Crystal Koch is a proud, new member of Pitt’s class of 2025 where she received a B.S. in Biology. Crystal came to us from Northampton, PA as a transfer student in the fall of 2023, as well as a member of the congregation served by a former campus pastor. Crystal has been a key part of the campus ministry community.
When Crystal arrived she suffered from what is known as “transfer shock” that all transfer students go through. She said, “You come from this really small college where you know everybody. You get to your new college and you’re really excited because your there and all of a sudden your realize you have no friends. Everybody already knows each other and you don’t know where you fit in.” Normally it lasts a couple months, but for Crystal it took a little bit longer. “I had friends but we just lived together. They were juniors and didn’t want to do all the new arrival stuff that I wanted to do. It was definitely a big adjustment.”
Crystal did start putting herself out there, and started meeting new friends, especially at the campus ministry. Her pastor at home made some connections for her with the campus pastor, so the campus ministry became an important place for her. “At first, I just observed everybody in their chaos,” she laughed,” but after a while it became really easy to put myself in conversations and get to know people on a deeper level.”
Crystal spent a large amount of time in the Lutheran University Center, studying and just hanging out. “This space is really great. We basically have free rein here. We have a code when we can just come in. A lot of times this last semester when I was freaking out about graduating. Just coming here to do homework calmed me down. I always knew I had a space to plug my laptop in.” She continued, “And the dinners helped a lot, not just with friends, but then I didn’t have to worry about what to eat. I cherish those nights the most. I even didn’t take a class because it happened the same time as our weekly meal in my last semester. Almost every week I thought about Jesus being present where two or three are gathered and how he was present with us in all of our chaos.”
Crystal regularly helps others. She was always willing to help other transfer students and worked in the transfer student office. As a member of Pitt’s Pathfinders, she gave tours to prospective students and their families. Crystal was also a core member of service activities, especially the 2025 spring break disaster response. “The North Carolina trip was such an awesome time. Because I have also lost my home in a disaster. I was really invested in this trip. Knowing what that was like made this all the more meaningful to go and give back to others.” For Crystal, the Lutheran Campus Ministry in Greater Pittsburgh provided a community in which she found a community that provided friends and an outlet for her to continue responding to Jesus’s presence by giving of her self to others, just as it does for many others who join in.
