Search - Amanda Navarrete

Walking through the Nelson Memorial Library, groups huddled around tables and students filling up library cubicles are indicators that spring quarter is underway. For students at PUC’s Angwin campus, a busy library where concentration may waiver is not the only option. Instead, students can explore the multiple department lounges that not only offer a place to study, but also provides a chance to take a break and interact with fellow majors. Most recently, Stauffer Hall, home to the department of English, renovated a seminar room into a welcoming, cozy study space. Eric Anderson, a former professor of history, generously donated the lounge’s furniture to the department to create a study lounge for students. Department Chair Cynthia Westerbeck describes the study lounge in Stauffer as “a nice central location for both students and faculty to get tea, enjoy conversation, and study.” It is named after the most famous poet and novelist to graduate from PUC, Arna Bontemps, whose name fittingly means “good times.” Bontemps was an important figure in the Harlem Renaissance and became acquaintances of other active renaissance men and women such as Zora Neale Hurston, W.E.B. Du Bois and Langston Hughes. The department of visual arts lounge fosters a...

Education Days, an annual networking event for graduating education majors, took place at Pacific Union College’s campus on February 2-3. Organized by PUC’s department of education, the two-day event brought principals and administrators from schools and conferences within the Pacific Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists to PUC’s Angwin campus. The employers met and interacted with this year’s group of graduating early childhood, elementary, and secondary teachers. The first evening began with a dinner banquet, where students and potential employers interacted with one another in a less formal setting. During the banquet, the seniors each presented their own personal reasons for teaching, and the area that they are credentialed to teach. The next day, graduating seniors had the opportunity to interview with potential employers in a more formal setting. The department of education has seen incredible growth in recent years, as more students choose to pursue a career as a teacher. PUC offers Master of Arts in Teaching and Master of Education degrees, bachelor’s degrees in early childhood education and liberal studies, and an associates degree in early childhood education. In addition, the department offers training for multiple subject credentials, single subject credentials, and the Clear Credential program for California, as...

Pacific Union College welcomed men’s and women’s high school teams from visiting Adventist academies for the Pioneers Invitational Academy Basketball Tournament on December 3-6. Over the course of four days, student athletes played basketball, attended worship, and had the opportunity to grow stronger as team. “"The PUC tournament is a great opportunity for schools to grow as a team and to get to know players from other schools,” shared tournament coordinator and interim athletic director Brittany Brown. Aside from playing basketball, the athletes were encouraged to study in their free time and get better acquainted with PUC. They even had the opportunity to take a campus tour or visit a class if they chose. The tournament began at noon on Wednesday, starting with Paradise v. Pleasant Hill for the men’s teams, and Paradise v. Napa on the women’s side. After a full three days of tournament play, students took a break after Friday afternoon’s games and enjoyed some free time from their busy schedules. Later in the evening, the athletes had a chance to attend the special Christmas Concert program for Vespers. After a closing Sabbath worship, the final games began as the teams vied to claim the 2014 Championship...

Pacific Union College students have many opportunities when making weekend plans: Vespers services on Friday, hikes on campus trails, trips to the ocean, and Student Association gatherings on Saturday night. For many students, service to others through Clearlake Homeless Ministry is an essential part of each weekend. After Sabbath church services and lunch, students hop in to vans and make their way to Clearlake, a small town 40 miles from PUC with a large homeless population. This outreach began in the fall of 2012 with a senior theology major, Gresford Thomas, who saw a need in the Clearlake community. “Lives have been changed,” says the ministry’s sponsor, Gilbert Abella, a PUC librarian. Each Friday afternoon, volunteers pack nonperishable food into bags to hand out behind a parking lot and at a park by Redbud Lake. The bags are filled with a variety of supplies, including donations from the school cafeteria and from Gott’s, a local restaurant. Sometimes the group includes specific items that homeless individuals request. The ministry also makes calls for seasonal items, including coats and tarps in winter. The team is led by Cristian and Shelina Villegas, who faithfully visit Clearlake each week and make sure the needs...

