GCU Magazine

February 2026

Their faith stories

Rylee Lemay didn’t grow up in church. Now she teaches youth about Jesus as part of her church’s children’s ministry. Jagaar Halverson didn’t think he would have any use for the Bible his grandparents gifted to him; he was wrong. And Jaden Orsborn, who grew up agnostic, accepted Jesus after his campus co-workers prayed over him during a pool party. They’re just a few of the stories students shared about how they found their faith at GCU.

Budding biz kids

“Just do it. Go for it. Start anything,” Tim Kelley, chair of entrepreneurship, tells GCU students. And they’ve taken him up on it, with a slew of them launching businesses in their early 20s and making waves in such publications as the Phoenix Business Journal’s AZ Inno Under 25 list.

Marking a milestone

GCU CityServe has come a long way in just 4 ½ years. In the fall, it hit an important number, having served families 100,000 times since its opening. In the past couple of months, that number has grown to more than 108,260 families served.

What the deans, professors are reading

Faculty like to turn the page after class with a good book, and they have a few recommendations if you’re looking for your next read, from Charles Portis’ classic Western “True Grit” to C.S. Lewis’ “The Screwtape Letters.”

Off-the-field focus

Student-athletes knew they were coming to GCU to excel in their field of study and to win games. But they’re leaving GCU with more than diplomas and victories. Student-Athlete Development pours into their holistic growth and prepares them for their next chapter in life.

Purple wave

A slew of paraprofessionals in one Denver-area school, most of them single moms, have banned together to get their teaching degrees from GCU. “It is going to make an amazing difference in their lives and their families,” said their university development counselor, Jean Manning-Clark.

Taking her shot

Digital film production alumna Anna Shaw is rarely without a camera, especially these days as an independent filmmaker who travels the world for job opportunities. Said dad Casey Shaw, “There is a place where people want good Christian movies, so she felt that was something God called her to.”