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The 4th annual Student Film Festival showcased the work of Pacific Union College student filmmakers to the community, with two screenings at the Cameo Cinema in St. Helena on June 4. Enthusiastic audiences viewed seven films, one trailer for a feature film, and the college's video yearbook. The festival featured the work of students Charles Johnson, Marcus Aurelius Klonek, Timothy Wolfer, Peter Han, Nicholas Lampke, and Raphael Jimenez and alums Zach Dunn and Geoff Kegley, with offerings ranging from Public Service Announcement (PSA) to "mockumentary." Han's PSA "Why Would You?" and Wolfer's documentary "Grow Up," which screened at the festival, have both won film awards this year. After the screenings, the filmmakers participated in a Q and A session moderated by Rodney Vance, director of the film & television production program at PUC. The students answered questions about challenges, why they chose their topics, and what will come next. For Raphael Jimenez, creating his comedy film for the first tri-club banquet with the Asian Student Association, Korean Adventist Student Association, and Student Organization of Latinos was a compelling introduction to filmmaking. "I really loved making that film - it was my first one," he said. "I really liked the process."...

Five high school students have been selected to receive $10,000 in renewable scholarship money from Pacific Union College as the 2009 Malcolm and Eileen Maxwell Scholars. The program honors high school seniors who have demonstrated high academic achievement, a commitment to Christian service, and outstanding leadership skills. The scholars, selected from nearly 50 applicants, came from all over the United States. Samantha Angeles, from Loma Linda Academy in California, is an aspiring attorney who won the title of Best Defense Attorney in the Mock Trial competitions in San Bernardino. Kaitlyn Min, from Madison Academy in Tennessee, started a service club at her academy called [REVO]lution. Matthew Phelps, from Lodi Adventist Academy in California, is an all-around star student, winning numerous city and school awards for academics, sports, and music. Colleen Uechi from Hawaii Mission Academy, holds the distinction of winning first place in a state scriptwriting contest. Dana Yoon, from Portland Adventist Academy in Oregon, was a standout in her commitment to service to school, community, and church. Each scholar maintained top grades in school, scored high on standardized tests, and, overall, each student is extraordinarily well-rounded. A selection committee using a double blind process reviewed all the applications. Students...

Following the usual mystery and secrecy, the 2009-2010 Educator of the Year for Pacific Union College was announced in an all-school colloquy on May 28. By way of clues, business professor and chair of the Faculty Development, Research, and Honors Committee Keith Neergaard said the awardee tends to wear white, has lived in two different hemispheres, plays guitar, is a first-generation Seventh-day Adventist, and is just finishing his third year teaching at PUC. He then announced the name: biology professor Brian Wong. A slideshow compiled by Wong's family told some of the story of his past, from being born the youngest of six (and the only boy) to a family in Hong Kong to his decision to follow Christ at age 12 to marrying his high school sweetheart, teaching in Trinidad and Nebraska, and his enjoyment of fishing, ping pong, and Chinese food. "His ultimate goal is to share God with his students," the family recounted. "He believes teaching gives him the platform to spread God's word." Two of Wong's students and two of his colleagues shared tributes to Wong. Rachel Devadhason, a senior biochemistry major, summed up the most commonly noted attribute: "Dr. Wong is pure energy." She added...

A few months ago, senior social work major and president of the Social Work Forum Alisa Jacobo discussed the possibility of starting a weekly food pantry with fellow social work majors and faculty. "I realized we needed to develop some type of sustainable program so that social work majors can learn and serve," she says. "A food pantry was the most practical solution." Professor Monte Butler, the eventual faculty sponsor of the pantry, helped kick-start the project. The consolidation of the food pantry occurred simultaneously with a food study also conducted by the social work department. The study purposed to discover whether the Angwin community suffered from lack of food. Surveys were administered door-to-door and available in the market, gas station, and laundromat. Almost 600 responses were collected. The conclusion: Yes. Many local families go to bed hungry each week. For Alisa, the study confirmed what she had already suspected and further pushed efforts for the food pantry. The pantry now assembles every Thursday evening in the PUC church complex from 6 to 9 p.m. Around 25 families attend each week and are able to pick up various food items depending on their need. Bi-lingual volunteers are readily available to...

Eighteen faculty received recognition in April for outstanding scholarship at the annual faculty awards program. Recipients were honored for notable work in their academic fields in the 2008-2009 year, including a wide range of works from presentations on biological diversity, architecture in art, and science and sexual orientation to "VoIP Quality and Security Issues for Consumers and Small Businesses." Three faculty members were awarded Herber Awards for their work. This award and accompanying grant was established in 2006 to facilitate teachers in their quest to achieve and sustain innovative, quality instruction. Vola Andrianarijaona, assistant professor of computer science, mathematics, and physics, received a Herber Grant to travel to Oakridge National Laboratory to do research and to attend the International Conference on Photonic, Electronic, and Atomic Collisions. Heather Reid, assistant professor of English, received a grant to spend two weeks at the Huntington Library to research and write an article about the only surviving Middle English translation of the "Story of Asneth." And resident artist Mei Ann Teo will use her grant to attend the La Mama International Symposium for Directors in Umbria, Italy....

