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From musical performances to personal poetry to tai chi, the faculty and staff talent show on February 26 at Pacific Union College left the audience wildly entertained. Many community members of all ages gathered at the Paulin Center for the Arts to celebrate the diverse talent of PUC’s faculty and staff, talent they may never have known they had. This was also a chance for students to see their professors on stage, in a different light, showcasing a side of themselves their students don’t see every day in the classroom.When the idea came to Vice President for Student and Spiritual Life, Dr. Aimee Leukert, at the beginning of the school year, she knew she would have to mention the talent show to staff and faculty very early on to get participants and make it happen. Through constant reminders, mass emails, and support from the academic deans, Leukert was dedicated to securing representation from faculty and staff across departments. As people began signing up, she knew that it was going to be a great show.“I love, love, love, the faculty and staff here,” expressed Leukert. “Being new, I have felt so welcomed and valued — really from day one. Everyone has...

For the very first time, Pacific Union College hosted a boys’ volleyball tournament featuring 10 academies from across the state. From March 6 to 7, this special event included Redlands Academy, San Gabriel Academy, Glendale Academy, Rio Lindo Academy, Mountain View Academy, Pine Hills Academy, Pleasant Hill Academy, Lodi Academy, Sacramento Academy, and PUC Preparatory.The San Gabriel Eagles won first place, finishing 3-1, with the Pine Hills Eagles in second and the Redlands Academy Bulldogs in third.While PUC hosts girls’ volleyball tournaments and other three to four-day sports tournaments, this tournament was only for two days to give the college organizers a sense of how successful it would be and whether it could be an annual event. The idea of bringing a boys’ volleyball tournament to PUC to reality was strongly advocated for this momentous tournament by PUC Youth, Associate Pastor Garrison Chaffee, and Pine Hills Academy Coach Justin Gatling.They were a huge support to the tournament organizers, Andrianna Massena, executive assistant and enrollment counselor; Matt Lee, PUC Preparatory athletic director; Tony Nakashima, PUC athletic director; PUC Student and Intramurals Director Kaia Miller; and student workers from PUC’s athletics and enrollment departments. Outside of the competition, PUC Vice President for...

From February 22 to 23, Pacific Union College’s School of Sciences and Loma Linda University Schools of Dentistry, Pharmacy, and Allied Health held STEM and health profession workshops for 75 students from Monterey Bay Academy, Mountain View Academy, Lodi Academy, and PUC Preparatory.Hosted on PUC’s campus, academy students had the great opportunity to participate in workshops focused on careers in STEM, physical therapy, dentistry, pharmacy, and psychology. In each workshop, these students gained hands-on, engaging experiences learning from PUC and LLU professionals and faculty. For both days, they were divided into three groups, rotating through three workshops. Students from PUC’s School of Sciences also played a big part in the workshop, working with the academy students and ensuring they had a fun and educational time.Starting off the two-day event, President of Adventist Health St. Helena and Adventist Health Vallejo, Dr. Steven Herber, opened with his keynote address. Also a PUC and LLU alumnus, he shared the connections he began to make in high school, then in college, and later in professional school, that helped lead him to the career positions that paved the way to his current positions. Crediting his educational experience and dedication to staying curious and being as...

Pacific Union College was pleased to welcome two individuals whom they appointed as assistant deans for the men’s and women’s dorms last fall quarter. PUC Vice President of Student and Spiritual Life, Aimee Leukert, said they were “answers to prayers,” and were welcomed with open and loving arms by the school. Ever since they arrived, they have settled in nicely, not only living up to such high praise but going above and beyond for the students of their respective residence halls.PUC alumna Morgan Carpio filled the role of the women’s residence hall dean in Andre Hall. She graduated with a degree in biochemistry and became a dean at Rio Lindo Academy because she loved being a student dean at PUC. Six years later, Carpio is happy to serve in the very place where her passion began. The college was delighted to offer her the new dean position, given her experience as a dean, incredible work ethic, and care for students. Executive Director of Student & Spiritual Life Gena Philpott describes Carpio as “a woman of faith and steady strength who thrives on making sure her residence hall and students are taken care of and seamlessly fits with our team.”She has...

On February 7, Laura Wibberding, chair of the history department at Pacific Union College, delivered a presentation about the history of Seventh-day Adventists at the Interfaith Religious Liberty Summit main event in Salt Lake City, UT. This was her third time speaking about Adventist history for a religious liberty event, having previously spoken in November at the Religious Liberty Summit at the Paradise Adventist Church and in October at the Religious Liberty Breakfast hosted by the Northern California Conference.The Church State Council, the Pacific Union Conference’s religious liberty arm organized the event, featuring sermons, presentations, and panel discussions among the Church State Council, Seventh-day Adventist churches, the United Church of Christ, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.At the main event, PUC alumnus and pastor of West Jordan SDA Adventist Church, Adriano Liessi, opened with prayer before Wibberding took the stage. She then spoke about Adventism’s history as a minority within American Christianity and its experience with religious discrimination. “If you look at the old issues of the American Sentinel in the 1880s, Adventists are not just defending their right to keep the seventh day Sabbath,” she said. “We are arguing that no one should be treated unfairly,...