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“Right after high school graduation, I was accepted into a young ambassador program with the Smithsonian museums. This opened the door for me to later attend a leadership event for young Puerto Ricans in New York City.”Samantha Rodriguez, sophomore engineering and math major, spent several days this summer at National Youth Leadership Encuentro, a student-driven leadership experience which offered young Puerto Ricans the opportunity to “explore the socioeconomic crises Puerto Ricans in the United States and Puerto Rico face, and gain the skills necessary to analyze, frame, and develop solutions that would impact Puerto Ricans throughout the nation.”Through discussions, activities, presentations of research, and meals together, the two dozen attendees got to know each other and dove more deeply into their shared heritage.Rodriguez was the only participant from the west coast.“There are so few Puerto Ricans and Dominicans on this side of the country that it wasn’t until my college years I saw a Dominican man outside of my family,” she explains. “This event was an opportunity to get a better idea of what my Puerto Rican self is like.”Going in, Rodriguez expected lectures and lots of sitting and listening. While the conference did involve presentations, she was happily surprised...

Desirae BachVisual ArtsWhat inspired you to go into teaching?I’ve always enjoyed training new employees at my previous jobs and I’ve also enjoyed teaching Sabbath School, so I’m really happy this position became available. I also have a heart for PUC and have always wanted to move back to this area. God opened the doors. I’ve also been attracted to teaching because I know how much my teachers have made a difference in my life and how much I looked up to them, and I want to be able to pay it forward to future students. I also think being a teacher will be more of a well-rounded/fulfilling career that has a higher purpose. What do you enjoy most about your area of study?I love how graphic design takes art into a practical level that can be used in any field and business. Graphic design jobs vary so much and can be in so many different fields and specializations. Name something you’ve done that you’re proud of.I’m thankful God has given me the opportunities he’s given me that have suited my skills and have been really fulfilling. I feel blessed to have worked at an ad agency where I’ve gotten to...

As a kid, Rick Harter watched Top Gun for the first time and decided then and there he wanted to fly.“Without hesitation, my dad told me I absolutely could become a pilot someday,” Harter recalls. “He told me if I worked hard, I could fly around in jets when I grew up and I thought that was so awesome!”Over the next several years, Harter attended all the air shows he could find, and never lost his love for aviation. He decided being a missionary pilot was the path he wanted to follow, so he headed to Pacific Union College to study.“I really enjoyed the challenge of flying into that little airport,” Harter says. “That field is a bit more challenging than other airports where some students learn to fly. PUC aviation grads have a bit of an edge when they get their license, because they have experience landing on a short airstrip surrounded by hills.”He also says he appreciated the mentorship of Nathan Tasker, flight director during Harter’s time as a student.“He was so positive all the time,” Harter recalls. “He taught me a lot about character, and about being a safe pilot. Lessons I will continue to use throughout...

Pacific Union College has once again found itself ranked in the top ten schools in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges list. Furthermore, the college’s name appears four times in the 2020 rankings, all within the top 15. PUC has been ranked for the following:#10 in Regional Colleges West#7 in Best Colleges for Veterans#4 in Best Value Schools#14 inTop Performers on Social Mobility"Our students are well prepared for success,” says Milbert Mariano, academic dean at PUC. “PUC’s high rankings in U.S. News & World Report affirm our quality and excellence as an institution.”Regional Colleges are split into four regions and are placed in this category based on the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education’s Basic Classification system, the accepted standard in U.S. education. A few of the factors and weights included in the methodology are graduation and retention rates, graduation rate performance, social mobility, faculty and financial resources, student excellence, and alumni giving. PUC is the only Adventist school in the top ten.Best Colleges for Veterans are selected based on meeting the following criteria: certified for the GI Bill, participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program, for the third consecutive year enrolled a minimum of 20 veterans and active...

Pacific Union College has been ranked by Washington Monthly in the 2019 top ten for Best Colleges for adult learners in the 2-year degree category. Washington Monthly rates schools based on what they do for the country.Rolling in at #7, PUC is one of only two colleges in the state of California to rank in the top ten.“PUC’s high rankings in Washington Monthly affirm our quality and excellence as an institution,” says Milbert Mariano, academic dean for PUC. “I am proud of our campus family for all their achievements, and they deserve to be praised and appreciated for their efforts.”The criteria used by Washington Monthly for determining its Best Colleges are:- Ease of transfer/enrollment- Flexibility of programs - Services available for adult students- The percent of adult students (age 25+) at the college- Graduation rates of part-time students- Mean earnings of adult students ten years after entering college- Loan repayment rates of adult students five years after entering repayment- Tuition and fees for in-district students PUC has also been ranked in the top ten by U.S. News & World Report in their 2020 Best Colleges list; for details, read the article....