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“I love Charlie … he is very talented and maybe at first glance people wouldn’t see it, but once you see it, you can’t not see it,” said Russ Lackey, Grand View’s senior campus pastor. “He is just an amazing person. GV is lucky to have him, and I am thankful that I get to know him.” 

GV student Charlie Flippen had a stroke at birth. The umbilical cord wrapped around his neck causing him to lose oxygen to the brain as well as experience a seizure. These complications at birth caused Flippen to grow up with a minor disability, which caused some difficulties for the start of his childhood. Flippen found it hard to deal with the noisiness of school and the unknown schedule that was before him each day. 

“I had to have an aid and all these different things just to survive in school,” Flippen said.

Through physical, occupational and speech therapy, he overcame some of his struggles and became less dependent on others. 

Flippen graduated from Roosevelt High School with good experiences through extracurriculars such as choir and theater but still struggled with being understood in school. Because of this, Flippen took some time away from school before continuing to college.

 “I said to my mom, ‘I want to go to college. I am ready to try that experience out,’” Flippen said. “I took a tour and decided to audit classes, and it’s been the best experience. I love it here, and I just don’t ever want to leave. The biggest blessing that’s ever been granted to me is Grand View University.”

Most students attending GV are here to work toward the goal of graduating with a degree that they can use in the future. However, that is not the case for Flippen. He is classified as a non-degree seeking student, who audits classes. According to the College of Letters and Science Administrative Gateway at the University of Wisconsin, auditing a class allows a student to take a class without the benefit of a grade or credit for a course.

Flippen is taking these classes as a way of reaching his goal of one day becoming a high school church youth director. In this position he would plan events, lesson plans and outreach programs for high schoolers. 

Taking these classes has allowed Flippen to have a college experience and practice working with people. This will all be helpful in his mission to teach people more about Christianity and let them feel like they have a place in the world. 

 Having faith is very important to Flippen, and it is something he says has always been a big part of his life — even more so currently. Flippen grew up in a Christian family going to church most Sundays with loving parents and an amazing sister. However, he didn’t really dig into his faith until the loss of his aunt, who he describes as the center of his universe. 

After the passing of his aunt, he realized that he really enjoyed attending the services and found that they were a sort of coping mechanism for him. 

“When you lose someone that’s so important in your life growing up, it really shatters your whole world,” Flippen said. “So, I had to find something to really center my life around again.”  

In his opinion, taking classes, learning new info and meeting new people are some of the best things that GV has offered Flippen.  

“Grand View Campus Ministry, most importantly Pastor Russ, Alex Krumm and Angie Larsen have shown me the epitome of what it means to be leaders,” Flippen said. “They have taken me under their wing and treated me like family. I feel like for the first time in a long time that I have the love and support that I’ve wanted from a school. I am so grateful to have Grand View.”