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,...

From February 21 to 22, students from Pacific Union College and PUC Preparatory showcased the largest cast turnout of PUC on Broadway at the Paulin Hall Auditorium. A student-led production, this year’s directors and producers were PUC seniors Leila Beltran, a senior liberal studies and music major, and Emily Lalas, a biology and music major.Beltran directed the first-ever production of PUC on Broadway in 2023. This year was a full-circle moment, marking her Broadway return this year, her last. Some differences this time around for her involved directing in the renovated auditorium, which allowed access to new lighting and costumes that were unavailable two years ago. With a larger cast, the show was extra special. For two nights, they performed songs from & Juliet, [title of show], Hadestown, Hamilton, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Mean Girls, Little Shop of Horrors, My Fair Lady, Something Rotten, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Lightning Thief, The Prince of Egypt, The Phantom of the Opera, and Wicked.On opening night, “Drive” from The Lightning Thief was a hit performance. “It was corny to the point that it was enjoyable,” said Beltran. “And with the little hand motions that go with it?...

Over the past few years, Pacific Union College has enthusiastically expanded its graduate degree programs in education, nursing, communication, and business, offering flexibility, small class sizes, experiential learning, and most importantly, a Christian environment that empowers students with opportunities within the Seventh-day Adventist world and beyond.Having offered the Master of Education program for some time, the college decided to broaden its offerings in other high-demand fields in an online setting, which has ultimately allowed PUC to expand its reach to more students in California and Hawaii. Currently, the M.Ed. degree is a summer-based program that exposes graduates to teaching skills and technological proficiency, scholarly research, and leadership development while observing classroom trends and issues.Dean of the School of Arts, Humanities, and Professions, Milbert Mariano, emphasized the need to reach students beyond PUC. “We are adding to our list of online graduate programs providing much-needed training for busy professionals who want to advance their careers through master's degrees,” he said.To keep up with the high demand for nurses in the job market, PUC now offers a Master of Science in Nursing, a 100% online program that provides core, specialty, and practicum courses to students who already hold a BSN. Two areas...

Over winter break, February 5-8, Pacific Union College’s department of music went on tour to the San Diego, CA, area. They performed for chapel programs at Escondido Adventist Academy and San Diego Academy, presented vespers at Paradise Village Retirement Community and San Diego Fil-Am Adventist Church, and provided music for the church service at Bonita Valley Adventist Church.Ensembles on tour were Mosaic, PUC’s string quartet, and Vox Pro Musica (VPM), PUC’s select audition-only vocal ensemble. Mosaic is directed by Chair of Music Rachelle Berthelsen Davis; VPM is directed by Professor of Music Ronnie Zanella.“My favorite tour performance was at the retirement center because the audience was very lively and singing felt like a gift that night,” comments Tessa Hutzkal, senior graphic design major, who sings first alto with VPM. She adds, “I also unofficially loved when we sang in a very echoey walkway while outside.”It is not common for elementary or secondary schools to receive visits from college-level music ensembles, something Michael Spencer, music director at Escondido Academy, commented on.“He was super appreciative of the level of excellent music-making we brought to their students,” says Berthelsen Davis. “He remarked that they have opportunities to bus their students to high-level musical...

For years, various projects have been deeply considered by the administration at Pacific Union College. At the start of 2025, Vice President for Advancement Carlos Garcia, with the help of various departments, created the PUC Forward Campaign to raise funds for numerous renovations to highlight overall campus and student life, beautifying and improving the campus.Irwin Hall is one of two buildings on campus that house the most classes, serving departments such as business, communication, history, and more. Also, being one of PUC’s oldest buildings, its halls and stairs have needed remodeling. Garcia said that phase one of this renovation will focus on repainting the exterior and installing new windows, which have water damage. To complete this project, PUC needs to generate $410,000.Newton Hall is also a focus in this campaign, as it has been many years since any major remodels were done. To continue maintaining a comfortable dorm environment, Newton Hall needs to upgrade its restrooms and showers. PUC must raise $990,000 to create a better home-away-from-home for these students.Due to increased student interest, PUC has decided to expand its aviation program and enhance its department. They have also acquired a new aircraft, "Charlie," a technically advanced aircraft with a...

