2025

After an intense search and countless prayers, Pacific Union College is happy to appoint Tony Nakashima as the new Athletic Director.Nakashima graduated from PUC with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing in 2010. Coming back to PUC was a full circle moment for Nakashima, as he truly enjoyed his student experience and is devoted to influencing students’ lives in the same way.“I am committed to developing the student athlete as a whole, equipping each team with the tools they need to thrive spiritually, academically, athletically, and personally,” states Nakashima.Nakashima brings 11 years of coaching experience across multiple levels of collegiate athletics. Before joining PUC, he served as the head coach of the women’s basketball team at Walla Walla University, where he was named the winningest coach in the program’s history.Prior to Walla Walla, Nakashima held positions as assistant coach and coaching video coordinator in various collegiate institutions across the country. One of his greatest accomplishments was winning the NAIA National Championship in 2019 while serving as the assistant coach at the University of Montana Western in Dillon, Montana.Nakashima highlights the importance of using athletics as a form of ministry, where sports serve as a platform to impact lives...

Pacific Union College is delighted to share that the aviation department received a $12,000 grant from the VersaCare Foundation to purchase the full-motion platform and accessories for a high-fidelity, virtual reality flight training device prototype. The VersaCare Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Riverside, California, supporting innovative programs. PUC applied for the grant in December and obtained acceptance in April.“God has blessed our aviation program in so many ways over the last few months,” said Nathan Tasker, flight center director. “We were overjoyed to receive this grant. We are in the process of purchasing the components now, and we plan to offer a recently-accredited course called AVIA-402 Simulation Innovation in Fall Quarter 2025. Students in this class will be involved in designing and testing new simulation technologies using the components purchased with the VersaCare grant.”Using full-motion simulators is an unusual concept in the beginning stages of flight training. PUC’s aviation leadership team wants to change that. PUC students have already helped create and build one simulator, which is currently in use. In addition to saving the students money, this simulator allows students to rehearse emergency scenarios that are not as realistic in an airplane.“High-fidelity simulation gives us a serious...

Pacific Union College was happy to welcome back alumna Pastor Samantha Angeles to speak for the spring Week of Worship. From April 14-18, she spoke around the school year’s theme of “Passion,” discussing her experience in ministry at the age of eight and feeling that spark that would later lead her to PUC.When Angeles was in fourth grade, she went on a mission trip to the Philippines with her sister and parents, who were high school sponsors. One of her duties was translating Bible studies into English. One day, the students leading the Bible studies fell ill, leaving her in charge. The next day, with Angeles still leading, she asked in Tagalog if anyone in the congregation wanted to give their lives to God. Four people raised their hands. She was by their side during their baptisms at the end of the mission trip. In witnessing this commitment, she felt nothing was better. With a life of faith requiring total devotion and surrender, Angeles reminds students that when they don’t feel they are doing their best, trust that God is enough to carry them across the finish line if they remain steadfast in running their race of faith.“Even at eight...

On the first day of Homecoming, Pacific Union College Professor Dr. Tammy McGuire awarded two communication majors, Jazlynn Hardy and Anna Ramos, with scholarship awards from the Andy Bishop Foundation, created in honor of communication alumni Andy Bishop, ‘15, who tragically passed away in 2021. His parents, Doug and Lori, and other family members and friends have generously contributed to the foundation, which grows yearly.The foundation focuses on Bishop: a storyteller and connector who was kind, generous, positive, creative, and adventurous—someone who lived generously. Among other projects, the foundation provides scholarships, helps develop communication internships, and awards students funding to support them after graduating, so they have less debt and can more easily pursue their dreams.Outside of being a communication major, recipients must be creative content creators, such as Bishop was, and share many of his values and qualities. Hardy is a senior from Altamonte Springs, Florida, graduating with a BS in Marketing Communication in June. “She can design a clever advertising poster and has a keen sense of marketing strategies, really above her years,” said McGuire. “She has been an integral part of our women’s basketball team for four years, serving as one of this year’s captains; she plays...

On Sunday, May 4, 157 participants aged six to 75 participated in the third annual Angwin to Angwish run at Pacific Union College. Runners from all over the world came to PUC only to compete and be a part of the event. Two runners traveled from China and England after reading about the event on social media and felt inspired by the campus's unique and challenging trail and intimate race atmosphere. “It was humbling and surreal,” said Abraham Garrido, director of Angwin to Angwish. “To know that people from across the globe saw value in what we’re doing here in this small community—that’s incredibly meaningful.”Other runners also came from Oregon, Colorado, and Nevada, which Garrido said was exciting to see the reach of PUC’s little mountain race expanding every year.The event kicked off with the 26K, where runners ran loops on the lower hill, before taking on Angwish Hill with an elevation of 2,800 feet. The 10K followed, for a short, fast, and scenic route through Mossy Rock, ending with a kids' one-mile run at the campus track.“It was beautiful to see such a wide range of runners out on the trails,” said Garrido. “We were excited to see growth...

On Sunday, May 4, the athletics department at Pacific Union College hosted its annual awards banquet at the Fireside Room to celebrate and recognize all 114 student-athletes. 29 students received awards from PUC, and 18 were given awards from the California Pacific Conference for their exceptional performances this year.“It was nice to see the student-athletes be recognized for their hard work and dedication throughout the year,” said Kenneth Perez, PUC sports information director. “I hope they understand that their dedication makes our work even more meaningful. They’ve done an excellent job this season, overcoming various challenges, and I hope they can reflect on this year with pride on how much they’ve grown. Not just as athletes, but also as students and individuals.”This year's highlight was the men’s volleyball team making the playoffs for the first time since their inauguration five years ago. They also became the first team in PUC history to have back-to-back years with CAL-PAC individual awards. During the 2023-2024 season, Justin Vital, now an alum, won Defensive Player of the Year, followed by Nate Tejada, receiving the 2024-2025 Offensive Player of the Year. Another achievement was Emiliano Ascencio, who received the Newcomer of the Year award, earning...

Pacific Union College was excited to welcome back over 250 alumni to Howell Mountain during Homecoming weekend. From April 18-19, alumni reconnected with the campus community and friends through endless events, activities, and gatherings.The weekend began on Friday afternoon with Pioneer games of men's and women’s volleyball and basketball, which were newly included this year. As more people made their way to campus throughout the afternoon, a Pioneer dinner was held before vespers to continue welcoming alumni. PUC Chaplain Arturo Lopez welcomed everyone at vespers before alumna Kathryn (Hopgood) Sculatti and Elle Wheeler led the congregation in the school song, “Our College on the Mountain”.The speaker for the night was alumna Pastor Samantha Angeles Peralta, who was also the guest speaker for PUC’s Week of Worship in the days before Homecoming. She spoke about feeling homesick during her college years, but expressed how PUC shaped her and many others through the community they all built. With the celebration of Homecoming, she emphasized the true homecoming to Heaven.On Saturday, alumni Pastor Joey Oh spoke during Sabbath school and began with a quiz to test everyone’s PUC knowledge. He showed photos of famous Adventists, such as Ellen White, Joseph Bates, and J.N....

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 evacuate and...

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...