Nominations Open for CCCU 2027 Young Alumni Award

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) is now accepting nominations for the 2027 Young Alumni Award, which honors an outstanding graduate of a CCCU member institution whose work demonstrates uncommon leadership, meaningful impact, and a commitment to values rooted in Christian higher education.

CCCU member institutions are invited to nominate a young alumnus or alumna whose life and vocation reflect the transformative power of Christ-centered education. Nominees should have graduated from a CCCU member institution within the past decade, from 2016 through 2026, and should exemplify excellence, service, and faithful engagement in their field or community.

Submitted nominees will be featured by the CCCU as part of a broader celebration of the impact of Christian higher education. Institutions are encouraged to consider graduates who are using their gifts, education, and calling to serve their communities and make a difference in the world.

Nominations are due Friday, October 9. Institutions may review the nomination guidelines and submit nominations online.

Recent winners of the CCCU's Young Alumni Award include:

2026 | Lucas Fonseca, Grace College

• Inspired by his own experiences as an international student at Grace College, Fonseca founded Language Matters, a research, consulting, translation and language-learning services business.

2025 | Cydney Bridges, Huntington University

• Cydney Bridges serves as a nurse providing critical care for children, in addition to using her platform as a runner-up in the Miss America 2024 pageant to advocate for youth empowerment and mentorship.

2024 | Lindy Cleveland, Samford University

• Lindy Cleveland serves as founder and executive director of Unless U, a nonprofit that provides faith-based education and professional training to adults with developmental disabilities.

About the CCCU

The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities is a higher education association of more than 170 Christian institutions around the world. Since 1976, the CCCU has served as the leading voice of Christian higher education. With campuses across the globe, including more than 130 in the U.S. and Canada and more than 30 from an additional 18 countries, CCCU institutions are accredited, comprehensive colleges and universities whose missions are Christ-centered and rooted in the historic Christian faith. Most also have curricula rooted in the arts and sciences. The CCCU's mission is to advance the cause of Christ-centered higher education and to help our institutions transform lives by faithfully relating scholarship and service to biblical truth.

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