Meet PUC’s 2023-2024 Student Association President: Kaitlyn Nakanishi

Senior Kaitlyn Nakanishi has previously been a member of the Student Association at Pacific Union College. With a deep love for the college, she wanted to help make a difference in student’s social life following the COVID-19 pandemic where so many students were online and campus culture vanished. Motivated by that feeling, she ran for Student Association president last school year and has been serving that role since the start of the 2023-2024 academic year.

Nakanishi believes the most important part of her role is facilitating discussions between the administration and students. “I want to ensure that PUC continues to be student-centered because that is what initially made me fall in love with this school,” she shared.

Being SA president involves many meetings and conversing with different students, which she enjoys. Another important part is ensuring that the many operations of SA run smoothly, providing students with safe spaces to grow socially and spiritually. She loves her SA team and feels blessed to be surrounded by such talented and hardworking individuals.

SA executive Vice President Olivia Brown provides Nakanishi with fantastic support; they are often sounding boards for each other. They have had many long talks in their shared office, and Nakanishi knows she can always turn to her for good advice. Brown has majorly stepped up as the Senate leader this quarter, and it has been amazing for Nakanishi to develop as a leader alongside her.

Bethanee Tabura, the social vice president, brings the perfect balance of enthusiasm and preparedness to every event. “Her event ideas are always incredibly fun and creative, and her excitement is addictive,” shared Nakanishi. “It is a joy to know her and an honor to be her teammate.” She has seen student engagement increase exponentially under Tabura’s leadership.

Regarding the religious vice president, Nakanishi said she can’t think of anyone better for the job than Ashley Castro-Rodriguez. She had the rare, perfect balance of personal connection, administrative organization, and preaching experience that the religious vice president job demands. Castro-Rodriguez does so much to advocate for student’s spirituality on campus and has delivered programs that have given Nakanishi some of the greatest spiritual experiences of her life. She is constantly amazed by Castro-Rodriguez’s dedication to God and PUC.

Financial Vice President Esteban Ramirez demonstrates the expertise and work ethic of an accountant with ten times his experience. Nakanishi has never seen anyone so dedicated to their job as he has spent countless hours untangling the weeds of SA’s finances from years past and setting their SA team on a clear trajectory for the future. Nakanishi cannot overstate her appreciation for his ability to provide insight into such a complicated part of their organization.Last but certainly not least is Tessa Hutzkal, the publication and marketing vice president. She has taken this job in directions that Nakanishi never thought possible for a small campus like PUC. Not only has she initiated the development of a yearbook, funnybook, and PUC parent merch, but she also works tirelessly to make SA events as visible and accessible to students as possible. If that weren’t impressive enough, Nakanishi said she is simply the nicest person you will ever meet.

Every day, she thanks God for allowing her to work alongside such incredible people and is endlessly grateful to each of them for all they do for her as a student and teammate.

What she enjoys the most about being SA president is being a part of such an incredible group of student leaders and seeing the positive change they have made on campus. It has been rewarding for her to see the combined efforts of her team pay off as campus culture and connectedness continue on an upward trend. She loves seeing how little things that SA does, whether it be an event, spiritual program, or senate project, enhance the college experience for other students.

When asked how PUC can continue to support SA and the student body, Nakanishi said the best way is to simply show up. “Come to SA social events, club events, vespers, performances, and celebrations,” she expressed. “Having staff, faculty, and community be present at events outside of academics helps us students to feel the love and support of the PUC community and means more to us than anyone could possibly know. We have a great community on this campus, and I am endlessly grateful to all the people who have shown up to support me when I need it most. I would encourage PUC to continue this support and attend as many student programs as possible.”

What makes PUC so special to Nakanishi is the people. She has never met kinder and friendlier people, and the natural beauty of the campus provides a haven for students to be their most authentic selves. “When I first stepped on the PUC campus, I felt the Christ-like love in both the friendliness of the students and the attentiveness of the employees,” she said. “It is such a freeing feeling to be surrounded by a loving community while you undertake the difficult transition into adulthood. I have met my best friends here and love the opportunity to be part of this friendly community.”

Nakanishi chose to attend PUC because of the kindness of the faculty and staff. Growing up Adventist, she became disillusioned by some aspects of the church and was adamantly not attending an Adventist school. Her mother dragged her to college days, and she agreed solely to appease her. “I had been to PUC in the past and was not expecting anything to change,” she shared. “However, upon first walking into the dorm, my mom and I were smothered with greetings from her old friends, Dean Ringer and Dean Horn, and it felt like home.”

She also met Dr. Kent Davis and Dr. Rachelle Davis and was immediately struck by their passion for teaching and enthusiasm for learning. Upon meeting more and more of the PUC community, Nakanishi found this the norm for the professors here. One of her core memories of PUC occurred towards the end of their trip. Her mother and she had to leave, but Dr. Rachelle Davis mentioned that it would be nice for her to meet Professor Asher Raboy, the music department chair at the time. Dr. Davis texted him about Nakanishi and he called her back immediately saying, “I’m driving like a madman and scarfing my tuna sandwich! I really want to meet them!” Nakanishi couldn’t think of another school where a chair of the department would forgo his lunch break just to make acquaintance with one high school student. From that moment, she was sold.

Nakanishi has always been impressed by the grit of PUC’s athletics teams and student-athletes. She was a founding member of the PUC women’s soccer team and was beaten into the ground every single game.

Today, the women’s soccer program is thriving—beating La Sierra and giving huge schools like UC Merced a run for their money. “I am very proud of all the things our sports program has been able to accomplish in the short years I have been here and believe that we have yet to reach our fullest potential,” said Nakanishi.

To anyone interested in attending PUC, Nakanishi would tell them that it is a fantastic school where you can get a personalized college experience. “The staff, faculty, and students truly care about one another, creating an incredible, supportive environment to learn and grow,” she shared. “The community here has made me feel at home, and the spiritual life of campus has helped me to form a personal connection with God. If you want a school where you can tailor your college experience to your journey while making lasting personal connections, PUC is definitely the place for you.”