2026

On August 24, Pacific Union College Enrollment Counselor and Angwin to Angwish Coordinator Abraham Garrido participated in the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (TDS), a 100-mile race that crosses through the scenic views of the French Alps in Chamonix.The race began at midnight in freezing rain, foreshadowing a long night and day in the mountains for the 1,290 starting participants. The course included about 31,000 feet of elevation gain, taking runners through what Garrido described as “incredible terrain” in France and Italy, with mountain refuges on standby to house and care for participants. One of the coolest things he shared was being able to run with people from so many different countries and backgrounds, and how running can bring so many people from all over the world together.As he endured this life-altering experience, his wife, PUC Director of Recruitment, Isabella Malan-Garrido, along with his brother and sister, cheered him on at different aid stations, making it even more meaningful. “Honestly, one of the coolest parts of the whole experience was getting to share it with my family. I couldn’t have done it without them.”More than anything, getting to be in the Alps, running through the night, and sharing the experience with so...

From August 30 to September 1, Pacific Union College held its 36th annual Publication Workshop, hosting 129 high school and academy students, along with sponsors, from 13 schools. Faculty and staff from the visual arts, communication, marketing, and enrollment departments collaborated to put together this event. Students received hands-on practice in writing, journalism, video production, photography, design, newswriting, and social media, taught by PUC’s very own faculty– professionals in their respective crafts and fields.This year, PUC welcomed Armona Union Academy, Central Valley Christian, Columbia Adventist Academy, Lodi Academy, Miramonte Christian School, Mesa Grande Academy, Mountain View Academy, Pleasant Hill Academy, PUC Preparatory, Redlands Academy, Roseburg Christian Academy, San Fernando Valley Academy, and Tualatin Valley Academy.Sponsored by the communication and visual arts departments, students learned valuable skills through teacher-led activities while also getting a glimpse of the Christ-centered campus and its wide range of offerings. Faculty and staff members involved in this year’s workshop were PUC Dean of Arts, Humanities, and Professions and Director of Publication Workshop, Milbert Mariano; Associate Professor of Communication Tara Hargrove; Professor of Communication Patricia Maxwell; Professor of Graphic Design and Department Chair Brian Kyle; Instructor of Visual Arts Nephtali Marin; Adjunct Professor of Photography Mike Murtaugh;...

Pacific Union College is delighted to announce that it has been ranked #15 in Overall Rank in the Regional Colleges (West) category and #5 in California in that same category in the 2026-2027 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges List. PUC has also earned a new ranking of #12 in Top Private Colleges, a category for private institutions funded entirely by non-government sources like tuition, endowments, and alumni gifts.U.S. News Best Colleges rates about 1,700 educational institutions nationwide, weighing factors like academic quality, graduation and retention rates, post-graduate outcomes, and academic resources, with the Regional Colleges (West) category awarding only 49 schools based on the career- and job-focused degrees they offer.Currently, PUC is #15 in the Overall Rank and #34 in Top Performers on Social Mobility– all in the Regional Colleges (West) category.Proudly embracing the tagline, "Learn with Purpose, Rise in Faith, and Serve with Love," PUC takes pride in and is known for its dedicated faculty and staff, who are fully devoted to serving the entire student body– from fostering a Christ-centered environment to a robust academic program."At PUC we are focused on quality and student experience," said PUC President Ralph Trecartin. "Whenever the U.S. News rankings come...

From July 29 to August 1, four of Pacific Union College’s biology professors attended the Conference for North American Division (NAD) Science Professors in Pasco, Washington. Organized by the Geoscience Research Institute (GRI), the event was an opportunity to highlight research and presentations and celebrate higher education.PUC’s Dean of the School of Sciences, Aimee Wyrick, attended the conference, alongside Chair of Biology Bryan Ness and Professors Floyd Hayes and Backil Sung. With this year's theme being “Your Wondrous Works,” scientists and professors from the GRI, Loma Linda University and other Seventh-day Adventist institutions, along with LLU graduate students presented on topics such as paleontology, geology, biology, and the environment. Through those presentations, PUC’s biology professors collected new information that would be useful in their own lectures and benefit their students. They were also able to meet new colleagues, explore research projects, and see old friends from different Adventist schools.Before the conference officially began, Wyrick joined a group of 30 faculty members and graduate students from various universities and colleges on a two-day field trip to explore the Columbia River Basalt and Channeled Scablands. They learned about the geologic history and Missoula megafloods that shaped the area. Although Wyrick already knew...

Throughout the year, the Pacific Union College aviation program has received many provisions from God, including acquiring Charlie, their Cessna 206 missionary plane, and adding several talented instructors to their team. Recently, a glider was generously donated to the PUC aviation program. Flight Center Director Nathan Tasker has been working diligently on plans for a glider program on campus, so this was nothing short of an answer to prayer for Tasker and his team.Several months ago, Tasker met with a fellow Adventist glider pilot who had been working on his glider instructor certificate and had recently acquired it. This milestone encouraged Tasker and the instructor to schedule a meeting for July 6 to plan next steps. Among those steps was the acquisition of gliders. They met at 12 p.m. as planned, and, just 30 minutes into their meeting, the daily mail arrived. In it was an unsolicited letter from someone named Joanne Lessard. In the letter, Lessard explained that her husband, George Lessard, a 1963 PUC alumnus and a passionate glider pilot, had passed away this past January. After reading the recent article circulating on the PUC website and in ViewPoint publications about “Charlie,” she inquired whether PUC could use...

