Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Class of 2026: Christopher Pierce defines resilience as PCC commencement student speaker

Photos and story by Misty Bouse

As a baby, Christopher Pierce was found abandoned in a parked car at the Lloyd Center Mall in Northeast Portland. Today, his unbelievable journey since then has led this honors student to becoming named Portland Community College’s commencement speaker.

Pierce knows what it means to fight for a better life.

A modern day Jack London, he hitchhiked across the country, spent eleven years as a farmhand in Tennessee, worked as a street artist in New Orleans, a hotel clerk in Alabama, and as a dishwasher and bartender in Upstate New York, which are all fodder for his new chapter. 

The Dallas (Oregon) resident, first-generation college student and father of two returned to school at age 42 after years of hardship that included growing up in foster care, spending time in youth detention centers and boys ranches, dropping out of high school and experiencing homelessness. But this June, Pierce is walking across the PCC commencement stage with an Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer degree and an Associate of Science degree, a 4.0 grade-point average and highest honors.

“Being chosen to speak at commencement means everything to me,” Pierce said. “I grew up in the foster care system, dropped out of high school, and spent years homeless. For most of my life, I believed I was someone who would never amount to anything.”

“PCC changed the direction of my life, and I feel fortunate that I found this institution,” Pierce said. “I came in with a GED and zero college experience, and I left prepared for a four-year university and a career in writing.”

PCC helped change that belief. After he moved back to Oregon, fell in love, married and had his first daughter, Pierce enrolled at PCC in 2023 after being diagnosed with a health condition that made manual labor difficult. He said he wanted to build a better future for his family and needed new skills to do it. At PCC, he said he found not only an affordable path to higher education, but also encouragement, academic support and a sense of purpose.

Pierce is now enrolled at Oregon State University through PCC’s dual enrollment agreement, where he is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in creative writing. He continues taking PCC courses while working toward his degree. His plans include pursuing graduate school, teaching in higher education and writing about environmental issues.

Several PCC faculty members helped shape his goals. Jessica Lee’s “Introduction to Literature” course helped him realize he wanted to become a writer. Gretchen Gebhardt’s “Global Climate Change” course inspired his research and advocacy around plastic waste and environmental accountability. Tuba Kayaarasi’s “Geography of Global Issues” course deepened his understanding of global inequality, privilege and geopolitics.

Gratitude flows from Pierce who also credited the Writing Center, online Writing Lab and eTutoring services for helping him strengthen his writing. He said his Guided Pathways academic advisor William Cervantes played a critical role in helping him navigate PCC requirements and transfer to OSU.

“Without him, I would not have achieved the grades and success I had at PCC,” Pierce said. “Every obstacle I have faced, poverty, homelessness, foster care, the absence of family support and a high school diploma, was a barrier to higher education, and I believe that PCC removed those barriers.”

Pierce plans to use his commencement speech to honor students who overcame their own challenges to reach graduation.

“I want every non-traditional student, every first-generation student, every parent who studied after their kids went to bed, to hear someone on that stage who knows what that struggle is like and rejoices in their accomplishment,” he said.

For anyone wondering whether it is too late to return to school, Pierce’s message is simple: Begin.

“One of the best things one can do for oneself, perhaps the greatest of gifts one can give themselves, is education,” he said. “If someone reading this is unsure about going back to school, my advice is simple. Do it, and perhaps you too will surprise yourself.”

*Photos provided by Ric Getter and Christopher Pierce.