Christian Cochran
The father of a late Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2020 Cook Honors College graduate will be at IUP on October 23 to talk about his book, What’s Good About TODAY? A Purpose Driven Life, written to honor his son, Christian Cochran.
Author and inspirational speaker Christopher Cochran of Pittsburgh will be talking about his book, which chronicles his son’s optimism and spirit, in Whitmyre Hall’s Great Hall from 11:20 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. on October 23. The program is free and open to the community.
Christian was a magna cum laude graduate of IUP, majoring in international studies, Asian studies, and theater. He passed away on September 1, 2021, at the age of 23, following a year-long battle against a rare cancer.
“To honor Christian’s message and legacy, the Cook Honors College put up a whiteboard in Whitmyre Hall asking the question that Christian asked of others, ‘What’s good about today?’ inviting anyone passing by to share their thoughts,” said Kevin Berezansky, associate director of the Cook Honors College and director of the IUP Office of Community Standards.
“We’ve kept that whiteboard up in his honor and memory, and people add to it daily,” he said.
“Christian had an incredible spirit, an optimism and joy that was felt by everyone he met,” Berezansky said. “We look forward to continuing to honor Christian by welcoming his father to IUP for this program.
“Members of the Honors College staff and students who knew Christian are very grateful to hear from his family that Christian held a deep affection for the people at the Honors College,” Berezansky said. “His father told us that he considers it an honor and a gift to speak at IUP, a place that meant so much to his son.”
At Christian’s request, his family established the Christian Cochran Fund, which supports a number of outreach programs ranging from drama and theater for youth, natural sites and places, animal welfare, cancer research, and the communities where he lived (Pittsburgh and Indiana). It also partners with Young Adult Survivors United, the largest community in western Pennsylvania, to help young adult cancer survivors and their co-survivors in the greater Pittsburgh region.
Christian was a 2016 graduate of Pine Richland High School, where he was active in the school band’s percussion team and the International Thespian Society. He also worked with Keystone Musical Theater and Civic Light Orchestra.
At IUP, he was a member of the theater team, the Sketch Comedy Group, and was a radio personality cohost on IUP’s Local Limelight, a weekly radio show. He was also a member of the UN and NATO teams and made frequent trips to Washington, DC.
In the introduction of What’s Good About TODAY? Cochran says that his book is “more than a memoir, it’s a call to embrace each day with joy and gratitude, a tribute to Christian’s indomitable spirit, and a guide for others to find light in their own lives.”