A grandmother, mother, and daughter discover that education has no expiration date and that answering God’s call can shape generations.

For the Evans-Brady family, college has become more than an individual pursuit. It has become a family story.

Three women. Three different seasons of life. Three distinct callings.

Yet Deanna Evans, her daughter Resha Evans, and her granddaughter Nyree Brady have found themselves connected by something none of them initially planned: each choosing Life Pacific University as a place to pursue an education, deepen her faith, and prepare for what God was calling her to do.

Their journey began with Deanna.

At a stage of life when many people might assume their educational opportunities have passed, Deanna felt God calling her forward. She enrolled at LPU with a desire to deepen her understanding of Scripture and become better equipped to minister, disciple, and encourage others.

“I did not allow my age to be a limitation to what God can do,” Deanna said. “God still has a purpose for my life.”

In 2026, at age 66, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Ministry and Leadership while serving as a licensed minister, chaplain, missionary, and outreach leader. She is now continuing her education by pursuing a master’s degree in theology.

Crossing the commencement stage was significant not only for Deanna, but for the family watching her.

“This accomplishment was a testimony that it is never too late to pursue your calling,” she said. “Perseverance, faith, and determination can give you the hope that will inspire you and your children in generations to come.”

A Granddaughter Finds Her Place

Around the same time Deanna was beginning her LPU journey, her granddaughter, Nyree Brady, was still in high school and considering her own future.

Nyree remembers discovering LPU as something she had not necessarily been looking for.

“Once I heard about LPU, it felt like a demand to go,” she said. “It wasn’t what I was searching for, but it was searching for me.”

Nyree enrolled in LPU’s B.A. in Media & Communications program and quickly found opportunities to put what she was learning into practice. She began photographing life on campus and later became LPU’s social media coordinator and photographer while also building her work as a freelance and wedding photographer.

For Nyree, the intersection between faith and creativity has been particularly formative.

“LPU has helped me understand that my faith should be part of everything I do, including my work,” she said. “I’ve learned that media and photography can also be ways I serve God and people.”

She credits faculty members Andy and Carissa Hawksworth, along with Lex and Dan Fernandez and close friendships formed at LPU, with helping shape her experience. Those relationships, she said, gave her a sense of belonging while challenging her to grow spiritually and creatively.

But one of Nyree’s most meaningful LPU moments came not through a class or creative project, but through watching her grandmother graduate.

“Seeing my grandma graduate was really special. I was proud of her, but I was also inspired by her,” Nyree said. “Seeing her walk across that stage made me realize that family can influence what you believe is possible for yourself.”

Then Mom Said Yes

The story might have ended with two generations. Instead, a third woman felt God calling her to take a step of her own.

Resha Evans watched her mother and daughter pursue their education at LPU while sensing that God might have something more for her as well.

Then, in 2025, she encountered LPU representatives in the courtyard of her church, Patria.

“In that moment, I felt God confirming that it was time for me to take that step, too,” Resha recalled.

A salon owner, Resha had spent years discovering that hairstyling often involved much more than hair. Clients trusted her with their stories, struggles, and lives, and she found herself naturally encouraging and supporting them.

She began to see the possibility of turning that instinct to help others into a new vocation.

Resha enrolled in LPU’s B.A. in Psychology program with a goal of eventually becoming a licensed marriage and family therapist.

“I believe we need more Christian therapists who can incorporate faith and biblical principles into the way they serve others,” she said. “I wanted to take that natural desire to help others and gain education and skills to serve people in a greater capacity.”

Her LPU experience has already become deeply personal.

“LPU has not only challenged me academically, but it has also challenged me spiritually and personally,” Resha said, “helping me grow, move forward, and become more intentional about the person God is calling me to be.”

She remembers one of her earliest conversations at LPU with Professor Whitney Chrisman, who encouraged her and prayed with her.

“I was nervous and unsure,” Resha recalled, “but by the time our conversation ended and she finished praying, I felt a sense of peace. I knew that everything was going to be okay and that I was not alone in my academic journey.”

When a Family Learns Together

Perhaps the most compelling part of the Evans-Brady story is that influence has never moved in only one direction.

The grandmother has modeled courage and perseverance. The granddaughter has brought a fresh perspective on faith, creativity, and life. And the mother has found herself standing between generations, learning from both while helping connect them.

Together, they have encouraged one another through assignments, prayer, accomplishments, difficult moments, and new possibilities.

“I’ve learned that age does not determine our ability to learn and grow,” Resha said. “No matter what stage of life we are in, we can learn from one another, uplift and encourage each other, and even grow from each other’s experiences.”

Then she put their experience into a phrase that has come to define their family’s LPU story:

“A family that prays together stays together, and I believe the same can be said for a family that learns together grows together.”

For Resha, that is the deeper meaning of legacy.

“Building a legacy is not just about what we leave behind, but also about what we build together along the way.”

Education Without an Expiration Date

Their individual paths reflect three very different expressions of calling.

Deanna is preparing for ministry and theological leadership.

Resha is pursuing psychology with the hope of serving others through counseling.

Nyree is developing as a creative storyteller, photographer, and media professional.

But underneath those differences is a common conviction: education and spiritual formation can continue throughout a lifetime.

“We believe and have experienced that education is for every age; it does not have an expiration date,” Deanna said. “It is never too late or too early to learn and discover your purpose.”

That message now extends beyond these three women.

They hope the generations who follow them will see their story and recognize that faithfulness sometimes means having the courage to begin—whether at 18, 38, 68, or somewhere in between.

“I hope LPU will have contributed not just a degree to my family’s legacy,” Resha said, “but also shown future generations that it is never too late to pursue your dreams, grow in your faith, and answer God’s calling on your life.”

For Deanna, the view is similar.

She sees what began as one personal decision to pursue her calling becoming something much larger: a legacy of faith, education, perseverance, and purpose being passed from one generation to another.

And perhaps that is the most powerful part of this family’s story.

One woman said yes.

Then another.

Then another.

Three generations, learning together, encouraging one another, and discovering that when calling takes root, its impact can reach far beyond a single life.