NW Valley Times

Director of K12 Outreach Jenn Mitchell and her team are rolling out Grand Canyon University's (GCU) new scholarship program, Canyon Rising, in the fall. The initiative is an evolution of the Students Inspiring Students (SIS) program, which began in response to challenges faced by Alhambra High School.

In 2012, GCU President Brian Mueller learned about Alhambra's D rating from the Arizona Department of Education due to poor performance on the Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS). Motivated by this news, Mueller approached Kent Scribner, superintendent of the Phoenix Union High School District, asking how GCU could help. This led to discussions with then-Alhambra Principal Claudio Coria about the school's unique challenges. At that time, 82% of students were Hispanic and many others came from diverse backgrounds including Somalia, Burma, and Vietnam. Language barriers and poverty were significant issues.

These conversations resulted in the creation of the Learning Lounge in 2013. This after-school academic assistance program saw GCU's top students tutoring Alhambra students in reading and math. In 2016, GCU introduced the SIS scholarship, offering full-tuition scholarships to Learning Lounge participants who would continue tutoring high school students while attending college.

Jennifer Mitchell noted that SIS was a successful model: “That worked really well, and it was a beautiful model.” The program expanded beyond Alhambra to over 20 high schools in the Canyon Corridor and Maryvale areas. By 2022-23, SIS extended its reach to any Arizona student demonstrating academic excellence.

Over nine years, GCU awarded scholarships to 738 students through SIS. More than 200 recipients have graduated with undergraduate degrees so far. However, aiming for greater impact, GCU will launch Canyon Rising this fall.

“We are supporting students to and through graduation very well,” said Mitchell regarding SIS and other scholarship programs like TheDream.US for undocumented students. “But we wanted to change the model and scope and scale it.”

Canyon Rising will offer scholarships to 300 students annually—200 commuters receiving tuition and fees coverage while another 100 will also receive housing and meal plans. Changes include a focus on job placement within their field of study by junior year through paid internships or jobs.

Mitchell explained: “We found that sometimes our students graduate but without real-life experience... Our point is let’s get them job experience early.” This approach aims at integrating scholars into their communities post-graduation.

Feedback from SIS alumni highlighted financial literacy as a crucial area for improvement. Mitchell stated plans include connecting scholars with banking representatives for basic banking skills as freshmen progressing towards investment knowledge by senior year.

Additionally, recognizing networking opportunities on golf courses where business transactions often occur, Canyon Rising plans to teach scholars golf skills.

Current SIS scholars will continue receiving support alongside recipients of TheDream.US scholarship while welcoming new Canyon Rising scholars this fall. As of early June, nearly 110 students had accepted the new scholarship.