The 2009 health fair at PUC, titled "For the Health of It," sported outdoor and indoor booths and a hubbub of students and community members enjoying displays from 35 health-related programs and organizations. PUC's Health Services department is making this type of hands-on, community integrated health fair a college tradition, and it's very successful with visitors and vendors alike. St. Helena Hospital offered a "Test Your Food IQ" game including questions (and displays) like "What is a serving size?" and "Can you guess which drink has the most caffeine?" St. Helena chiropractor Michael Cleaver showed a model of a spine to a student and talking about a fall the student had taken on his back. Two representatives from Napa Valley Aromatherapy were back again this year, enjoying the lunches PUC provided for the representatives and talking about how great it was to be here. One offered a taste of a sweet, light drink made with water infused with oranges, strawberries, and mint from her garden. "We're trying to tell the kids they shouldn't be drinking all this chemical stuff," she said. "It's important to give them the basics." She added, "It's fun to watch the kids' reactions!" Massage therapist Carrie...

The solidification of REVO as an official campus club this year sets the movement as more than a fad at Pacific Union College. It is the student body's lasting commitment to social justice. REVO PUC 2009 proves that last year's movement and event (and $10,000 raised for trafficked children in Peru) was by no means an anomaly. REVO is a student-led movement now nationwide, to host events that raise awareness and funds for various humanitarian causes. The concept of REVO plays off the word "revolution" and is as much a mindset as it is a cause. According to the movement's website (www.startarevo.org), REVO is "based on the concept of LOVE. To live the REVO everyday is to think beyond ourselves and redefine our modern conception of necessity. It is taking a homeless man out to dinner. It is seeing beauty in the disfigured, seeing wholeness in the lame, seeing a dance in the invalid." Student leader Grace Jung and alum Rachel Thompson are responsible for planting the REVO movement at PUC and nurturing its foundation. "Post-REVO PUC 2008, many people expressed their anticipation of the 'next' REVO and that they couldn't wait to make REVO happen again," says Jung. "So,...

For the third year, the annual Pacific Union College Student Film Fest will be held at the historic Cameo Cinema in St. Helena. Giving PUC student filmmakers a chance to show their up-and-coming work in the community, the festival will feature multiple short films in a variety of genres, from documentary and "mockumentary" to drama and even some trailers for next year's films. The festival is hosted by the film and television program of PUC's visual arts departments, which has recently seen its students recognized with film awards from National Geographic Channel and SONScreen, with another student completing a prestigious internship with DreamWorks Animation. The festival will showcase addition PUC film talent on Thursday, June 4, with showings at 5:30 and 8:15 p.m. Tickets are available at the door, $3 for students and $5 for adults. The Cameo Cinema is located at 1340 Main Street in St. Helena. For more information, call 707-965-6308....

The Dramatic Arts Society at Pacific Union College presents their 2009 one-act festival, titled "All That Glitters Is Not Gold: A One-Act Festival on the surprises in life." The One-Act Festival started last year with "Love: is a Four-letter Word." The show featured seven one-acts performed for six nights, and explored the different facets of love. The 2009 show features eight one-act plays performed by 17 actors under four different directors. The One-Act Festival plays on May 23 (Saturday), 24 (Sunday), 27 (Wednesday), 28 (Thursday), 30 (Saturday) and 31 (Sunday). All shows are at 7 p.m. and are held in the Alice Holst Theater in Stauffer Hall on the PUC campus in Angwin. Admission cost is $5 for students and $7 for everyone else, and tickets are available at the door 15 minutes before each show....

Craig Church is a senior film and television production and English major at Pacific Union College. He was recently selected from a massive applicant pool to intern at DreamWorks, one of the leading animation studios in Hollywood. The 13-week internship ended early in May. Craig's internship at DreamWorks is a landmark achievement for the PUC Visual Arts department. His involvement with a feature-film ("How to Train Your Dragon" is scheduled to debut in 2010) is unprecedented. Craig worked primarily in the story department, where he assisted the story production supervisor in processing and preparing storyboard panels for editorial. He was also involved with the character effects and modeling department and the surfacing department while also assisting the script coordinator in prepping scripts and sides for scratch and professional voice recording sessions. Historically, Craig was the first intern to be invited to one of the professional voice recording sessions at the famous LA Studios, where he saw Hollywood stars such as John C. McGinley (Scrubs) and the new Star Trek cast. During his internship, Craig also met Jeffrey Katzenberg, co-founder and CEO of DreamWorks Animation. "Getting to talk with directors like Katzenberg about everything from what he looks for in pitches...