don’t let obstacles get in the way,” he writes.

Strategic Employer Initiatives and Internships (SEI) handed out Career Advisor of the Year awards to 12 faculty members who regularly turn their classrooms into career factories. SEI’s devotion to linking students to employers also is reflected in its ever expanding list of offerings, such as the recent Career Awareness Week. “We all know we have great students. We all know they’re going places. We’re just trying to connect the dots and support their journey in getting there,” said Haley Fagerlie, SEI’s Executive Director.

Dr. Jeff Jibben, a member of the Online Full-Time Faculty in the College of Theology, has done academic presentations about how the quoted Greek in Matthew’s Gospels indicates when they were written. He aims to make complex material easier to understand and is joyful when he hears that students took what he taught them and passed it on to others.

Dr. Mark Olmos, a member of the College of Theology faculty, loves to share with students the stories from his spiritual journey and never ceases to be amazed by their reactions. He also has a passion for board games, particularly because it’s a great way to meet people. Find out why he cringes every time he meets someone from a certain downstate university.

Photos by Elizabeth Tinajero GCU News Bureau Graduates of the Colleges of Education, Fine Arts and Production, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Theology were honored Saturday morning at GCU Arena.   

Chalk up another GCU event that worked out just fine even though the pandemic forced it to be virtual. The Songwriters Showcase, normally staged before a packed crowd on Canyon 49 Grill’s outdoor patio, was livestreamed Monday night and featured some of the songs that no doubt will find their way onto the next Canyon Worship album.