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On Valentine’s weekend, the film Old Fashioned opens in theaters nationwide. The independent film is an inspiring look at dating and relationships, focusing on developing grace-filled, lifetime love. Viewers can choose to see Old Fashioned instead of the Fifty Shades of Grey adaptation opening the same weekend in part thanks to the creative collaboration of PUC film professor Rajeev Sigamoney. Sigamoney has been a member of the PUC faculty since 2012, but his friendship with Old Fashioned director, writer, and lead actor Rik Swartzwelder goes back much longer. “The first film set I ever visited back in Maryland was a short film Rick was shooting,” explains Sigamoney. The two grew closer after Sigamoney, who started his career as an engineer, moved to Los Angeles in 2002. They began meeting each week to discuss films, faith, and the challenges of working in the film industry as artists and as Christians. Sigamoney is listed as a co-producer on Old Fashioned because of the core role he played in the creative development of the script and edit of the film. “I first read a draft of Old Fashioned in 2003,” Sigamoney describes. Over the next decade, Sigamoney gave notes on multiple revisions script...

Pacific Union College’s emphasis on world missions has a longand distinguished history. Over 1,300 student missionaries have served incountries as diverse as Chile, the Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, Kenya, theMarshall Islands, and South Korea. Inrecent years, PUC has continued to send dozens of student missionaries tocountries around the globe, providing much needed medical aid, constructionassistance, education, and of course the messages of the Gospel. During thecollege’s recent World Missions Week, the focus is all on helping futuremissionaries understand why they should serve and how they can make it happen.World Missions Week, January 26-30, gave students a look atwhat is entailed by mission work abroad—the rewards, as well as the toil.During the week, there was a table at the front of the Dining Commons manned bythe staff of the PUC World Missions office, ready to answer questions and sharetheir student missionary experience. Elden Ramirez, director of the NorthAmerican Division of Seventh-day Adventists’ office of volunteer ministries,visited campus to connect with future ministries. In addition, the worldmissions staff held a workshop on financing student missionary work, animportant step for hopeful students ready to give of their time. To finish theweek of spiritual missions emphasis, Jose Rojas continued his tradition of speakingto PUC students...

Grammy award-winning a capella group, Take 6, will perform in concert at Pacific Union College on Sunday, February 15. Claude McKnight, Mark Kibble, Joel Kibble, Dave Thomas, Alvin Chea, and Khristian Dentley, will bring their quintessential a capella sound to the Napa Valley as part of Pacific Union College’s Black History Month celebrations, for a free concert which will take place in the PUC Church sanctuary at 6 p.m. Take 6, heralded by Quincy Jones as the “baddest vocal cats on the planet,” is a quintessential a cappella group and model for vocal genius. The six virtuosic voices unite in crystal clear harmony, against a backdrop of syncopated rhythms, innovative arrangements, and funky grooves that bubble into an intoxicating brew of gospel, jazz, R&B, and pop are the most awarded vocal group in history. With praise from such luminaries as Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Brian Wilson, Ella Fitzgerald and Whitney Houston, the multi-platinum selling sextet has toured across the globe, collaborated across genres, and is recognized as the pre-eminent a capella group in the world. Take 6 has come a long way from their days at Huntsville, Alabama’s Oakwood College (now Oakwood University) where Claude McKnight formed the group as...

On and off the court, the PUC Pioneers basketball teams are demonstrating dedication to excellence as students and athletes—and community servants. Though they have had a busy schedule with games and practices, the teams have found time to reach out to the community and give back. This season, the men’s team visited the San Quentin State Prison, while the women’s basketball team stayed local to help out the Calistoga Community Center. The visits were a learning experience the student-athletes will never forget.PUC’s six varsity teams (men’s basketball, cross country, and soccer and women’s basketball, cross country, and volleyball) play in the California Pacific Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). PUC student-athletes are committed to the NAIA Champion of Character program, which was developed in response to the growing problem of deteriorating standards and integrity in sports and society. PUC’s adoption of the NAIA Champions of Character program raises the standards for positive student-athlete development in athletics and academics.In October, the men’s basketball team traveled to the San Quentin State Prison not only to play basketball with the inmates, but also exchange share life experiences. The players went away with a greater appreciation of their own opportunities. The...

