From Club Dream to Community Impact: Erin Obwald’s Lasting Legacy at Fresno Pacific

A Fresno Girl Through and Through

Erin grew up in Fresno, attending Robinson Elementary, Ahwahnee Middle School, and eventually Hoover High School after a brief stop at Clovis West. Soccer quickly became her passion.

“I was pretty fast and I just, I was feisty,” Erin laughed while recalling her early days of playing whatever sport was next. “By middle school, I was just playing mostly soccer.”

Like many Central Valley athletes of the era, she remembers chilly Saturday mornings at rec league games and the deep community connections that came through youth sports.

“Fresno is a really special place and I had a great, great high school experience,” she said.

Finding Fresno Pacific—and a Bigger Purpose

Originally attending Fresno State, Erin didn’t even know much about Fresno Pacific University at first. But after meeting students involved in athletics and campus life, she made the transfer that would change her life.

“I love small. I love the community aspect,” she said. “If I think of college, that’s my heart—that community.”

What started as casual conversations among students who missed soccer quickly turned into something much bigger. Fresno Pacific didn’t yet have a women’s soccer team, so Erin and several classmates decided to build one themselves.

The group officially formed the “Sunbird Football Club” in 1998, laying the groundwork for what would eventually become Fresno Pacific’s women’s soccer program.

“I’m kind of a doer,” Erin said with a smile while remembering the moment she volunteered to grab the paperwork to start the club. Soon after, fellow students nominated her president of the organization.

From there, momentum grew organically. Friends invited friends. Students recruited classmates who had played in high school. Practices were held in the gym, games were arranged through connections and road trips became unforgettable memories.

“We were just excited to have fun and bring anybody who was interested,” she said. “It quickly became like a really fun place to be.”

Building a Program from the Ground Up

The club eventually transitioned into an NAIA intercollegiate program, a milestone that still fills Erin with pride.

One of her favorite memories came during Fresno Pacific’s early years competing against powerhouse programs like Biola.

The Sunbirds were overmatched, trailing badly at halftime when coaches Jaime Ramirez and Eric Farfan gave Erin a specific assignment: stop Biola’s star scorer.

“And I did,” Erin recalled. “She didn’t score anymore.”

The moment wasn’t just about defense or soccer strategy. For Erin, it reflected something deeper about Fresno Pacific’s culture.

“It was almost one of those moments where they knew me and they knew what I could do,” she said. “They had a job for me.”

Returning Home to Mentor the Next Generation

Today, Erin has returned to Fresno Pacific in an administrative and mentoring role with the women’s soccer program. While she may not carry the same speed she once did, her passion for investing in student-athletes remains strong.

“My hope in being there is to really help these young women develop as the whole person,” she explained. “How are they going to invest in their families and in their community?”

She now serves as a mentor and support system for players balancing academics, athletics, faith, relationships and the growing pressures of modern life.

“A lot of them are away from home,” she said. “So just wanting to be a support.”

Her return also reflects her enduring connection to Fresno Pacific itself.

“Being on the campus is—I just love it. It feels like home so much.”

Protecting Fresno’s Students Through Safe to School

Beyond athletics, Erin also leads important work throughout Fresno Unified School District.

Her nonprofit, Safe to School, was founded by her father Michael O’Hare in 2010 to preserve and expand school crossing guard programs throughout the district. Today, the organization serves every elementary school in Fresno Unified and recently expanded into Parlier Unified.

The mission is simple but critical: making sure students arrive safely at school and return home safely each day.

“We exist to ensure every student gets to school safely and gets home safely,” Erin explained.

The organization recruits and trains volunteer crossing guards, partners with schools and city agencies, and addresses broader safety concerns including traffic hazards and community awareness.

One comment from a longtime school employee still stays with her.

“She said, ‘Thank you for loving my school,’” Erin recalled emotionally. “That is what we’re doing. We are loving every single school and their community.”

Faith, Family and Purpose

Erin and her husband David, also a Fresno Pacific alum, are raising five children, including two adopted from China. Life is busy, full and constantly evolving.

“I wouldn’t say balance is the right word,” she admitted. “Juggle.”

Still, through every season of life, Erin remains grounded in the same values that shaped her at Fresno Pacific: faith, service, community and investing in others.

“I literally just try to do the next thing that I feel like God’s telling me to do,” she said.

For Fresno Pacific, Erin Obwald’s story is more than a soccer story. It’s a reminder that the strongest legacies are built not only through wins and championships, but through service, mentorship and a willingness to step forward when a community needs you most.