Online Life

Corrine Martinez Santanelli was amazed that she was chosen to be the student speaker at Fall Commencement. Listen to her talk, and you shouldn’t be surprised at all. She told the story of an encounter with God convinced to leave behind a 10-year job in a strip club and seek a new life that has resulted in ministry, marriage and a degree from GCU. “If you’re ever feeling not smart enough, not popular enough, not loved enough, whatever you think you’re not enough of, remember that God is true to His word,” she urged her audience.

Photos by Ralph Freso GCU News Bureau The Wednesday afternoon ceremony of Fall Commencement at Grand Canyon University was for master’s graduates of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.  

Photos by Ralph Freso GCU News Bureau The Wednesday morning ceremony of Fall Commencement at Grand Canyon University was for online graduates from the Colangelo College of Business.    

Alexis Sowell has seen the need for mental health during troubled times while working as a dispatcher for emergency rooms. The suicide calls were numerous. She wanted to do more to help, so the Mesa native studied in GCU’s new Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program and is among the first cohort to walk in Fall Commencement Oct. 13. “I grew so much individually,” Sowell said. “To help others, I had to work on myself. You learn from clients. They bring self-awareness, too.”

Grant Friedberg has dealt with depression and anxiety issues ever since he moved with his parents to Singapore and Australia as a child. He twice tried to attend college but couldn’t adjust to the on-campus experience. Then he discovered GCU’s online program, and Wednesday morning he was in GCU Arena to celebrate a bachelor’s degree he never believed was possible. “These past four years at GCU have easily been the best of my life, and that is mostly because of the success I have had during my time as a Lope,” he said.

Ever since Linda Jessie and her daughter Brittainy Shirley started their respective graduate programs at GCU, they knew they wanted to sit together at graduation. After over a year of waiting, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the pair finally made it happen at this week’s Make Up commencement ceremony. “My mom’s amazing, she’s like my best friend and has had a huge impact on me being where I am today,” Shirley said. “It’s been really cool to say that I’ve been going to school with my mom and not just go to school with my mom, but be able to celebrate that accomplishment together.”

When asked whether he would give up the church or give up Hollywood, Dr. Craig Detweiler replied with his 25-year career of combining the two. Now, the longtime educator is bringing his knowledge and skills into his new role as dean of the College of Fine Arts and Production. “I’m excited about GCU’s deep and abiding faith combined with the artistry and creativity of both the professors and students,” he said. “We can both enlighten and entertain at the same time.”

Photos by Ralph Freso GCU News Bureau The second of seven makeup Commencement ceremonies Monday at Grand Canyon University proved thrilling for another set of graduates who waited a long time to walk the stage.   

The second of seven makeup Commencement ceremonies Monday proved once again that graduates will travel long distances to celebrate earning their degree. “I just felt that desire to walk across the stage,” said Anthony Jackson Jr., who came all the way from New Orleans. “I wanted to feel that same intensity that the locals feel. I just had to do it.”

In fifth grade she was too stubborn to study, at age 14 she was too immature to attend GCU classes on campus and three years later was too scared to student teach in front of people her age. But Shannon Kerr, who graduated last November at 17, got it done anyway. She endured with determination. That’s her mantra now as she studies for law school entrance exams: Just do it. “That’s really all it comes down to,” Kerr said.