10 students graduate from Gateway Arizona

The class of 2026 at the Arizona Campus of Gateway Seminary graduated on May 8. Ten students graduated in the commencement ceremony led by Dallas Bivins, director of the Arizona Campus.

Following the ceremony, the seminary held its Gateway Gathering where alumni, students, friends and family were able to celebrate the accomplishments of the graduates as well as recognize the certificate recipients. Both events were held at Northwest Chinese Baptist Church in Phoenix.

Gateway President Adam Groza concluded the graduation ceremony with his commencement address. In his charge to the graduates, he focused on the prophet Micaiah in 2 Chronicles 18.

Groza’s emphasis was on faithfulness in the ministry as well as being obedient to God’s Word. In an age when people will look for what pleases their ears, he said, it is essential that the graduates remain grounded in the truth, willing to say the hard and unpopular things. There is a need for personal obedience but also to teach and proclaim truth, he said.

The degrees and their recipients were:

• ADVANCE Diploma in Christian Ministry: Jack Allen Pitre
• Master of Theological Essentials: Casy Cheung (Posthumous)
• Master of Theological Studies: Noah Jaeger
• Master of Theological Studies: Valine Lim
• Master of Theological Studies: Warnesia Casey (Dual Degree)
• Master of Christian Counseling: Warnesia Casey (Dual Degree)
• Master of Educational Leadership: Erin Cassidy
• Master of Divinity: Bo Xing
• Master of Divinity: Dustin DeJong
• Master of Divinity: John Paul Walton
• Master of Divinity: Roland A. Pierce

Two students were recognized with awards during the ceremony.

Gateway Seminary President Adam Groza (left in each photo) presents the Dan and Harriet Stringer Award to Roland Pierce, left photo, and the Zondervan Award in Biblical Hebrew to John Walton, right photo.

Roland Pierce, pastor of Broadway Missionary Baptist Church in Phoenix, received the Dan and Harriet Stringer Award for a student who has demonstrated perseverance through difficulty in completing seminary education.

John Walton, youth minister at First Southern Baptist Church at Sahuaro Ranch in Glendale, received the Zondervan Award in Biblical Hebrew for excellence in the study of Biblical Hebrew along with his study of three cognate languages: Aramaic, Ugaritic, and Akkadian.

Gateway Seminary is partnering with churches to provide seminary education in your backyard. Programs can be shaped to fit the needs of your church.

From smaller programs like the Bible Teaching Certificate, all the way up to Master’s Degrees, Gateway has something to equip the leaders in your church for where God is calling. With new opportunities to partner and have classes in your church, attending seminary has never been easier. For more information, call 602-843-8544 or email arc-info@gs.edu.