For Chris Lynch, choosing PLNU for his college home was never the obvious choice. When deciding his next steps at the end of his time in high school, Chris knew there were a lot of considerations. He was known for being an exceptional rugby player by most of his peers, and many people thought he would make the sport his biggest priority.
“When I was choosing colleges, people expected me to go to one of the colleges that recruited me, or one of those bigger schools that had really good rugby programs to see how far I could take it,” Chris said. “Everyone thought that’s what I would do, except for me and the people who knew me best — the people who knew I was more than just the rugby guy.”
One of those people was Jocelyn Pierce, a PLNU alumna who was a youth pastor for Chris when he was in high school. Chris described that she had become a friend and mentor who helped foster spaces to “build the foundations of [his] faith.”
Pierce described how Chris would often help volunteer with ministry retreats and events for younger kids, and knew that his family made “faith formation” a top priority.
“He was just always willing to serve, and usually did so with a smile,” Pierce said. “I get the sense he genuinely submitted his life to Christ at a young age and that has guided him.”
When Chris was looking at his options in Christian higher education, he knew Pierce was an alumna from PLNU. He reached out to discuss it with her during his decision process.
“I was so surprised when I found out Chris was looking into and [later] attending Point Loma,” Pierce said. “[But] I know PLNU has had an impact beyond SoCal, because it shaped me and the decisions I made after graduation, and I hope that my work is making an impact here in New England.”
Chris heard about the programs PLNU had to offer, and the great community that sticks with alumni long after graduation. He also looked into the rugby club that would allow him to continue living out his love of the sport.
“I felt that Point Loma had more to offer than just rugby, and even academics.”
Some people were surprised at his choice to go to PLNU, especially those who thought he would thrive at a larger school. He was especially uncertain how his head rugby coach would react, since he was so closely involved in Chris’ development as a player throughout high school. But after gaining his coach’s blessing, Chris knew his course was set.
“I was a little nervous telling him that I was choosing Point Loma out of any of the other colleges, but to my surprise he was on board,” Chris said. “He knew where my heart was, and that was [when I knew] that I was making the right decision to come to Point Loma.”
“People always ask me when I tell them I’m from Boston, ‘How did you even hear about Point Loma?'”
Chris Lynch’s story reflects PLNU’s ability to provide value for students beyond the norm for college experiences. During his time on campus, Chris has been able to rise above expectations and challenge himself to use his passions, interests and skills for the benefit of others.
Scholarships — such as the Diversity in Leadership scholarship — and financial aid have helped empower Chris to come to afford the invaluable education PLNU has to offer. Here, he’s had the opportunity to enter into spaces of service and find ways to expand his impact as a leader, now and in the future.
Justice and Data Science
Chris is now a senior in the data science B.S. program. Although the area of study fits well into his skills and interests, his intended career path is different from most students in his major.
“I chose data science because I’ve always wanted to go into law enforcement — which might not sound related,” he explained. “But the biggest piece of advice I’ve gotten from someone in the field was to take what you’re good at and become even better to make yourself as unique as possible, [because] law enforcement agencies hire from all types of backgrounds to catch all types of criminals.”
“I felt Point Loma had more to offer than just rugby and even academics.”
A huge part of Chris’ calling into law enforcement came from his experiences in high school volunteering for The Philadelphia Project (TPP), a Christian organization that partners with local churches to help serve vulnerable communities in northwest Philadelphia. Chris served at homeless shelters, food pantries, and camps for children. At first, reaching out to the kids was more intimidating for Chris than helping with cleaning or food preparation. But as he pushed through his comfort zone, he was able to interact with the children in meaningful ways and be part of creating a safe space for them.
“As students opened up to me, I realized they looked up to me and trusted me,” Chris said. “How did that happen? I didn’t always know what to do or say, but I could be a listening ear and share a little of my heart.”
Chris said he was deeply impacted by a story shared by a man who had visited a homeless shelter run by TPP’s Mercy Ministry. The man struggled with substance abuse issues, which he revealed had begun after his daughter died by suicide after experiencing abuse from a trusted leader. Chris was moved by the story and equally frustrated at the seeming lack of justice around the situation.