Josue Hernandez would have never imagined being the religious vice president of PUC’s Student Association his freshman year of college at UC Davis. After he transferred to PUC his junior year, Hernandez changed his major from mechanical engineering to theology. “I knew the ministry would be more fulfilling,” Hernandez says. Hernandez describes his role in SA as “a fun experience with no stress and a good team.” Coordinating vespers and ministering to different groups on campus, Hernandez integrates his main goal for students in every event he plans. “I want to see individuals mature spiritually, have an open mind, and be able to look at life and faith from new perspectives,” Hernandez explains. His vision for the campus as a whole is to see a diverse spiritual community come together. Hernandez recently returned from a trip to Silver Spring, Md. for the North American Division Year-End Meetings, where he represented Pacific Union College and the youth of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. For the first time, 15 of voting delegates were young adults from Adventist colleges and universities. Hernandez and his peers shared their voice and voted on issues that ranged from mission projects to women’s ordination. Hernandez saw the experience...

“In our most stretching times … we find that there is a greater plan,” shared Sarah Hill at the November 6 installment of PUC’s Colloquy Speaker Series. Hill, a youth leader and missionary on the island of Kauai, is best known for her relationship with surfer and shark-attack survivor Bethany Hamilton. During her presentation, “Lost Limbs but Not Lost Hope,” Hill used her experience comforting a girl whose life completely changed when she tragically lost an arm in a shark accident to inspire the PUC community to put their hope in Christ, even in crisis. In Soul Surfer, the film portrayal of Bethany Hamilton’s accident and recovery, Hill was played by singer and actress Carrie Underwood. Hill spoke of her role in Bethany Hamilton’s life, and the difficulty she had trying to find the right words to say as she drove to the emergency room following the accident. “Lord, what do I say in this time? How do I comfort her family when I’m not okay with this?” Hill questioned. It was that moment that she realized God had a plan for Bethany, and He was going to use her. Hill, who was the Hamilton’s youth leader, spent countless hours...

Squirmy kindergartners and healthy first graders aren’t typical patients for nursing students used to interacting with sick or injured people in hospital settings. However, on a series of schooldays in October, bachelor of nursing students taking a Community Health course visited a series of private elementary schools to screen the hearing and vision of each student. The Community Health course is part of PUC’s bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) curriculum, and the service-learning opportunity at the local schools gave students a chance to be hands-on and apply what they learned in the college classroom to the elementary classroom. The BSN students conducted screenings at Pacific Union College Elementary in Angwin on October 14, Napa Christian Campus of Education in Napa on October 15, and Foothills Adventist Elementary School in St. Helena on October 21. “Learning it in the classroom is far different from actually doing it with a kindergartener,” shares Susan Allen, D.N.P. Allen, professor for the Community Health class and a former school nurse, saw the screening as a great opportunity for both college and elementary students. Unlike public schools, private schools like these don’t have free screenings in certain grades. Catching hearing and vision problems early can...

On Wednesday, October 15, Pacific Union College hosted the annual graduate school fair in the PUC Dining Commons. Open to students and the community, those in attendance took advantage of the fair’s information and worked on making positive first impressions. The universities represented a variety of fields, from visual arts to nursing, which gave individuals a chance to explore their options and learn more about pursing a graduate degree. As a liberal arts college, PUC focuses on providing an excellent undergraduate education, and only offers graduate degrees in education. After they finish their four years of undergraduate work, many PUC students continue their education in a graduate program. Alumni have attended Loma Linda University, UC Davis School of Law, UCLA, Yale, and other prestigious institutions. The graduate school fair showcases the many academic opportunities available to PUC students. At the fair, representatives from 23 institutions met with students and discussed their programs and answered questions. Even if students did not believe a school was a perfect fit, representatives were able to provide advice about graduate school in general. Several Adventist universities, including Loma Linda University, La Sierra University, Southern Adventist University, and Walla Walla University, were present, as well as...

As the classes began on September 22, both new and returning students started the school year right with the annual Week of Welcome celebration. Through an array of social, spiritual, and academic events, the PUC community was reunited following summer vacation. To start off the week, students filled the campus mall on Monday for “A Taste of San Francisco” welcome back dinner, and enjoyed a buffet of food such as Boudin sourdough soup rolls, gnocchi, and potato tacos. Ana Delgado, a junior, was excited to see all the new faces on campus at the celebration. “I’m looking forward to seeing even more diversity on campus than before because of all the freshman. There’s a lot more people so it feels like a bigger campus family,” she said. Students had a chance to promote and join clubs that catered to their interests and majors, such as the Business, Music, and Pre-Law clubs. Alicia Nieb, co-president of the Business club, noted, “The business club is especially excited for this new school year, and for our new and returning members!” On Tuesday night, students filled the benches to cheer on the Pioneers volleyball team against Cyclones of Mills College. The Student Association (SA)...