The intimate details of one of APU’s largest spectacles that you’ll want to know whether you were at the event or not.
On Saturday, October 19, Azusa Pacific held its 73rd Dinner rally, continuing the tradition of bringing people together from all around the world. Attendees come in their formal attire not only to celebrate APU’s 125 years of shaping disciples, but to also raise funds specifically for students’ scholarships. This year’s theme was legacy, which meant something a little different for each person.
A few of those in attendance at the gala included Cliff Hamlow, who essentially started APU’s sports program in the mid 50s, the family of the late former APU president Jon Wallace and former APU president Richard Felix. These members represent decades of historic leadership who all aren’t simply a part of APU’s legacy but have become a legacy themselves.
For current President Adam Morris, he’s entering into his third year at APU after spending most of his career at Biola University. Yet, he’s already seen the ways in which God’s enriched APU. While journaling on a long plane ride back, he reflected on all of the positive changes the university’s gone through. Impressed with the list Morris wrote some of them out in a pamphlet which each attendee received a copy of.
Andrew Barton, Vice President for University Development, said of Morris, “I’ve seen his calling strengthen. His conviction about APU’s mission deepened and I’ve seen his clarity of leadership sharpen the community.” Barton expanded, adding Morris has an unwavering belief in the message of 1 Samuel 2:30, that those who honor God, God will honor. This captures a key theme with every rally of trusting in God’s provision.
It’s a belief several undergraduate students have had to put into practice. Morris said currently 100% of undergraduates have received some sort of financial aid, but that still some of these students don’t know how they’ll make their next payment due November 1. Some, who don’t know if they’ll be able to pay for the rest of the semester, have even reached out to him directly for help. The night was an effort to help those students and several others.
A testimony of the donors’ support, two alumni and one current student spoke in a Q&A with Barton (and with three 30 foot banners of them as a backdrop). Erick Quintanilla ’11, MM ’13 spoke about how he went from a troubled kid attending a school district in a poorer area, to finding a path for himself through music. This path, which took him all around the world in his service to the military, led him to APU and eventually back to an underserved area in Boiling Heights where he shaped strong music programs.
One organization was so impressed with what Quintanilla was doing at a middle school, they donated $140,000 for his classroom to have more proper band instruments. Then he was invited onto the ”Kelly Clarkson” show. “I didn’t necessarily want to be on TV but I did it because I knew it would be a highlight for the Boiling Heights community.” This television appearance led to a $20,000 donation from Pandora.
On stage, Barton also announced to Quintanilla that three weeks prior to 9/11’s anniversary, in an annual tradition, 500 American flags were placed outside of City Hall. Each year APU has one of those flags and APU’s flag this year was in the name of Quintanilla for his military service.
Continuing with the theme of music, between each interview APU’s symphony orchestra and chapel band took on explosive interpretations of worship songs, all of which arrangements were done by Michael Lee. That led into The next alum, Bailey Wilson ’18, who’s Bondi Bowl’s founder.
Wilson left her home state of Oklahoma for APU. Scholarships made this possible for both her and her sister. Upon graduating, she went to Australia where she intended on staying. However, with Covid-19 pandemic and news that her father had been diagnosed with cancer, she returned to the states. In helping her father recover, she made several smoothie bowls for him. They were such a hit she formed Bondi Bowls, named after her favorite place in Australia.
Now Bondi Bowls can be found in seven states and will soon make its way across the world. Not only has Wilson started a business, but she’s created a mission which serves local communities. For this, her business was given the “Philanthropic Business of the Year,” just a year into its founding.
Up next was current engineering and honors student, Madey Sule ‘27, from Nigeria. Sule was the Trustees’ scholarship recipient for her class. Before receiving it, Sule wasn’t sure how she’d make it to America for the Trustee scholarship interview. Her mom told her to “determine God is faithful before her circumstances unfolded.” Thus, in her journal she wrote she trusted God no matter what and in the end, she earned the scholarship which covers her full tuition.
Sule hopes to help Nigeria develop proper prosthetics, something she’s seen amputees in her home country be without. In fact, she’s presenting her research on materials that could help build prosthetic foots in Baltimore. Sule says of the scholarship which enabled these experiences, “It’s flipped my whole life around. It’s given me the opportunity, a simple girl from a small town in Nigeria, to be able to chase her dreams, to be able to go after something and know she’s capable of doing it.”
With that, guests finished their dessert, a part of their meal which was meticulously tested and tasted by a select few of the attendees a while before the rally. A talk of the night, the pumpkin cheesecake!
At last year’s dinner rally, Zu Media spoke to Kerry Shynn. Shynn is married to David Shynn, APU’s Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer. David Shynn hadn’t even officially begun his first day at APU when he and his wife were thrust into a crowd of longtime associates with APU.
Zu Media was able to catch up with Kerry Shynn. Now a year into APU, Shynn was able to look back on her first introduction to APU.
”We weren’t even officially a part of the APU community and I sat next to you guys [Zu Media]. That was providential. It wasn’t a coincidence. Putting an APU student next to me really helped me see this isn’t about me or my husband, or starting a new job or not knowing, but really before the beginning God showed me what the heart of APU is,” Shynn said. Experiencing this, she understood the reason for the rally’s tradition, adding, “The core of APU are its students and as President Morris said tonight, if it weren’t for scholarships, if it wasn’t for God’s provision, most students wouldn’t be here.”
Coming to APU was a difficult decision for the Shynns. Similar to Morris, David Shynn worked at Biola for 20 years. Kerry Shynn had known him for fifteen of those years. While she has her own career working at an architecture firm, Biola’s community was still close to home–literally and figuratively. When David Shynn first considered coming to APU, Kerry Shynn immediately thought of the commute. Driving to the rally took one hour and 20 minutes and both Shynns knew they’d have to figure out new ways to get their children to their activities.
With the timing feeling all wrong, at first the two resisted what they believed to be God’s call. However, Kerry Shynn couldn’t help but see that her husband shined whenever he brought up APU. Like many there tonight, they decided to, in Kerry Shynn’s words, “trust in God’s provision.”
In a year’s time, Shynn has developed friendships with board members, joking she may have to buy more dresses with all of APU’s events. At the end of the night, Shynn also said goodbye to President Morris’s wife, Faith Morris, a person she admires especially since they both have undergone similar journeys in their husbands leaving Biola for APU.
Additionally, in getting to know APU students, she knows her donations and her prayers aren’t going to an anonymous cause, but rather they’re making a real, tangible difference. “These scholarships will help foster outcomes the students don’t even see coming; far beyond their biggest dreams. That’s how God works to the point where they’ll look back and think ‘that was cute when my dream was the sky and now I’m in the outer edges of the universe,” Shynn said.
Shynn’s message was echoed by President Morris in the Rally’s closing prayer. In this he expressed gratitude for all that has been given so far and promised to have great expectation for the unseeable things God will continue to do long into the future as APU keeps their eyes on him.