This past fall quarter, Pacific Union College Aviation Program Director Nathan Tasker taught the AVIA-402: Simulation Innovation course for the first time. The purpose of this class was to further the program’s two prototype simulators. One group focused on the full-motion, six-degrees-of-freedom platform purchased with funds from the 2025 VersaCare grant. This platform is a highly respected, cutting-edge device that is currently marketed for realistic, immersive simulation.Throughout the quarter, aviation students have worked diligently and collaboratively to adapt this platform for use in a virtual reality full-motion trainer to help beginning flight students progress more rapidly and affordably. In the initial analysis of the program, the students attempted to validate the motion characteristics of the full-motion base. Students took measurements, made calculations, and analyzed the data to determine how well the platform simulated an aircraft hurtling through a large 3-D space, a complicated prospect. Unfortunately, they found that the original software did not accurately reflect washout and load factor, which are crucial factors for achieving a realistic result.After they followed up with the manufacturer, the students learned that their goal was beyond the scope of the manufacturer's development team, prompting them to develop their very own motion platform software under...

From January 26 to January 31, Pacific Union College students shared passionate testimonies and sermons during the Winter Student Week of Worship service.Starting the week was senior psychology major and Director of Small Groups in the Office of Service, Justice, and Missions, Britney Hernandez. Leading up to her sermon, a video of Hernandez sharing a cake with her peers across campus circulated online, foreshadowing the core of her message: “Jesus is like good cake. Share it with others.”She pointed to John 4:4– the story of the Samaritan woman who went to draw water from the well. When the woman encountered Jesus, “He offered her living water, love, and words of comfort that she probably had not heard in a long time,” said Hernandez.Hernandez brought the audience to the heart of this Bible story in John 4:39-41, relating it to the cake reference. The Samaritan woman returned to her village and gathered the people, telling them about the person she had just met. Hernandez prompted listeners to ask God to make them sensitive to opportunities to offer Jesus to others, and to purposefully choose to be the instrument God uses to reach others so that they, too, can witness His glory...

From January 21 to 24, Pacific Union College and PUC Preparatory hosted 450 students and sponsors for the Pioneers Invitational Academy Basketball Tournament.With PUC Preparatory, participating schools were:Hawaiian Mission Academy Pine Tree AcademySan Diego AcademyEscondido Adventist AcademyRedlands Adventist AcademyNewbury Park Adventist AcademyCentral Valley Christian AcademyRio Lindo AcademyMonterey Bay AcademyMountain View AcademyPleasant Hill Adventist AcademyLodi AcademySacramento Adventist AcademyParadise Adventist AcademyPine Hills Adventist Academy Academies were greeted with merch, dorm necessities, and cookies, each with a note from PUC’s men's and women’s basketball teams, as they arrived on campus. Tournament organizers, PUC Executive Assistant and Enrollment Counselor Andrianna Massena, and PUC Prep Athletic Director Matt Lee ensured students, coaches, and parents had an enjoyable time during their four days on campus.Massena and Lee also made special arrangements to have catered food from local restaurants in St. Helena for coaches, referees, and sponsors from Gott’s Burgers, Guigni’s Deli, and Azteca Market. The coaches also received gifts from the kinesiology department, which Aimee Wyrick, Dean of the School of Sciences, personally gave.PUC student Kaia Miller also assisted during the event by coordinating books and scorekeepers and keeping the gymnasium clean. “She [Kaia] is such an advocate for PUC, and it shines through during these...

Driven by his passion for service, Pacific Union College alumnus Jordan Delarmente was inspired by his time on campus to redefine the essence of worship and to be a light to people in a dark place, even in the heart of deployment overseas.After graduating in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing communications and an associate degree in health science, Delarmente immediately began working in the healthcare field for six months in San Jose, CA. However, he has always felt a deep calling to join the military because his great-grandfather served in WW2 and survived the Bataan Death March, granting his family the opportunity to come to the United States.Delarmente will have been in the National Army Guard for eight years this May and currently serves in operations and logistics, supporting hundreds of troops throughout the Middle East. When he is not deployed or working weekends, Delarmente works for the U.S. Air Force as a Nuclear Test Equipment Manager, supervising technical aspects of nuclear-related testing environments.His family highly values Adventist education that equips them with the skills for a service-oriented career, which is why they sent him to PUC. Delarmente also notes that he wanted to follow in his father’s...