Freshman Parents Blessed at Orientation Program

At Pacific Union College’s annual Parent Orientation on September 19, parents of incoming freshmen received a special blessing in preparation for the start of the school year. College officials also shared information on how the parents can help their students make the most of their time at PUC.

Campus chaplain Laffit Cortes commended the parents and offered a blessing over all new students and their families. “Father,” Cortes prayed, “I want You to embrace these parents and give them the peace that surpasses all understanding, that they may know that You are watching over their children, that, Father, You will not abandon them.”

For Marsha Horton, there were a number of reasons she and her son Byron felt that PUC was the right choice. Coming from Michigan, they were looking for a school in California and one with a Christian foundation. PUC not only offers his exercise science major, but is also his grandmother’s alma mater.

“I loved [the blessing]. I think it’s a good idea to have everybody in the room and just bless this campus and the students and the parents as they start this new journey,” said Horton. “I thought that was a very important and moving part of today—maybe the best part. The information is good, of course, but to add that piece of it is the most important.”

Narce Zazueta of Phoenix, Ariz., whose daughter Maria will be studying psychology at PUC, said the environment on campus has made this transition a little bit easier. “The first impression when I came was that everybody, even though they don’t know me, started smiling and asking if we had questions,” said Zazueta. “This made me feel very comfortable, like a family.”

Zazueta appreciated Cortes’ blessing, because the spiritual aspect, even more than academics, is the first thing that drew her to PUC. “This is the first thing that I asked God—to help my daughter to be more spiritual and to always help somebody else.”

In addition to the special blessing, PUC administrators gave presentations on the ways students can experience worship and service on campus, how parents can help their students lean on PUC’s academic support system and how students can thrive socially in the campus community.

Following those presentations, faculty and staff from various departments answered questions from parents. The discussions covered a wide range of topics, including student healthcare, academic monitoring and campus safety.