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The National Association of Social Workers Lobby Days is a two-day event that educates students and professionals about important legislation affecting clients and the social work profession. From April 21-22 in Sacramento, this annual event provided a tremendous opportunity for Pacific Union College’s social work students to learn more about the legislative process and speak with state legislators and their staff about important policy issues. PUC’s Psychology and Social Work Chair Damaris Perez and Social Work Assistant Professor Tuwan Ussery White took five of their senior social work students who have taken the Social Welfare Policy and Issues class. Coming together at the state capital, they joined more than 1,000 social work students from across the state. One issue they learned about was the legislative bills affecting the populations they work with. Perez shared that one example of the bills they support is providing menstrual products to incarcerated individuals. She continued by saying these products are not always available to people in jail or given enough, which can lead to other ailments. PUC students met with a regional state representative, legislators and staffers, including those of the office of Rep. Mike Thompson. They advocated for their team’s support on behalf...

Captain of Pacific Union College’s men’s volleyball team, Justin Vital, received the 2023-2024 Defensive Player of the Year in the California Pacific Conference. This season, he was named First Team All-Conference, averaged 3.49 digs per set (#1 in conference), and totaled 181 digs in 15 season games. Vital was also Nationally Ranked #3 in digs per set in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). “This recognition is an absolute honor,” said Vital. “I receive this award with gratitude and see it as the fruits of the work, grit, and relentlessness I strived to exemplify throughout my college career. The standard of consistency and discipline I set for myself preparing for this season helped me reach this honor. Being recognized as the top libero and defensive player in Cal Pac truly feels surreal.”Growing up in Miami, Florida, Vital started playing volleyball as a highschool freshman at Greater Miami Adventist Academy and continued on to attend PUC, where he is finishing up his degree in business administration with a healthcare emphasis. “I chose PUC because of the values the college upholds, as well as the academic programs and the ability for me to play volleyball at one of the highest levels,”...

For years, PUC has dedicated time during the school year and summer break to serve communities in other countries. Faculty and students have previously traveled to Kenya, Fiji, and Brazil while also taking medical mission trips to Indonesia, Cambodia, Tanzania, China, Bangladesh, the Philippines, and the Dominican Republic. Most recently, PUC's nursing and health science department sponsored an annual mission trip to Mana Island, Fiji. From March 21-April 2, 17 students joined Nursing Professor Sandy Ringer to earn public health hours and provide non-acute care to locals in Fiji. With five hundred people living on the remote island, many lack healthcare. This year, Ringer and her team also brought along dentists to provide oral care and support for physical health needs. In 2023, PUC took two mission trips—the first to Fiji from March 24-April 4 and the second to Kenya from June 19-28. Under the leadership of former PUC Missions Director Fabio Maia and co-directors Biology Professor Floyd Hayes and Ringer, they took a group of students and Nicolette Piaubert, a PUC nursing professor, to provide health care services in Fiji. In Kenya, PUC students and faculty provided education and care to Masai girls who were forced into child marriages...

Pacific Union College held Week of Worship in the PUC Church from April 15-19. This school year’s theme, “All In,” continued to be the focus.Pastor Roger Hernandez spoke for this spring’s Week of Worship. He is one of seven pastors in his family, the Ministerial and Evangelism Director for the SDA Southern Union Conference, and has served in ministry for over 30 years. Before focusing on the message, Hernandez thanked the college for inviting him to speak and complimented the praise team. Sharing how honored he felt to be on campus, Hernandez mentioned he was already getting the full PUC experience by going to the gym, eating at the dining commons, and basking in the Angwin heat. Hernandez opened the week by discussing failures we go through in life—bringing up questions such as why we fail and how pridefulness can lead to downfall. Although life brings us failure, it’s about how we react to those obstacles. Hernandez brought up Philippians 3:12, which talks about being imperfect, not reaching our goals yet, but winning the prize of being called to Heaven. Throughout the week, Hernandez preached stories of Jacob, having a relationship with God, and how Jesus is the star and...

There were a plethora of reasons why sophomore student Tiffany Do committed to Pacific Union College: the Christ-integrated education, serene campus filled with nature, closeness to home, and generous financial aid—to name a few. However, the most significant motivator in this decision stemmed from her campus visit before attendance. Do glimpsed an invaluable interactive learning experience through meeting with the friendly faculty and students within the science departments. Now, as a biochemistry major in the pre-medicine program, the biology department and faculty have greatly contributed to her academic life. "Studying at Pacific Union College has been a worthwhile investment toward my education and future," said Do. "The rigor of the classes contributes to my strong understanding of the sciences and the magnificent wonders of the human body. Additionally, the information-dense STEM lectures and long lab hours propels me to develop effective, efficient study methods necessary for medical school. Most importantly, the conversations with my professors centered on various scientific phenomenons—many of which unintentionally derive beyond what we are studying in the classroom—have been fascinating and greatly contributed to my academic enrichment."Dean of the School of Sciences and Associate Biology Professor Aimee Wyrick-Brownworth met Do in the first few weeks of...

