Student Engagement

When the Honors Institute debuted with 59 students in 2013, no one could have known how far it would come just eight years later. As the University prepares to celebrate another graduating class, the Honors College will celebrate its own impressive accomplishment — surpassing 1,000 graduates. “It’s great that we’ve reached this milestone of 1,000 graduates, we are thrilled and ready to celebrate; but, this is definitely not the last chapter in our book,” said Honors College Associate Dean Dr. Breanna Naegeli. “There is plenty more to come, and we’re excited to keep challenging ourselves and our program to rise to the occasion.”

The pools are open. The hammocks are spread out. The lawns are green. And GCU students have a laptop they can take anywhere on the pleasant campus to do the final two weeks of instruction online. Many opted to stay instead of leaving for home early to finish the semester — as of Monday only one in 10 had moved out.

The timing was right for GCU student Ashley Courlivant. A side business that she had nurtured for four years took off during the pandemic, and Canyon Challenge judges saw the promise in her Heavenly & Gel company that sells customized press-on fingernails. The senior was awarded first place and $2,500 in the student entrepreneurial competition Friday night.

Rare tickets to the Lopes NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament were up for grabs to students, and some pulled out all the stops to land one for GCU’s first-ever appearance in The Big Dance on Saturday. Kennedi Greenfield and Faith Clear stayed up late into the night to put together a video plea. “It was a Hail Mary,” Greenfield said. But March Madness dreams do come true.

Students in GCU clubs related to STEM fields really wanted to hear from female experts in the field, so they launched a virtual “Women in STEM” panel discussion Wednesday that attracted five women at the top of their fields. The five pros gave advice for women navigating the male-dominated world of science, technology, engineering and math.

GCU Arena was filled with celebration on Sunday afternoon as about 500 students who gathered to watch the NCAA March Madness Selection Show heard that the Lopes men’s basketball team will play Iowa in the first round Saturday. Streamers descended from on high as the GCU Spirit Programs led the cheers for a team making history, the program’s first trip to the NCAA Division I tournament. “It’s probably one of the craziest things that’s happened on our campus,” GCU Pep Band member R.J. Villacorte said at the party.

It was a big weekend full of connection building and leadership within the Honors College. This year, the Honors College hosted their annual Leadership Conference in a hybrid format, allowing students to choose whether they would like to participate in person or via Zoom. Doing so brought in a record number of attendees for the event. “I Think that just goes to show how much students are wanting to have this experience,” Honors College Program Manager Dennis Williams said. “It’s certainly well above any numbers we’ve had for this event when you combine the Zoom attendees with our live attendees.”

“I get to share a part of me,” sophomore Biblical studies major Moises Rodriguez said at the Honduras booth at Culture Fest, where he told students how “coffee is HUGE” in Honduras and spoke about the country being home to the second largest coral reef in the world. The travel-themed event Thursday on Juniper Field — the biggest event of the year for the Multicultural, Diversity and Inclusion Office — featured 22 countries and cultures, along with performances of Tahitian and hula dance, Native American flute and Brazilian drumming by the GCU Samba Ensemble.

Canyon Urban Farms quickly has become a place of peace and prosperity. It is a favorite destination of the Outdoor Recreation Club with off-campus outings restricted — its members show up every week to care for the raised beds, which continue to supply the community with fresh vegetables. “It’s a meditative activity that wipes away the stress,” freshman Savannah Miles said. “It’s beautiful to make your own produce. Plus, I like dirt. I like playing in dirt.”

As Director of Sustainability for Associated Students of GCU, Rachel Christy hopes that events for Green Week at GCU, including the seminar “God is Green” and a sustainability market, help fellow students to not just talk but act for the good of the planet. Her message to students is simple: “God cares about the environment and so should we.”