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From March 21-31, three professors and 13 students from Pacific Union College served in the sweltering Amazon basin of Pucallpa, Peru. With Maranatha organizing the mission trip, they brought leaders and a construction team to supervise their work on a church. While PUC’s mission trips have always provided healthcare services, Vacation Bible School, and construction work, this year, academy students joined them for the first time since 2015. Five students and three teachers from Orangewood Academy traveled to Peru to further PUC’s mission. “I would like to partner with more academies during future mission trips so their students have more opportunities to participate in mission service, potentially take our College Early courses, and be more inclined to attend a SDA college or university—hopefully PUC!” said Floyd Hayes, PUC professor of biology.Their team also included PUC Nursing Professors Iris Engelman-Tompkins and Nicolette Piaubert, alongside a spouse, parent, and two nurse practitioners from ComuniCare+Ole in Napa Valley. PUC student Areli Castro organized and led their team, which worked with the AMOR Project led by Dr. Guillermo Gow-Lee, and fundraised and successfully implemented the medical outreach. During the trip, news broke that the Ucayali River had flooded homes, forcing hundreds of locals to...

Pacific Union College hosted a music festival for several academies throughout California in March. During the event, PUC’s Department of Education partnered with the music department to provide a workshop for visiting teachers led by Jennifer Peñaflorida, associate professor of education, and Nicole Nunes-Smith, assistant professor and education director of field experience. Attended by six academy sponsors, the workshop focused on the professional development of culturally responsible music teaching. Specifically for music teachers, Peñaflorida researched what topics would be relevant to them. With culturally pertinent and responsive music teaching in her literature review, she considered the multicultural classroom course that Nunes-Smith teaches and how that would be an interesting frame for thinking. “We thought this topic would be relevant because while music teachers cover so many genres of music, the traditional music taught is Western European music,” said Peñaflorida. “With our K-12 students mirroring the diversity of ethnicities and cultures, we thought this topic would bridge teachers’ knowledge of music education to culturally relevant music education.”This workshop brought many perspectives, reminding Peñaflorida and Nunes-Smith how beneficial these seminars are with educators outside campus. “Sometimes we work in silos here at PUC, and collaboration with other curious educators allows for co-construction...

The film department from Pacific Union College had a lot to celebrate at this year’s Sonscreen Film Festival at Loma Linda University. From April 3-6, PUC film students presented their work, networked with fellow filmmakers, and returned to campus with awards. PUC film students Josue Hilario (A Better View), Fabiola Ixcot (What If…), Alex Parriott (This is Real), Nils Anderson (Decisions), Jacob Capiña (Second Self), and Melaney Klinedinst (Ego) showcased their films, alongside alum Melody Park who also presented her film, The Bard of the Mountain Valley. Watching Park’s thesis film brought a special moment to the weekend as she spoke about her work with former PUC Chair and Professor Rajeev Sigamoney. “It’s an ambitious and heart-warming project,” said Melissa Pratt, assistant film professor. “Many in the audience were moved to tears and inspired by her dedication, art, and storytelling.”Capiña won the Special Jury Award for Mise-en-Scene for his film Second Self, while Klinedinst received the Special Jury Award for Visual Storytelling for her film Ego. For the Pitch Competition, Katya Popravkina came in second place for her film IT. When Popravkina pitched her movie on stage, PUC’s film department sat in the front row to cheer her on. “She...

Pacific Union College is proud to announce a new online Master of Arts in Communication program, currently the only Seventh-day Adventist institution to offer this degree.Tara Hargrove, PUC chair of the Departments of Communication and World Languages, is excited about this new degree program. "I am especially looking forward to possible collaborations with other departments, institutions, and organizations," she said. "Courses are designed by industry professionals and faculty to include real-world experiences and applications, including a study tour experience–location pending! I love that this program is asynchronous and accessible for a wider range of students to add to their skill sets."The degree has three emphases: Communication Research, Strategic Communication, and Health Communication. The program also offers four certificates that can be stacked or taken on their own: Communication Research, Strategic Communication, Health Communication, and Communication.The program is for working professionals who want practical skills in digital communication, media strategy, leadership, and analytics. It equips graduates to excel in dynamic communication roles across industries, including healthcare and denominational employment.Dean of the School of Arts, Humanities, and Professions Milbert Mariano said this new online program means PUC can reach students beyond campus. “We are adding to our list of online graduate programs...

Pacific Union College has relaunched its Associate of Science in Engineering degree—and now, qualified students entering the program will be guaranteed admission into Andrews University’s Bachelor of Science in Engineering program through a newly signed Guaranteed Admission Agreement.This agreement ensures that eligible PUC engineering students will be accepted into AU’s BSE program. To support this partnership, PUC has designed a curriculum that fulfills AU’s transfer requirements, including foundational coursework in engineering, mathematics, and physics.“The agreement with AU means a guaranteed pathway for our students to complete a bachelor’s degree in engineering within the Adventist school system,” said James Robertson, chair of PUC’s mathematics and physics department. “Additionally, it will allow West Coast students to start their college experience closer to home and with friends, then complete their program at Andrews.”The engineering program, relaunching in Fall 2025, was reintroduced at PUC to meet student demand and provide an accessible and mission-aligned entry point into the field. Students benefit from small class sizes and a supportive learning environment tailored to the rigorous demands of STEM education.“Our program has a long history of successfully preparing engineering students,” Robertson added. “The first two years of any engineering program can be difficult, so our faculty...