Pacific Union College is thrilled to announce that the athletics department earned the Champions of Character Five-Star Institution Award for the 2025-2026 season from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). To earn this award, NAIA colleges and universities use the Champions of Character core report to measure the pursuit of character-driven athletics, where they must reach a minimum of 60 out of 100 points. With PUC scoring 100, the NAIA recognizes the college is committed to providing an experience where their student-athletes can grow not just as competitors, but as individuals.“For me, what makes this award special is that it represents our student-athletes,” said PUC Athletic Director Tony Nakashima. They have demonstrated that it’s possible to compete at a high level while showing respect for opponents, officials, teammates, and the game itself. Their commitment to living out those values is what truly earned this recognition.”Nakashima credits the coaches for creating a program built on trust, accountability, and support that positively motivates their athletes to be the best versions of themselves on and off the court. With each coach heavily invested in each player, he says they inspire their student-athletes to grow in competition and life.“At PUC, our goal is...

After graduating from Pacific Union College with a B.S. in psychology and an A.S. in Photography in 1987, Jon Wood began his career as a 3D Motion Graphic Artist before eventually returning to PUC as a professor of film and television. In 2005, the Lord impressed him to start Jesus for Asia, a missionary organization that sends missionaries to unreached areas of the Asian continent. And now, 21 years later, the ministry has worked in over 10 countries, with nearly 1,000 workers worldwide, touching the lives of many with the good news of Jesus.It was not easy to start a ministry, especially one of this caliber, but Wood and his wife, Natalie, also a PUC alumna, were determined, so the first thing they did was pray about how God would work and lead them as they felt called to lead others. “We spent months, actually years, praying about what that would look like, how it would be set up, what principles we would use to run it, what project we would start with to make the biggest impact,” he said.In the winter of 2004, Wood, along with a small team of students, traveled to Thailand around the time the Indian...

With roots in Angwin, Pacific Union College was no stranger to ‘97 alumna and passionate children’s author and illustrator, Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson, who grew up witnessing the early-morning fog over the valley, the sound of the Paulin Hall fountain, and the winding roads adorning the hill. Having been inspired by these experiences, Fujimoto-Johnson said it was during her time at PUC that she tapped into some of her most significant and creative projects, which, to her, marked the roots she is pursuing all these years later.In her early years, she recalls writing poetry at the tender age of six, which grounded her in a love and fond appreciation for expression. She said, “The truth is that I feel most alive when I am creating, and I have circled back to that truth many times in my life so far. But really, I create in the hopes that my work will outlive me and continue to make an impact for many years. I am committed to making space for diversity, beauty, and kindness in my work.”Her family moved to Japan when she was nine, which exposed her to her cultural and familial roots, and her passion for writing grew while being homeschooled...

Quietly nestled in the valley of an old lumber camp near the Pacific Ocean and amid forested hills, Albion Field Station lies in the heart of the Mendocino coast. Since Pacific Union College acquired the station in 1947, it has offered extraordinary opportunities for students, families, and groups to explore the beauty of the natural world and to learn more about its history, wildlife, and biology. Many proud PUC faculty, staff, and alumni have worked hard to maintain the station over the years so that people of all ages and career backgrounds can visit and enjoy what Albion has to offer, all while experiencing God's creation firsthand. Bill Hemmerlin, former professor of chemistry at PUC from 1979 to 2010, expressed, “Going to Albion was always a great experience, for me and my family, and everyone. People always had a great time, and we knew it was a special place.”Harold Clark, the PUC biology department chair at the time, had been running a summer field school studying the fauna and flora of California and their ecological relationships. The tour would last several weeks, from leaving campus, traveling to the coast, exploring the Sierras, and then returning. In the spring of 1946,...

From July 19-26, over 1,000 people gathered at Pacific Union College for the West Coast Korean Camp Meeting, an event that has been held on campus for decades. An annual event hosted among the Korean-American Seventh-day Adventist Churches across the western states, with the support of the Southern California Conference, their theme this year was “Build Church - Building Faith, Family, and Church.” As they focused on the church they wanted to create for the future, the camp meeting was a great time for family, friends, and churches to come to one place and worship together.As people arrived on Sunday, an opening ceremony kicked off the camp meeting that evening to welcome attendees who traveled near and far, with even some who traveled from Korea. After a performance from the adult choir to start the program, PUC President Ralph Trecartin also took the time to welcome visitors on campus before lectures and activities began.“Korean Camp Meeting represents the pinnacle of energy on campus during the summer. It is so wonderful to see over 1,000 happy people creating memories and learning opportunities for this close-knit community of believers,” said Trecartin. “I love talking to the pastors and other leaders who plan...