Photos by Ralph Freso / Slideshow
Grand Canyon University’s campus was extra decked out in purple this weekend when proud alumni and families returned to their alma mater for the annual GCU Homecoming weekend.
Filled with nostalgia and sweet memories, nearly 500 graduates from classes dating as early as 1989 and as recent as 2024 visited campus for a much-needed reunion. The action-packed weekend had something for everyone, from social hours and shared meals with Thunder to a picnic-style tailgate with derby cart races, a pep band march and basketball game.
“A lot of events we do with (the Office of) Alumni Relations are off campus, but what is really sweet about homecoming is that people get to come back to campus for this,” Alumni Marketing and Communications Specialist Nicole Johnson said.
“For those that graduated a long time ago, they get to see all the renovations, what campus looks like now, experience GCU community and reconnect with fellow Lopes.”
Thursday evening kicked off the annual celebration off campus at a local restaurant and game space, Chicken and Pickle, where alumni were invited for a family-fun social event to catch up with old classmates, roommates and colleagues.
The fun and laughter carried on at Saturday’s morning event, Breakfast with Thunder, where everyone got to hang out with America’s Favorite Mascot, Thunder, as well as the GCU Cheer and Dance teams. Children took photos with Thunder and learned entertaining dance and cheer moves.
“This place just had 2,000 students when I was here, and it was still Grand Canyon College,” 1989 graduate Lisa Wakefield said.
Amazed by the growth and change, Wakefield reflected on the positive effect GCU had on her life during her campus visit.
“One day at Chapel, when I was a student, they talked about a mission trip to China to teach English to Chinese students, and I fell in love with that,” Wakefield added. “I talked with one of my professors and I said, ‘I am going to be a senior. I don’t want to change my major, but I think I want to be a teacher.’ She said to go for it. That is when I came back, got my master’s in education, and I have used it for over 30 years.
“GCU totally impacted my career and changed the trajectory of it greatly.”
In addition to reunions and sentimental memories, homecoming is also about celebrating the work alumni have accomplished in their careers since graduating from college. President Brian Mueller, college deans, graduates and their families gathered in the campus’s library to honor a group of esteemed alumni by inducting them into GCU’s Alumni Hall of Fame for their career achievements.
2025 Hall of Fame inductees are:
- Lori Horn Bustamante, bachelor of science in history and justice studies, 1994, judge, Maricopa County Superior Court
- Brent Cannon, master of business administration, 2012, executive vice president and director of community banking, National Bank of America
- Lynette Stant, master of arts in teaching, 2006, elementary teacher, Salt River Schools
- Noelle Trinder, bachelor of science in nursing, 2003, senior director, Banner Health & Arizona Education Economic Commission
- 2012 NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Champions Ramon Cooper, Eric Frawley, Vince Frawley, Aaron Hill, Dominique Hubert, Kevin Lashley, Tyler Sipes, Karlin Stewart and Coach Tom Flood
Each of the inductees received a plaque, embedding their name in GCU history as extraordinary Lopes.
After the ceremony, no time was wasted to kick off an alumni tailgate on the Quad.
In their loud purple swag and proud “GCU Alumni” and “GCU Family” shirts, graduates and their families indulged in wings, pizza and Crumbl cookies for dessert.
Class of 1992 and 2018 Alumni Hall of Fame inductee Cathy Poplin Lutz was feeling the nostalgia of her time in college as all the memories flashed back as soon as she returned to campus.
“GCU has been a part of my life since I can remember,” Poplin Lutz said. “I was a member of a local church and some of the church members lived here on campus, so I spent a lot of time as a kid on campus. I met my husband at church, and we were both students here. We went to all the basketball games then, and we got married, then we continued to go to all the basketball games.
“GCU gave me years of belonging. The best thing about GCU is the happy memories, and I can’t imagine not ever having Grand Canyon.”
Another staple of the weekend was the Associated Students of GCU’s annual derby cart race, which had people’s heads turning as carts flew from one end to the other, vying for the big trophy. It was also a chance for the Society of Women Engineers to show off their handy work after building each of the carts for the race.
The Thundering Herd Pep Band and Cheer and Dance teams matched the high energy and adrenaline rush as they lined up in front of Global Credit Union Arena to lead a cheerful rally and get students and families pumped for the sold-out men’s basketball game.
“The game day atmosphere is the best thing at GCU,” 2024 graduate Luke Light said. “Homecoming is significant because, even though we are out doing different things, we still get to meet up here, catch up and share a good time, especially at a basketball game. You grow up and keep doing things, but the community never leaves GCU.”
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GCU News: Alumni are all smiles in campus return for Homecoming weekend
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