When the College of Education Lopes Legacy Wall was designed recently as part of COE’s beautification in Building 42, you would expect to see photographs of the legends from a foundational college in Grand Canyon University’s 75-year history.
And you do. At the very top left corner is Dr. Jim Rice, who not only is a 1971 GCU graduate but still serves on the GCU Board of Trustees after a 46-year career as a teacher and school administrator that led to Alhambra Elementary School District gracing a building with his name. There’s also Melissa Martin (master’s in education, 2010) and Chinle (Arizona) Junior High School principal who won the top national honor for educators, the Milken Educator Award, in 2022.
But a legacy is also built on people from a wide range of the tens of thousands of graduates that have come through COE – their varied locations, programs of study and accomplishments – a wall to “honor the profession and the incredible individuals who selflessly devote to it,” said COE Dean Dr. Meredith Critchfield.
The 30 faces and bios in the hallway outside faculty and administrators’ offices will change through the years. But here are three on the wall who also highlight the range of how students access their GCU education.
Commuter student
Jorge Romero grew up in Sonora, Mexico, until fifth grade, when he said his mom wanted him to have a better education and opportunities in Phoenix. At first, he struggled academically and socially. But a big group of teachers and coaches through the years not only helped him speak a new language and gave him confidence, they inspired him to be a teacher.
Living with his mom and sister, he has made the trip to GCU Arena four times to cross its stage – and is working on a fifth. After his commencement from Independence High School here, he accepted applause at GCU Arena for his associates degree from Glendale Community College, then his GCU bachelor’s degree in 2019 and master’s degree in 2022. Now, he’s working on a doctorate from GCU.
His mom was right.
Romero is a fourth-year physical education teacher and athletic director at William C. Jack, a K-8th grade school in Glendale Elementary School District, and is a high school football and softball assistant coach.
He credits the community he found at GCU, even as a commuter student, and the advice of both Critchfield and professor Dr. Paul Danuser. Critchfield told him it was important to build relationships. Danuser showed how important it was to care for students to become a better teacher.
“A lot of the kids I teach, I went to high school with their parents. It’s mostly an Hispanic community and it feels like home,” he said. “When I look back I didn’t have men or Hispanic teachers. That was big for me.
“A lot of these kids in this school have lived barely a year in the U.S. I definitely have a lot of compassion for that, they are in my shoes. They are going through the same thing I went through, trying to be social with friends and going through a culture shock of being in this country.”
Since he has all grades in physical education, he gets to address the entire school at the year’s start and tells them his story and what he had to learn. “They understand what I went through, so they feel comfortable coming up to me.”
Romero, who was honored to be included in the wall and visited it recently, said he’s enrolled in GCU’s College of Doctoral Studies “with the purpose of supporting Hispanic first-generation college students in my community as they transition from high school to higher education.”
Online student
Megan Arel’s husband Kevin is in the military. So after she began her study toward a May degree in early childhood education, she opened up a laptop first in Italy, then Germany and finally Colorado Springs, Colorado.
“I loved that is was flexible. We had to move several times, and I was able to pick up our life and keep doing assignments on the road with my laptop,” she said. “I could also create my own my own schedule with my classes.”
In 2021, when they were moving 4,000 miles after having their first child, Rayla, she said the support and flexibility eased her mind.
It also fit her learning style.
“I am a shy person, face-to-face. But if I am behind a computer screen I am able to interact more if was afraid to ask a question to a professor because of social anxiety.”
Today, she teaches in a Head Start program in the morning, and a universal pre-K program in the afternoon at Conrad Early Learning Center in Colorado Springs.
“They can learn a lot, not just academics but social and emotional. This is their first time being away from parents,” she said. “I love serving the community in this way. For some of these families, this is a big deal that they can afford to send their children to preschool.”
It was also a big deal when she saw a social media post by COE, and saw her photo on the legacy wall.
“I was not expecting to be selected,” she said.
The first time she had ever been to Arizona is when she walked the stage at Commencement last May. Now her face – and example -- graces the campus.
On-campus student
Growing up in Omaha, Nebraska, Blakely Anderson didn’t know much about the College of Education at GCU. She always wanted to be a teacher and was seeking a high-profile program. On her second tour of GCU, she was hooked.
“The College of Education was growing, so I knew there were opportunities, and they seemed like they were passionate,” she said.
But after spring break of her freshman year in 2019-20, she stayed home because the COVID pandemic hit.
“After that it was masks, masks, and it was hard to go into classrooms for practicums. But GCU was very proactive about it, getting us into classrooms – it would be weird not being in a classroom until I was teaching,” she said of practicums that included remote instruction. “I really enjoyed how GCU adapted to that road block.”
As the pandemic waned, she blossomed at the place she said was so different than other colleges in its opportunities to meet people and quickly get connected with a job.
“The second day of student teaching, I had a job interview for a fourth-grade teaching position at the school where I grew up. Two days later I accepted it,” she said.
She started her second year of teaching at Rohwer Elementary School in Omaha, planning classes with some of her former teachers, with a new master’s degree just added to her resume.
“Growing up I loved my teachers. I wanted to be like them,” she said. “I enjoy the impact I can make on students’ lives. I just enjoy helping others and helping kids and investing in their lives.”
She is proud to be included on the legacy wall.
“It’s so cool being able to be a legacy for students still in college and to see where they go to, what they go on to do. It is an honor.”
Grand Canyon University senior writer Mike Kilen can be reached at [email protected]
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