High school seniors get full-ride scholarships to Grand Canyon University

PHOENIX — Grand Canyon University is surprising high school students from the Phoenix area with money.

It’s scholarship money for deserving seniors from inner city schools. Those who qualify and win get a full-ride to college.

Students at Washington High School, Glendale High School and Bourgade Catholic High School got the good word yesterday.

“I’m kind of speechless, honestly,” said Emese Moor from Washington High School, one of the 100 local high school seniors who learned Monday they’re getting tuition and expenses for four years at GCU. “This kind of opportunity doesn’t come to many,” she said.

Flor Varelas said without the scholarship money she could not afford college.

“I wasn’t sure if I was going to receive the scholarship, and I’m so grateful for it,” Varelas said.

To qualify, the students met academic criteria, showed financial need and accepted tutoring for their school work. The tutoring came from GCU’s Learning Lounge, a free after-school program, where the students put in a total of 100 hours. The program is called “Students Inspiring Students” because those who get tutoring, do the tutoring for the next class the following year.

Lizbeth Garcia, also from Washington High School, said in addition to participating in the Learning Lounge, the students had to keep up a 3.5 grade-point average.

“We had to complete 100 hours at a Learning Lounge and we would get help from all of the students that received the scholarship last year,” Garcia said. “And that’s what we will be doing next year; we will be helping the future recipients.”

Garcia said she plans to become a mechanical engineer.

The money is raised by GCU’s Scholarship Foundation, along with local business and philanthropic leaders.