Daniel DeCaires has a passion for Pacific Union College and is ready to lead. DeCaires, a senior from Benicia, Calif., majoring in business administration, will be serving as the president of PUC’s Student Association (SA) during the 2014-2015 school year, which begins September 22.
As president, DeCaires will lead the campus-wide Student Association with a team of eight fellow officers elected by the student body. The goal of the SA is to serve and assist students so they can enjoy their time at PUC as much as possible through social events, religious experiences, and by serving on committees as student representatives and leading the Student Senate.
DeCaires has been excited about PUC since arriving on campus after attending public school and community college. He’s proud to be a Pioneer, and even shares his enthusiasm with future students as a Student Ambassador for the office of enrollment services. “As students, we should take more pride in where we live and the opportunities that are presented to us,” the student leader explains.
One of DeCaires’ goals as SA president is to encourage students to engage productively with campus life. Rather than waiting for something to go wrong and complaining on social media, DeCaires hopes he can lead students to be proactive by working with their student senators and engaging with the college’s staff and faculty. “I want to help others understand how the school operates and what the college is really about, and lead students to make necessary and appropriate changes in the school,” he says.
As one of the few colleges in the Napa Valley, DeCaires will also be encouraging students to get involved with the community. “I want to get PUC students out in the community through things like outreach projects,” he comments. “I want to encourage everyone not only to help those who are in need it but also to just help others in general, and to show we are good neighbors here in the Napa Valley. PUC is the only four-year College in the Napa Valley, and DeCaires will be encouraging his fellow students to get involved in the community.
DeCaires’ passion for helping others will make a difference both on- and off-campus, and his impact at PUC has already been felt. “The student body is sure to benefit from Daniel's leadership and vision,” shares Jennifer Tyner, vice president for enrollment management and marketing. “He has already made a huge contribution by helping Enrollment Services launch our Student Ambassador program last year. We are looking forward to what he and his fellow student association officers accomplish this year!”
As a leader and face of the student body next year, DeCaires admits that he will run into times of hardships, and explained that he would count on his mentors among PUC’s faculty and staff to be a source of advice and help. “[Jennifer Tyner] is a mentor and someone I look up to in more than a hundred ways since I started working in Enrollment,” Daniel shares. “Professor John Nunes is also someone I look forward to seeking advice from, as he is one of those professors that cares more about the students than his own well being.”
The student body is anticipating how the SA will enrich their experience in the coming year. “I'm so excited to see what Daniel and his team have planned for PUC,” enthuses fellow senior Lindsay Orellana, a communication major from Rohnert Park, Calif. “With it being my last year here I know he's going to make it the most memorable year yet!”
As he looks forward to the tasks and challenges ahead of him, DeCaires hopes to positively affect PUC and the student body as a whole. “It’ll be fun,” he concludes.