#WhereAreTheyNow highlights New Life alumni to see where they have gone and how they are making a difference in their chosen fields. Our Portrait of a Graduate list characteristics of a New Life Academy graduate. See how these alumni are making an impact.
Matt Nylin – ’05
Matt Nylin graduated from New Life Academy in 2005 and attended University of Northwestern – St Paul. He graduated in 2010 with a degree in youth and family studies. He married Jessica and has two children, Charli and Elijah, along with one on the way. He is no stranger to New Life Academy as he remains connected to the school and has now enrolled his own children. We stopped in the halls one morning to catch up and find out more about what he is doing now and the impact he is having on our community.
I get the privilege of being a youth and associate campus pastor at River Valley Church and have been there for the past 7 1/2 years. I was the youth and associate campus pastor at our Faribault campus for 3 1/2 years and then at our Woodbury location for the remaining time. Moving from an attendee, to volunteer, to intern and now staff, it has been a fun journey to see how being faithful can bring you places you never would have thought possible.
As you look back at your time at New Life, tell us how your time at New Life had a role in strengthening your faith and shaping your character.
New Life helped bring a spiritual foundation that has continued through today. From the weekly chapels, Bible classes and incredible faculty and staff, it’s not like an ordinary school. We know by the time you graduate that these individuals are here to set you up for the next chapter in your life. Although as a teenager, we don’t always appreciate the things given to us at the time, but looking back, the heart of what New Life is is one of a kind!
What was the driving factor for enrolling your own children at New Life and what would you tell other parents considering an NLA education?
It is an amazing place that partners with you to see your kids thrive not only academically but also spiritually. Moving back to the Twin Cities, it was definitely one of my top priorities because of how much of an impact it made on my life and even now after almost her first school year, how it is already making an impact on my daughter’s life.