“As I listened to this man pour out his story, I felt a deep conviction in my heart,” he said. “I was given opportunities that many were never given, and I wanted to use this to help those who maybe couldn’t help themselves. This affirmed my calling into law enforcement.”
He wanted to dedicate his future not only to seek restorative justice for the oppressed, but to improve the systems of inequality that often lead to harm.
“There are so many out there who fall victim to crime and injustice. I want to use my experiences and education to put a stop to as much as I can.”
Chris’ experience reflects an amazing trend from the wider PLNU experience. Students are empowered to use their areas of interest in faithful, creative ways to make a positive impact on others.
“I chose data science and worked at my mathematical, statistical, computer science skill sets… to serve in the talents God gave me.”
A Revitalized Rugby Club
Chris has been able to exercise good stewardship in other ways on PLNU’s campus — especially in the impact he’s made on the rugby community at PLNU.
Since its founding in 2001, the PLNU Rugby Club has been a staple to the club sports scene. The club is a member of the National Small College Rugby organization and competes in the Gold Coast Conference of Intercollegiate Rugby. The team aims to bring “the light of the world” into the sport, and is supported by the generosity of the PLNU Rugby Associates. Chris had heard of the club’s historical success — they had competed in Western Region Challenge Cup Championships in Pittsburgh in 2016 and 2017, finishing second and third respectively — but he entered the group at a difficult moment.
“When I came it was the year after Covid, and the program took a big hit,” Chris said. “It actually went under when I was a freshman … it just didn’t have the funds to support a well-run program.”
However, at the end of his freshman year, the club president asked if he wanted to take over and try to revamp the program. At first he felt too intimidated to say yes — especially as a freshman. He answered “no” in the moment, but thought and prayed about it afterward.
“I just get these feelings sometimes that this is something I should do,” he said. “Against my better judgment at the end of the year, I said yes, and I wanted to see what would happen.”
At the beginning of his second year, he leaped into action trying to get the program on its feet. He said it was an exceptional challenge to organize everything and reinstate the program.
“In the moment I was thinking about so much I didn’t register them as God moments. But looking back, those were blessings and signs from him that I should keep this thing going.”
“There was so much paperwork, so much red tape,” Chris remembered. “I felt like I was putting everything on my back and taking it up the hill one step at a time.”
Nevertheless, he was successful in reinstating the program. And Chris saw “miracle upon miracle” happen in the semester that followed to help keep the program afloat.
“In the moment I was thinking about so much I didn’t register them as God moments. But looking back, those were blessings and signs from Him that I should keep this thing going.”
A coach appeared who had recently left a high school position and wanted to coach at the college level. There were many community college players who were reaching out to PLNU’s team out of the blue, hoping to be recruited. The field was available, and they were able to secure funding from ASB.
“At the beginning [of the fall]… we had maybe 5–6 players at practice, maybe 10 on a good day,” Chris said. “By the beginning of our spring season, we had around 25 guys who wanted to play and had a full team. So we entered the league with very little expectation of success, we just wanted to play. It was a miracle we could even play.”
The revitalized team achieved amazing success. They ended the season undefeated — tying once — and won the Gold Coast League championship against the team they had tied with earlier in the season. Chris described the moment they won the championship as “surreal.”
“Thinking back at that stressful and challenging first semester, and it all culminating in that moment [with all] the players around me with smiles on their faces — this wouldn’t have been possible without all these things coming together. That’s nothing short of a miracle to me.”
Chris said the program is continuing to thrive. The number of players has continued to grow, and the program is going strong, thanks in large part to Chris’ leadership and the commitment of the new team members.
Growth and Ministry
One key scholarship helped not only to enable Chris to come to PLNU, but also to offer him a unique support system of students.
“Making my decision to come here was a lot easier because I ended up getting the Diversity in Leadership scholarship,” he said. “Basically, it was for students of multi-ethnic backgrounds to be in a space and find community [together].”
One of the qualifications for the scholarship is the requirement to participate as a leader in one of PLNU’s ministries. He chose to get involved in Ministry with Mexico, PLNU’s ministry that aims to create cross-cultural community with our neighbors in Mexico. The ministry involves construction projects, worship services, volunteering at schools and camps for children, and other opportunities. It also gives students the opportunity to learn more about the complex issues around the U.S.-Mexico border and immigration.
