Photos by Ralph Freso / Slideshow
Four alumni and an athletics team were inducted into GCU’s Alumni Hall of Fame during GCU Homecoming festivities on Saturday.
University President Brian Mueller welcomed inductees and their families to the ceremony with a look back on GCU’s early days and growth through the decades as GCU celebrates its 75th anniversary this year.
“Seventy-five years of purpose and 15 years of transformation. God has blessed us beyond what we could’ve imagined,” Mueller said. “There were a few years of uncertainty, but as it turns out, God’s plan was far more than what we could have anticipated, planned or dreamed.”
Mueller emphasized the most important goal throughout the years always has been to remain true to GCU's Christian mission and follow God’s vision.
“It is a Christ-centered place in the truest sense of those words," he said. "There were never a lot of resources in the beginning, but there were tremendous people -- the administration, faculty and the students.
“The purpose is to live out that mission, through good, hard and bad times, and the people that were here in the era never lost their eye on the target. I believe that what we’ve received in the last 15 years has been partly a result of that. We appreciate all the men and women that have laid that foundation.”
Deans from each of the inductees' respective colleges introduced the honorees and presented their awards.
Lori Horn Bustamante
Lori Horn Bustamante, a1994 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in history and justice studies, is a presiding judge over the Maricopa County Juvenile Court System.
Additionally, she serves as chairman of the scholarship committee for Canyon Institute and has attended GCU’s Students Inspiring Students dinners on behalf of the institute for a few years. After she received her degree from GCU, Bustamante attended Pepperdine University, where she earned her law degree in 1996.
“GCU has taught me to make sure to be a part of a community and always stay connected with Jesus,” Bustamante said. “I am so happy I was able to experience being here. It is an honor to be inducted, and I feel very blessed to be a part of the Grand Canyon family.”
Brent Cannon
Brent Cannon earned his master’s degree in business administration in 2012. He is the executive vice president and director of community banking at National Bank of Arizona.
Cannon has served 30 years in the commercial banking industry. He started his college journey at Humboldt State University, where he earned his bachelor’s in accounting in 1992, before attending GCU in 2011.
“This is a very humbling and honoring award,” Cannon said. “GCU provided me a platform where I can be proud of my beliefs, and I look forward to being a proud ambassador for the Hall of Fame, and I am so proud to be associated with GCU.”
Lynnette Stant
Lynette Stant is a 2006 graduate with a master’s degree in education and is an elementary school teacher on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Reservation.
Stant was the first indigenous teacher to be awarded Arizona’s 2020 Teacher of the Year. She is a member of the Navajo Nation and has been teaching third grade for 15 years. She serves on multiple school and district leadership committees and is a Gates Millenium Scholar. Before attending GCU, Stant earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Arizona State University.
“Indigenous teachers aren’t always asked to sit at the table when it comes to decision making,” Stant said. “Because I have an advanced degree from GCU, I have been able to walk through some doors that were previously closed for me.
“I am truly honored to be in the Alumni Hall of Fame. What it means to me is I am seen -- and not just me, but my class work as an indigenous teacher.”
Noelle Trinder
Noelle Trinder earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing in 2003 and is senior director of health care careers at Banner Health and is a founding member of the Arizona Education Economic Commission.
At Banner Heath, Trinder oversees all clinical placements for Banner Health and has spoken at the opening of GCU's Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing site in Chandler. She served as an interim chief nursing officer with Banner in 2021 and was awarded the Outstanding Business Professional of the Year award in 2023 by Association of Career Technical Education. After GCU, Trinder earned her master’s degree in nursing education from Walden University in 2013 and her doctoral degree in health systems leadership from Chamberlin University in 2022.
“I am very honored to be a part of the Alumni Hall of Fame,” Trinder said. "This is a culmination of many years of hard work and dedication. I am able to reflect on where I started in the foundation, with my faith and profession, and have really been able to use the skills I have learned here as a nurse and student to propel me for my entire life.”
2012 men's indoor track and field team
Also honored was the 2012 NCAA Division II indoor track and field team, which included Ramon Cooper, Eric Frawley, Vince Frawley, Aaron Hill, Dominique Hubert, Kevin Lashley, Tyler Sipes, Karlin Stewart and Coach Tom Flood.
Only in the second year of having a track and field team at GCU, these athletes won the national championship and built the foundation and momentum for the program in 2012. Immediately after, the team grew into Division I program.
“It is an honor for these guys, 13 years later, to be recognized for their national championship and be put in the Hall of Fame,” Flood said.
“They were champions while they were here on the track and in the field, but they are still champions in life now as outstanding men with families of their own. They are kind of the founding fathers of the program. It just built off their success and continued off their success.”
GCU staff writer Izabela Fogarasi can be reached at Izabela.Fogarasi@gcu.edu
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