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1 2 • GCU MAGAZ I NE
P
ahoran Fornes always had one goal — to
make his parents and siblings proud.
He played sports, kept his grades up,
volunteered within the community, attended
church and looked after his brothers. It was a
tight-knit bond.
But that cocoon was unraveled during his
sophomore year at Washington High School
in Phoenix when he arrived home one day and
found it nearly empty — his parents, three of his
four siblings and most of their belongings were
gone, with only his bed and clothes left behind.
His uncle Jesus gave him a place to stay, and
it wasn’t until the following day that Fornes
learned what had happened: His family had
been deported to Mexico.
Jane Sabuni, her parents and six siblings didn’t
have it easy in their native Tanzania, but they were
happy where they were until civil war forced them
to flee in 2010. They were placed in Phoenix by the
U.S. Immigration Service, and Jane was forced to
assimilate into school. She didn’t speak English.
Fast forward from those incredible
challenges to the evening of May 12, when
Grand Canyon University brought together
the first 100 recipients of its new “Students
Inspiring Students” full-tuition scholarships for
a celebration at GCU Arena.
The featured student speakers? None other
than Fornes and Sabuni — one left here by
fate, the other brought here by fate, but both
determined to make fate their friend.
The idea of the program is as simple as it
is life-changing for both students and their
‘Students Inspiring
Students’ filled with
great stories, but
these two twists
of fate resonate
B Y J E A N N E T T E C R U Z
INSPIRA