“Ministry with Mexico [was] one of the most unexpected blessings in my life,” Chris said.
“I was wrestling with the idea that I couldn’t solve everything. But I came to the conclusion that what I [could] do [was] give me heart to this program and have the intention to serve.”
Chris explained that at first he didn’t feel ready to commit wholeheartedly to a leadership role in the ministry — really, he didn’t know what to expect. Then, during ministry training in August, the group visited the Chicano museum, looked at artwork and murals, and learned about the culture and history of the Chicano people.
One of the museums had an art exhibit put on by children. The children had made art about themselves, answering questions like their name, favorite food, and “what do you want to be when you grow up?” The PLNU students ended up exploring the exhibit and listening to the children present their stories for hours.
“A lot of it was super fun – the kids wanted to be astronauts, firefighters, professional soccer players. Their favorite foods were pizza, burgers, tacos… in that moment I realized that these kids are so much like me when I was a little kid. I saw myself in a lot of these art [projects].
“But as I read on, they talked about hopes and dreams and what they wished for in the future. Some of the kids hoped that their dad would get out of jail one day. They wished that they could have dinner on the table every night. Some of the kids even wished their mom would stop crying every night, and they could make their sadness go away. I realized these kids were a lot like me, but I wouldn’t [fully] be able to understand what they were going through.”
After that, he remembers wrestling with God, wondering why many of these children, just 45 minutes south of PLNU, seemingly had so many more challenges. He also wondered how he could make any tangible difference in their lives.
“I was wrestling with the idea that I couldn’t solve everything,” he said. “But I came to the conclusion that what I can do [was] give my heart to this program, and have the intention to serve.”
After that moment, Chris felt more able to fully commit to Ministry with Mexico. He said the ministry team became close friends as they each grew more comfortable with leadership and responsibility in ministry together.
“[I learned] a lot about trying things that were uncomfortable, because on the other side of that is opportunity for growth,” he said. “Seeing challenges not as walls to overcome but as opportunities for growth, even in the face of adversity.”
Jeffrey Jiménez, the Director of Border Engagement Ministries, reflected that Chris has embraced his leadership role with confidence and calmness. This is especially true in how adaptable he is during ministry trips, which sometimes need to shift based on unforeseen circumstances.
“Many of the students participating have never been to Mexico before,” Jiménez said. “They don’t speak the language, and they’ve never had the opportunity to engage deeply with people outside of their own culture.
“Chris has this unique ability to lead these students out of their comfort zones, challenging them to grow while instilling confidence and maintaining a sense of safety. His leadership balances both encouragement and security, ensuring that each participant feels cared for.”
In all, Jiménez believes Chris has grown into a dependable leader. He praised Chris’ ability to dive into complex issues like immigration from an empathetic, Christ-centered perspective.
“As I reflect on Chris’ journey at Point Loma, I can’t help but be inspired by how much he’s grown,” Jiménez said. “Not only as a student [and] athlete, but also in his leadership as president of the rugby club and a leader of Ministry with Mexico. Chris exemplifies what it means to lead with humility and heart.”
Building Friendships That Last
Chris explained that a big part of his ability to stay motivated has come from the support of his friends at PLNU. In fact, the group of guys from his freshman hall ended up being friends for their entire college experience.
“When I entered college, most people said ‘you won’t [stay] friends with the friends you have freshman year, you’ll find your real friends later,’” Chris said. “But for me, that wasn’t the case at all — I’ve been friends with the same 10 guys since freshman year.”
Chris said he thinks PLNU’s faith-focused education helps students find connections with each other and get involved more easily. He explained that it helped him to travel beyond his comfort zone to become a leader in ministry, rugby, and other areas in and out of the classroom. He reflected that wherever he ends up in his professional life, he knows the connections he builds with others will always be more important than how much he earns.
“Everyone is seeking genuine relationships with each other,” he said. “People are actually interested in you, people want to know you. I think that’s a really good thing.”
The intentional, holistic growth fostered by PLNU’s Christ-centered community has never been more important for rising students. With your faithful support, students like Chris can continue to receive an affordable, purposeful education that sets them up for success through dependable mentorship, career-focused academics, and abundant ministry opportunities to become the servant-hearted leaders they’re called to be.
