Fall Commencement

Graduate takes unexpected path to 'be that person' who helps refugees

Photos by Ralph Freso / Slideshow / Livestream Her mom said it best while watching Dylan Vanderleest merge into graduates lining up for fall commencement […]

Finance grad's biggest return on his investment? Helping hometown thrive

Andrew Huizen completed internships at three major investment firms in large cities. But his heart and faith at home never left him even after he […]

From hospital bed to commencement stage, GCU grad earns hard-fought degree

Photos by Ralph Freso / Slideshow/ Livestream When Keegan Barton was in high school, her grandmother’s health took a surprising turn for the worse. Though […]

Her world grew bigger meeting these women online, then at commencement

Leann Spicola was urged by her son to pursue online education, but she never dreamed how much other women in her courses would broaden her […]

She crossed a river and a stage to thank family who saved her

Stephanie Oliva-Castellanos survived a perilous trip from Honduras, plucked from the Rio Grande River in Mexico, and more than three decades later walked the Commencement […]

GCU graduate fulfills late mother's dream of her getting a college degree

Paula Fletcher put her education on pause at a young age to take care of her sick mother and relatives in need. With life’s hardships […]

The talented and tenacious bring stories to Commencement stage

Three days of inspiration begins Wednesday at Fall Commencement for online and cohort students, who share their stories of talent and determination that led them […]

Her story of resilience through 9/11, COVID

Elizabeth Gerena, a child of Puerto Rican immigrants who grew up in public housing in New York, could have had a bleak future if not […]

First gen teacher hopes to make a difference

Laura Carranza never thought college was a possibility. But the daughter of immigrant parents just earned her second degree, a master’s in educational leadership, and […]