The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities today announced that Lucas Fonseca—the founder of Language Matters, a research, consulting, translation and language-learning services business— has been named the 2026 CCCU Young Alumni Award winner. Fonseca is a 2020 graduate of Grace College in Winona Lake, IN. The award will be presented on January 31, 2026, as part of the CCCU’s International Forum in Dallas, Texas.
“Lucas exemplifies the impact Christian higher education provides to students around the globe,” said Dr. David A. Hoag, president of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities. “What began as a simple opportunity to help break down language barriers as a student at Grace has grown into a regional service assisting individuals, families and businesses and demonstrates the commitment Lucas has to serving his neighbor and the Lord.”
“Lucas represents the best of Grace College,” said Dr. Drew Flamm, president of Grace College. “His commitment to faith, learning and service reflects the mission we share across Christian higher education. Stories like his remind us that when students thrive in Christ, their influence reaches far beyond our campus”
As an international student from Chile, Lucas came to Grace College as a freshman in 2016 seeking to major in entrepreneurial management. He saw firsthand that English tutoring was only helping meet a portion of a larger structural gap that was being felt my many in local and surrounding communities.
Ironically the COVID-19 pandemic helped expose some of those gaps, and as a recent graduate, Lucas and his team were able to step and provide numerous services to assist municipalities by providing translation services and establishing cultural awareness trainings. Language Matters has grown continuously since 2020, serving communities across the state of Indiana. Lucas has been recognized regionally for his work with Rising Leader and Who’s Who awards, as well as testifying before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights to continue to shine a light on the importance of cultural awareness and trainings in local communities.
“Being recognized with the CCCU Young Alumni Award is a tremendous honor and especially meaningful to me,” Fonseca said. “It highlights the heart of our organization (Language Matters) — to create opportunity, affirm dignity, and ignite hope, just as the Lord has done for each of us.
At Grace College I found a place where passion for service meets conviction, and that platform has allowed our team to transform the way non-English speakers experience their own communities.”
