Search - James Shim

On May 29, Pacific Union College hosted Joanne Park for one of the Colloquy Speakers Series’ final installments of the school year. Park graduated from PUC in 2000 and is currently the Senior Director for Digital and Daytime Publicity at NBC Entertainment. She shared her career journey at NBC and also offered advice to students about what they can expect as they leave college and enter the workforce. After graduating from PUC, Park worked in the page program at NBC at the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and gave tours of the NBC Studios in Burbank, Calif. Soon after, she was invited to join the corporate production events team, where she produced events for advertisers, NBC affiliates, and various primetime television shows. Park has spent the last 11 years in the entertainment publicity department, working on campaigns for hit shows including ER, Fear Factor, The Office, Parks and Recreation, The Golden Globes, The Biggest Loser, and The Blacklist. Park currently oversees digital and daytime publicity for her department and her responsibilities include all social media campaigns for all NBC primetime shows, publicizing all digital initiatives for nbc.com, as well as working on marketing and publicity strategy for the head of...

One of the final student-led club events of the busy school year was held on Sunday, May 19, as the Mabuhay Filipino Club and Student Organization of Latinos (SOL) joined creative forces to host a wanderlust-themed banquet. Wanderlust, or love of travel, elements ran through the event, which took place at Deer Park Villa, an outdoor venue in the city of Fairfax, Calif., that was voted Marin’s “Best Caterer” and “Best Wedding Venue” for 2013. Centerpieces and decorations that celebrated the globetrotting theme added to the Villa’s redwood trees and beautiful landscaping. The end of the school year is a busy time, but the Wanderlust Banquet was a great opportunity to enjoy time together while making incredible memories. “Although stressful to plan, this banquet gave students a chance to attend one of the last banquets with a date or a group of friends,” said Mabuhay Filipino Club officer Kevin Loyola. “Students can eat great food and really just enjoy each other’s company.” The evening’s entertainment included live performances from students, who showcased their talents and added to the relaxed mood. From creative songs to a flash mob, the entertainment had something to offer everyone. The highlight of the night was...

The highly anticipated and largest REVO event of the school year took place on Sunday, May 4, as the Pacific Union College community gathered for a concert, stuff sale, fashion show, and the yearly Spring Fest celebration. This year, REVO, a student-led philanthropic movement begun in 2008, benefitted an international cause with a remarkable local connection.Last year’s successful REVO efforts benefitted Love146, an organization working to abolish child sex-trafficking and exploitation. This year’s cause, selected by the student organizers, was Project Worku. All proceeds from the year’s events, which included a special banquet and open mic night as well as the popular REVOfest, will go to the Worku Jenber School in Ethiopia, a school started by PUC’s head librarian, Adu Worku. The funds will directly benefit young people who yearn for an education by providing students at the Worku Jenber School with resources such as books and computers.At the REVOfest, which this year was accompanied by the college’s annual Spring Fest fundraiser, various campus clubs set up booths outside on the Campus Mall to sell cultural foods, beverages, and more. Many of the clubs chose to donate their earnings to Project Worku. In addition, students donated gently used clothing and...

Pacific Union College’s office of enrollment services has launched a new ministry called Connect to share the spiritual experience at the college with churches, schools, and other groups within the Pacific Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Connect is coordinated by Larry Graack, an enrollment counselor at the college. Graack, a PUC graduate and former youth pastor at the Placerville Seventh-day Adventist Church, is excited about the opportunity PUC students will have to share their faith, grow in their talents, and worship together with the larger Adventist community. “Our mission statement is that as Christ’s disciples we serve with spiritual authenticity while promoting a valued relationship with PUC and above all, a dynamic connection to our Creator,” said Graack. “We hope to serve with innovative ministry, communication, and discipleship.” Graack is already travelling throughout the Pacific Union with the campus ministries personnel, talented student and faculty speakers, and gifted musicians that make up the ministry team. Connect ministry is working hard to establish relationships with all sorts of audiences, sharing the PUC spiritual experience with them and inviting youth and young adults to get involved with that experience as PUC students. Using the talents God has given them, the Connect ministry...

Pacific Union College hosted its 33rd annual career day on Thursday, February 20. The event brought nearly 50 professionals from diverse fields to campus, offering students the chance to learn first-hand about the careers that interest them. Also visiting campus for the day was Brittany Collins Cheney, who discussed her journey from PUC to a law career as part of the college’s Colloquy Speaker Series. Whether freshmen still deciding on a major or seniors starting the job hunt in earnest, students who stopped by the side rooms of the Dining Commons spoke with professionals actively employed in diverse careers. By meeting with representatives, the Career and Counseling Center hopes that students can have confidence in knowing where a major can take a person in their career path. “We want students to gain exposure and discuss potential job networks to help them with life after college,” said career counselor Laura Gore, who coordinates the fair as part of her work in the Career and Counseling Center. Representatives were available to answer questions from students, exchange business cards, and also provide internship, volunteer, or employment opportunities. “We hope that students use this as a networking tool to start developing contacts and learn...

Pacific Union College’s enrollment services and public relations teams have introduced a new website dedicated to providing information and answering questions for future students and their families. The admissions website features fresh design in a mobile-friendly format, all geared toward sharing the distinct academic, spiritual, and social advantages of attending Pacific Union College. While the College is celebrating its highest enrollment in twenty-four years, the office of enrollment services is actively working with potential students who will enroll 2014 and beyond. Leading this effort and the development of the new website was Jennifer Tyner, vice president for enrollment management and public relations. “The main goal for this revamp was not just to make the site look good, but drive prospective students to click the apply button,” Tyner shared. “We also wanted to make a new page that would be mobile-friendly, as the old admissions page would come out jumbled and hard to read on a smart phone.” Because research shows that as many as sixty percent of young people are using their smartphones to visit college websites, adapting the admissions information to be smartphone-friendly was imperative. The new site can be accessed from smartphones and tablets as well as traditional...

Since the age of 10, Pacific Union College freshmanSpencer Swetnam dreamed of competing in the world championships of his favoritesport. On November 2, his dream came true as he traveled to Taipei-City, Taiwan to compete in the 2013 Artistic Roller Skating WorldChampionships.Swetnam and his partner Katelyn Rodgersrepresented the United States on the world stage in the team dance category. “Theworld championships are as high as the sport of artistic roller skating gets,”said Swetnam. “It is not in the Olympics for one main reason: Most people donot know about it.” Artistic roller skating is much like figure skating on ice,but with roller skates. The sport combines a careful balance of position,strength, and artistry in a single performance.A 2013 graduate of Portland Adventist Academy, Swetnamspent much of his senior year traveling to Boston to meet with Rodgers as theyprepared for the National Championship held in Albuquerque, New Mexico fromJuly 21 to August 4, 2013. The pair competed in the Junior World Class TeamDance Division. This division requires three components: two compulsory danceswith specific dances and steps, an original dance with a routine danced to arequired genre of music, and the free dance which allows the skaters to danceto any song of their...