Honors College

Madeline Bradshaw was interested in aerospace engineering, and her time at GCU sparked her interest in computer-aided design. Then a summer internship led to a great job she secured even before graduating last spring — she’s an Associate Engineer for Aerojet Rocketdyne and has clients in NASA and the Department of Defense. She credits her GCU professors for helping her reach her potential.

It’s the same scholarship that has been changing the lives of incoming Honors College students for years, but now it has a new name: the Academic Excellence & Servant Leadership Scholarship. The annual reception for scholarship winners had to be conducted online because of the pandemic. “We wanted these students to have an opportunity to engage with one another and have a moment to reflect on how special this scholarship opportunity really is,” Honors College Associate Dean Dr. Breanna Naegeli said.

The Honors College’s Student Advisory Board, which works as a bridge between faculty and students to put together Honors activities, has even more members this year. It’s quality as well as quantity. Program Manager Dennis Williams calls it “the most phenomenal group we’ve ever had.” Eighth in a nine-part series on each college as the semester begins.

Dr. Breanna Naegeli has worked for the University for almost 11 years and has multiple siblings with GCU degrees, but she couldn’t herself be called an alumna — until now. She successfully defended her dissertation in May and completed her Ph.D. in Performance Psychology.

Luke Elliot never imagined that he’d be working in medical insurance when he decided to pursue a business degree at GCU, but last month he joined Aetna as a senior project manager. The experience taught him that connections with professors can pay off and a business degree can be valuable in many fields.

The College of Science, Engineering and Technology Research Symposium and Honors Showcase made a quick transition to online when the COVID-19 precautions were put in place. “For a tight three-week timeline, I think our administration, faculty and students did an incredible job bringing their work to life in a virtual manner,” said Breanna Naegeli, Honors College Associate Dean.

The COVID-19 pandemic couldn’t stop the Honors College from holding its annual awards banquet. Associate Dean Breanna Naegeli and her staff just had to find a different way to do it. So for the first time, the banquet was made available via livestream Tuesday night as students celebrated the year with an added benefit — their families could be with them.

What do you get when you combine the Milwaukee Brewers and GCU’s Honors College? The Brewers STEM Crew after school club. The program for middle school students, who were led by students from the Honors College, highlighted the STEM involved in baseball through an active, engaging approach.

After a troubled childhood, Christopher Robinson didn’t want a relationship with God. But when he finally opened his heart to Jesus, it made such an impact on him, he wrote a book and wants to become a youth pastor after he graduates. “It got to a point where God was so real, where I could not deny it, I could not continue to do what I was doing prior,” Robinson said. “It just wasn’t possible.”

Colangelo College of Business Honors Freshman Noah Viso has done things in his freshman year that some people don’t even do until later in their degree program, or in some cases, even after they graduate. Viso is employed as a student worker, interns at the Canyon Ventures Center, attends networking events for businesses such as Ferrari and communicates with board members of JPMorgan Chase, all while maintain an honors-level grade-point average and attending nearly all of the Honors College’s events.