Colleges

Photos by David Kadlubowski GCU News Bureau The Saturday afternoon ceremony of Grand Canyon University spring commencement featured 973 online graduates of the College of Education. For a replay of the ceremony, click here.  

Photos by David Kadlubowski GCU News Bureau The Saturday morning session of spring commencement at Grand Canyon University featured 1,023 graduates, from the College of Education and the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions. For a replay of the ceremony, click here.      

Stephen Taylor refuses to let his age (76) get in the way of his goal: He wants to help ex-convicts integrate back into society. When he received his master’s degree Friday morning, it came 55 years after his bachelor’s. “I got interested in life coaching and life skill stuff because I saw the direction of substance abuse and the direction it was going,” he said.

The most unusual scene of commencement played out Friday afternoon when a 14-man mariachi band performed for one of the graduates near the 33rd Avenue entrance to campus. It was the perfect surprise, but pulling it off was a challenge for the graduate’s fiancee as well as the Events team.

After being a stay-at-home mom for most of her four children’s lives, Chalise Williams was inspired to go back to college after watching her children get their degrees. Williams traveled from New Jersey to Arizona to attend Friday morning’s online commencement ceremony, where she received her bachelor’s degree in behavioral health.

Melodee Breazeale and her son Patrick Jr. doubled their enjoyment of commence — they were side-by-side Friday morning as they both received their Master of Science degree in Psychology with an Emphasis on Industrial and Organizational Psychology. “I actually got to see my son right next to him while he was graduating. You can’t get any closer than that,” Melodee said.

Photos by David Kadlubowski GCU News Bureau The Friday evening ceremony at Grand Canyon University spring commencement featured 1,074 graduates from the College of Doctoral Studies and Colangelo College of Business. To watch the entire ceremony, click here.   

Purple and white leis and necklaces intertwined with shells are popular accessories at commencement ceremonies, but Kathy Taula was sporting the all-time champion of leis Friday afternoon: garlands of white carnations and orchids and a flower garland of yellow carnations in her hair, plus a garland of dollar bills that covered at least a third of her face.

Photos by David Kadlubowski GCU News Bureau The Friday afternoon ceremony of spring commencement at Grand Canyon University featured 912 online graduates from the Colangelo College of Business, the College of Fine Arts and Production, the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions, the College of Science, Engineering and Technology, and the College of Theology. To watch a replay of the ceremony, click here.     

Photos by David Kadlubowski GCU News Bureau The Friday morning ceremony at Grand Canyon University spring commencement featured 972 online graduates from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. To watch a full replay of the ceremony, click here.