Freedom and Faithful Leadership

Transcript

let’s now head over to the crosses on campus to meet Bethany. She received her undergraduate degree here in Christian Studies, and is now pursuing her master’s in counseling. And Bethany is gonna speak about freedom and faithful leadership here at Grand Canyon University. The story she has about deciding to come here is just awesome. Bethany, please take it away.

– What’s up everybody. I am so excited to share my story on how I decided on GCU. I was in my senior year at a small Christian school in Colorado Springs, and I had dreamed of going to a big Christian university. I was student body president, I was in honors, and dual enrollment courses each year in high school with a very high GPA. This presented me with the opportunity to apply to even Ivy League universities, as well as obtain multiple scholarship offers. However, months later, my parents and I were on a plane to Phoenix, Arizona to visit Grand Canyon University. And the first thing I noticed, was the Latinx culture. There were Mexican restaurants and mom-and-pop shops. That’s true in my multicultural loving heart, my striving for missions. Fast forward to a few days of getting to know campus, and my parents and I were invited to a chapel service, where the speaker was talking about the life of a warrior woman, and giving credence to the power that women in leadership have. This kept tugging at my heart as I thought about the possible opportunities and experiences I could have here. So, I decided to attend GCU to pursue my undergraduate in Christian Studies with the intention of then going on doing master’s in counseling. Throughout my time as a student in the theology program, I was given the freedom to explore at my own pace, and I had a plethora of options around campus to further engage in my faith. One of the best parts about my experience as a student, was getting to truly connect with the kids in this neighborhood, through my student worker position, which eventually turned into my full-time position here at GCU while I work on my master’s in counseling. I was given the opportunity to lead GCU’s Thunder Vision program, which teaches college readiness to middle school students from neighboring Title 1 schools. These kids likely have never thought college would be an option for their life, but once they come to campus and they hear what we have to say, it changes everything, including themselves and their family’s lives. Yes, I went into this program to change these kids’ lives. Man, these kids have changed my life just as much. My husband and I love this neighborhood so much that we decided to move into it and become a part of this culture. I wouldn’t have any of this if it weren’t for GCU, and I know there’s so many other people who have had these life-changing experiences here. It’s almost magical. I have loved to telling my story to you guys about my time here at GCU, and now, Alex, it’s back you.

– What an incredible story. Your excitement for GCU is contagious. Thank you for opening up and telling us that awesome story. That was a lot of fun. Cheers, Bethany.