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"Everything has to be a God thing," Kennedy Herschberger said about landing her first post-college job at MedPro.
Not only is the company in her hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana, but the new Grand Canyon University graduate, known for leading GCU's Women in Business club, unknowingly took her high school prom photos in front of the white MedPro building.
And she happened to be working at the front desk in the Colangelo College of Business when a MedPro executive was meeting with students as part of a Foundations of Insurance Program – the university is only one of about a half dozen in the country that the MedPro Group has chosen to work with through the program, designed to increase the pipeline of talent into the industry.
That executive brought his son with him, and the son asked if she was related to Camden Herschberger.
"I just don't understand how it works, but it's so beautiful," she said of how someone visiting from 1,800 miles away would know her younger brother and that the company was seeking interns at the time.
She'll start her full-time job at MedPro, the country's oldest and largest medical malpractice insurance group, shortly after her graduation on Thursday with a bachelor's degree in finance.
It would be just one of those God things in her life.
Herschberger considered attending another university before she took a Discover trip to GCU, and she considered a career in business that would mean sitting at a desk and not interacting with people much.
But during her time here, she learned that she loves talking to people, and she discovered who she is – a well-rounded leader willing to listen to mentors while not losing sight of her goals.
Dr. Allison Mason, senior associate dean in the business college, called Herschberger a rock star because of her involvement, her multiple internships and her high academic acumen.
Herschberger completed her senior year as president of the Women in Business club – with more than 730 members in 2024-25, it's thought to be the largest club at GCU. She had served as secretary-treasurer and vice president previously. She also worked as an administrative assistant in her college, served as an intern at Sherwin-Williams and at MedPro, and as an associate for the Four-Thirty Events wedding planning company.
She spent the last 4 ½ months working remotely as a part-time employee for MedPro while completing her bachelor’s degree requirements and finishing her term as the Women in Business president.
Provost Dr. Randy Gibb was impressed with Herschberger’s credentials before she arrived at GCU, and he and Mason knew she would earn a Colangelo Scholarship, given to an incoming freshman who is committed to service to others through volunteering and entrepreneurship while meeting ethical and academic standards.
“Kennedy was very professional but also highly personable and friendly – key characteristics as a student worker welcoming people into the college and helping get things accomplished,” Gibb said.
There were no significant turning points in Herschberger’s time at GCU, but a meeting with fellow Colangelo Scholarship recipient Belle Rakestraw Keene – recommended by Gibb (the business college dean at the time) – further defined her role as a leader.
“I remember walking to Diamondback Apartments, having no clue where I was going,” Herschberger said. “I was looking at a map, thinking, I can’t get lost the first week of my freshman year.”
Herschberger and Keene sipped coffee at Chick-fil-A, where Keene laid out plans for the start of the Women in Business club.
“I told my roommates we’re going to this club, and like (Keene) told me, it’s going to be good. I was lucky to be connected with her.”
Keene, who graduated in December 2023 and works as a development officer for Catholic charitable organization St. Vincent de Paul in Phoenix, was impressed with Herschberger’s interest.
“Sometimes you have conversations and they don’t seem super interested or don’t ask questions, but she was the opposite,” Keene said. “She was very eager, very inquisitive ... and eager to get involved."
Herschberger said she loves to see how club members transform from their freshman to senior seasons and credits the club's founders, Havilah Houston, Harley Hawk Harris, Abbie Gage and Keene, and the support of Mason, with building such a strong club.
“They want to be there as a resource, and it shows how influential the club has been,” Herschberger said. “Those girls care so much about it. That's why it’s so successful, and they’re still pouring into that. And I tell the girls next year to please call me anytime.”
Herschberger enrolled at GCU as an accounting major after serving as a warranty intern for Stoops Freightliner before her senior year at Carroll High School.
She loved her internship but didn't just want to sit at a desk. She yearned to talk to people, something she learned later in her administrative assistant role at GCU, so she changed her major to finance with a minor in business analytics.
Her people skills also were cultivated as a fifth-grade group leader at Pathway Community Church while in high school.
“I said in my scholarship video that Sundays were my reset,” Herschberger said. “That was the perfect way to pour into those kids. And I think that led into learning leadership here and enjoying it.
“That’s how I feel about the freshmen, especially this last year. Every time they walked in, I’d say, ‘They’re little babies. I want to pour into them and help them feel comfortable and teach them what I’ve learned.’ My faith at GCU has grown so much, and I’m blessed with an incredible community to push that.”
Many of Herschberger’s high school friends who left for college went to the south instead of the west, but she immediately fell in love with GCU during her visit with her mother, Becky.
When Herschberger told her mom at Lopes Way that she was 90% committed to GCU, her mom replied, ‘OK, we've got to figure some things out.”
Herschberger became 100% committed to GCU, thanks to the camaraderie she felt during her visit and students yelling “Lopes Up.”
“I was just impressed with the welcoming community,” Herschberger said. “… My parents and I all say it was such a Lord thing, because I don't even remember being scared coming here.”
Herschberger will return home to a full-time job, but her brother – who completed his sophomore year at GCU – will be joined by sister and incoming freshman Chloe next fall.
“They both were definitely hesitant, because I feel like sometimes younger siblings don't want to follow,” Herschberger said. “I totally get that, but you can't show up on this campus and deny that it's an amazing place.
“And just the amount of different opportunities, we're not all going to have the same path here. There's so many different things. I'm just so excited that they'll be here, and I'll have another reason to come back.”
GCU News senior writer Mark Gonzales can be reached at Mark.Gonzales@gcu.edu
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