The film department at Pacific Union College traveled to Loma Linda, California, to attend the Sonscreen Film Festival from April 4-6. PUC Visual Arts Chair Rajeev Sigamoney, PUC Visual Arts Professor Tim de la Torre, and 16 film students celebrated their competing films alongside several alums who showed their love and support. Some alums also had their work submitted to the festival and helped with other films. The Sonscreen Film Festival is an opportunity for PUC film students to get off campus and bond with each other. Since the festival began in 2002, it has been a right-of-passage for film students. PUC had nine films play in the festival, with three winning awards. Film student Josue Hilario won Audience Choice for his work Inner Space. For the Jury Awards, Megan Lira won the Achievement in Visual Style for her film Evelyn, and Minority Report by Dylan Sails received the Achievement in Writing award. A memorable moment for the film department was seeing PUC Visual Arts Department Chair Rajeev Sigamoney accept the Sonscreen Vision Award. He was presented this lifetime achievement award for his support and work with the festival over the past 20+ years. Though Sigamoney cringes over being old...

Last year, former PUC Missions Director Fabio Mia came to the nursing department at Pacific Union College and proposed a mission trip to Fiji for the nursing students. Before the pandemic, Mia and Sandra Ringer, PUC nursing assistant professor and online director, had discussed the possibility of taking students. Still, Ringer wanted to offer a course encouraging participation. When she became BSN director, Ringer wished to provide a mission opportunity combined with fulfilling clinical hours for the RN to BSN program’s Community Health Nursing course.This year's second annual trip to Fiji to provide healthcare was both a mission trip and an academic course, encompassing PUC’s mission entirely—Learn with Purpose, Rise in Faith, and Serve with Love. From March 23 to April 2, 17 students, Ringer, and Dean of Nursing and Health Sciences Kimberly Dunker (who went as the cook), joined four physicians, one PUC staff member, two dentists, and other helpers. The team cared for approximately 225 medical patients, providing the people of Fiji with biometrics, glucose checks, and medical history. Additionally, they assisted 130 dental patients with their needs. PUC’s students served the people of Fiji with love; learning with real purpose by applying their knowledge of community health...

Connect Ministries at Pacific Union College is an outreach ministry consisting of several individual teams of students passionate about Jesus and sharing His love by providing a worship experience. Their vision is Connecting One another, Nurturing New friendships with Everyone, and Collaborating Together in Ministry.The mission is to reach out to communities in the Pacific Union Conference and minister to them through praise, worship, and the word of God by uplifting their spirits and letting them know that PUC is supporting them. Each team can provide services such as leading out in church services, youth events, and other programs where they can inspire other young people to become worship leaders themselves. The goal is to connect with young people and showcase PUC’s presence and complete support.PUC Vice President for Enrollment, Marketing, and Communication Gene Edelbach tasked Enrollment Counselor and Connect Ministry Director Glanelle Marie Ejurango to take on this ministry this school year. Ejurango was perfectly suited for this task—with her mother a pastor, she was trained in ministerial work from a young age and didn’t stop her involvement in multiple ministries until she attended PUC.Applying all her years of training and ministry involvement, she laid the foundations for how...

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...

From February 3-4, PUC on Broadway was showcased at St. Helena High School Performing Arts Center. People braved the winter weather to watch, but the cast believed it was well worth it. PUC on Broadway is the product of people coming together to try something new. The show was a production where performers sang songs from different Broadway musicals. Where a musical has one cohesive plot–they took Broadway songs and put them out of context. This musical show is the brainchild of PUC’s Student Association President Kaitlyn Nakanishi. Just two weeks after the Jericho Road musical showcased at the college campus, she put up posters advertising auditions. She invited PUC student Leila Beltran as co-director to help choose songs, coach the performers, and be the musical director. From there, they hit the ground running and created the program. Nakanishi was the co-director, producer, and choreographer for PUC on Broadway. She choreographed every single movement and production of the show. Ronnie Zanella, a PUC music professor, and Mika Palitang, a junior biology and music major, were their accompanists; with Jeremy Hadley and his team as the sound and lighting crew.They held auditions two weeks before Thanksgiving break, had rehearsals in between Thanksgiving...