PUC’s Martin Luther King Jr. Remembrance Colloquy on January 8 featured musician and orator David Anthony Johnson. His presentation was entitled “Let Freedom Ring: The Speeches of Martin Luther King Jr.” Johnson intertwined narratives from his own childhood and anecdotes about King’s life with performances of iconic speeches from the civil rights leader. Johnson not only recited the words of King’s speeches, but emulated his tone, delivery, inflection, and rhythm, recreating a little bit of history from the platform of the PUC Church.Johnson recounted how his great-grandmother urged him to learn King’s speeches by heart; he grew up surrounded by King’s voice and words through his family members and developed his own desire to learn more about the prominent civil rights activist. At the Colloquy program, Johnson orated three of King’s speeches, including King’s own “eulogy,” which was a sermon he preached just two months before his assassination. Johnson concluded with “I’ve Been to the Mountain,” King’s last delivery, which was given the day before his life ended in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968. Johnson himself is not only known for his oratory, but for his musical ability as well. He began singing at the age of four, and...

Bradon Schwarz, a PUC business administration sophomore, didn’t choose to get involved with Extreme Mobility Camps, Inc. Instead, he was born into the organization. And from day one of his involvement, he’s seen God leading him step by step. Extreme Mobility Camps, also known as XMO, was founded by Bradon’s parents, Bryan and Mindy Schwarz. Since the ministry’s earliest days when the Schwarzs were young Union College graduates working with Christian Record Services, XMO has provided exciting, adventure packed experiences to the blind and visually impaired. In the fun-filled environment of skiing, snowboarding, waterskiing, and surfing, the camps also provide a great opportunity to share God’s love. From childhood, Bradon participated in the life changing work his parents began. (His sister Marleigh, who attended PUC before transferring to Loma Linda University to study dental hygiene, is also involved with the ministry.) “I grew up with blind people around—it was just normal,” Bradon shares. As a kid spending time with the blind at XMO’s wintertime camps, Bradon was a “little buddy” to many of the blind campers. While he admits to being a bit of a pest, Bradon was able to look beyond the camper’s impairments and to find the many...

For some seniors, a group research project is a means to an end — graduation. But for Webbo Chen, Jessica Lee, Linda Lumintaintang and James Shim, it became something more. The group submitted their senior communication research paper, “Gendered Communication Differences in Emoticon Use,” to the 100th annual National Communication Association convention held in Chicago from Nov. 19-21. In addition to being accepted to present at the convention, the group also received the Stephen A. Smith Top Group-Authored Undergraduate Research Paper award in the Lambda Pi Eta Division. This is the third straight year that Pacific Union College students have won this award. The award was created by Lambda Pi Eta, the national communication honor society, to recognize and encourage outstanding undergraduate research. The award was named after Smith to recognize his role in founding the honor society in 1985. “I am so pleased with all [Lambda Pi Eta] has done to nurture our exceptional undergraduates,” said Smith, a communication professor at the University of Arkansas. “I am most gratified that it has supported and recognized the research contributions of distinguished students such as Webbo Chen.” In addition to the Stephen A. Smith award, the group also received the Top...

Pacific Union College has been named a “Healthiest Company” by the North Bay Business Journal for the third time. The college received the award for its commitment to promoting wellness and an active lifestyle among its employees. PUC first received the “Healthiest Company” award in 2012, and continues to encourage employees to focus on health and happiness while expanding wellness program opportunities. The Business Journal gathered nominations over months, finally settling on 19 companies and organizations that were honored at the Journal’s 2014 Health Care Conference and in a special report in the weekly publication. The companies selected for the award ranged from construction, education, banking, and technology; the healthiest companies were selected after a nomination and company survey process. The conference and special issue of the Journal drew attention to the outstanding efforts of businesses across the North Bay in the critical movement toward wellness, according to the Journal. The number of PUC’s employees involved in the college’s wellness program raised 6% from 2013, for a total of 96%. The wellness program provides educational classes and a yearly health assessment. The program encourages a healthy lifestyle through diet, exercise, and stress-reduction techniques while emphasizing the importance of spiritual wellness....

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...

The annual lighting of the PUC Christmas tree took place on the Monday of dead week, December 1. The campus mall was aglow with candlelight, and Christmas melodies wafted over the people in the crowd as they waited for the festivities to commence in front of the massive landmark tree. At 6:30 sharp, Student Association (SA)president Daniel DeCaires welcomed everyone to the tree lighting, especially thanking the rest of the SA officers for their hard work at the beginning of the holiday season. Josue Hernandez, SA religious vice president, gave a short prayer then turned the stage over to PUC President Heather J. Knight. President Knight provided the encouraging message that in a few short days, the quarter will be over and winter break will begin; until then, we have to keep up the momentum and power through finals. She then began the countdown to the light-up. After a momentous few seconds to take in the radiant tree, most of the crowd headed to the mall in front of the campus center for cookies and hot chocolate. As a surprise finishing touch to the evening, a snow machine blanketed the ground of the mall with fluffy white flakes to the...