Meghan Arnold knows well the mastery at Grand Canyon University to produce more than 100,000 education graduates in the past six decades.
She has worked in clinical practice for the College of Education and today is senior instructional designer for Employee Learning and Development.
But even she was delighted by COE’s reach – and quality – when she decided to enroll her two children in Grace Christian Academy in Tempe earlier this year and unexpectedly learned they were being taught by Lopes.
Calvin’s third-grade teacher is GCU alumna Nicole Wood.
“She is warm, kind, and highly dedicated, going above and beyond to ensure her students feel supported and nurtured,” Arnold said. “She is intentional in her curriculum development and keeps parents informed about progress. Most importantly, Calvin’s learning experience is Christ-centered and thoughtful, and we have seen tremendous growth in him as a person in just a few months.”
Kerrigan also has taken to his pre-kindergarten teacher at Grace – Ashlynd LaLande, a student teacher from GCU.
“Ashlynd has the true heart of a teacher. She is a natural in the classroom and clearly applies the concepts learned in Dr. (Jena) Akard’s class to her own classroom,” Arnold said. “Kerrigan feels safe and deeply connected to Ashlynd, which speaks volumes about her talent and preparation.”
They join eight other GCU alumni who are teachers at the school.
Arnold shared this note to COE Associate Dean Dr. Emily Pottinger:
“It truly warms my heart to see the students GCU has developed impacting my family personally. I feel so blessed that my children are experiencing such wonderful educators. But, I know it is thanks to the dedication and hard work you and the professors have poured into building phenomenal teacher education programs.”
Here are the other teachers at the school who are GCU alumni: Jessica Reber (kindergarten); Kayla Luna (2nd grade); Kazlyn Erickson (2nd grade); Kendra Parker (3rd grade); Aria Davis (4th grade); Jade DenBleyker (middle school science); Chloe Stahl (middle school science); Rylee Green (physical education).
Grand Canyon University senior writer Mike Kilen can be reached at [email protected]
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