Arizona’s World of Local Opportunity: Colangelo Scholars

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“The community owes us nothing. It’s up to us to go out and earn their respect.”

-Jerry Colangelo

Honors College has a world of opportunity. With our up-and-coming trip to Israel, our Honors trips to Central America and various countries in Europe, our students have been able to develop across cultures beyond America. While international experiences are essential, there are incredible opportunities in the heart of Arizona. Arizona is a growing melting pot, where tech, real-estate and education converge.

Any student can often get caught up in schoolwork; they neglect opportunities to engage in the heart of Arizona’s work culture.  Recently Arizona Governor Doug Ducey bragged about 300,000 new jobs, a 5.5 percent Arizonian personal income growth and the nation’s first “universal license registration.”

With all these significant moves in Arizona, students ought to be ready for ripe new opportunities. Whether you come to our Leadership Conference, a networking event or even one of our field trips, the Honors College at Grand Canyon University is here to help you get involved with the pulse of the 48th state.

A great way to get in the front seat of these Maricopa opportunities is to simply join the Honors College’s “Colangelo Scholars” club. Don’t have a car? We bring the valley to our students (or the students to the valley). This club keeps tabs on the best opportunities in-house and external opportunities — Colangelo Scholars even sends out communication to opportunities being hubbed in GCU like our job fair.

If the opportunity is somewhere in Arizona, we often carpool or rent a bus. In the past, we have had humble trips to Vanguard, CDW, Seedspot and even the BBB. Our students get to network, meet and join these fantastic organizations.

Beyond our internal experiences and our wealth of human capital, we have had mentorship sessions with local leaders, even crafting a Leadership Conference where students could get inspired. In our Honors College Advisory Board, we have had individuals who have worked as a CEO for Walmart Argentina, a Regional Manager of Community Engagement at Uber, an Executive from IBM and even a Phoenix Business Person of the Year.

Throughout the year, you will have opportunities to hear these individuals speak and get their insight. While many of these individuals have worked everywhere in the world, they have called Arizona their home and with good reason.

Be sure to maximize where you are! Understanding unique cultures are important, but one of the most critical cultures to decrypt is your calling in business. While Phoenix is composed of snowbirds, California transplants and lifelong Maricopa-lovers, there is a diversity of opportunity here. You never know, maybe the job you have been looking for in your life might be just in Phoenix.

To learn more about how you can join a community of like-minded honors students in making change in the world, visit our website or click the Request More Information button on this page.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Grand Canyon University. Any sources cited were accurate as of the publish date.

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