PacificQuest: Motivating Young Students for Higher Education

From June 28 to July 3, Pacific Union College hosted 42 students from sixth to 12th grade for PacificQuest. Through an annual college early program, students from academies throughout California had the opportunity to participate in programs focused on STEM, aviation, and film.

Led by PacificQuest Academic Director and PUC Associate Professor of Kinesiology and Health Sciences Wayne Borin and PacificQuest Program Director and PUC Executive Assistant and Enrollment Counselor Andrianna Massena, they welcomed students and their families during their arrivals, with PUC President Ralph Trecartin also present to introduce them to the PacificQuest instructors and staff and share the event’s theme of “Intelligence,” highlighting PUC’s biology, psychology, and math departments.

“PacificQuest is a direct reflection of our Pacific Union College experience: Learn with Purpose, Rise in Faith, Serve with Love,” said Borin. “This short week provides middle and high school students to experience the academic rigor of higher education, daily worship, as well as develop social and emotional awareness, building connections with their fellow student-campers.”

Fitting the theme, the STEM program, known as PQSeek, focused on several lessons surrounding intelligence. In biology, PUC Biology Chair and Professor John Duncan taught students about human intelligence through anatomy and physiology, while PUC Psychology Professor Michael Jefferson had students examine various methods for evaluating intelligence in the psychology portion.

For her first year teaching in PacificQuest, PUC Math Professor Victoria Wambua challenged students to analyze analytical thinking as they grow up in a world of artificial intelligence. With the goal to help them explore the intersection of humans, data, and AI, Wambua had students use real wildfire data to learn that while AI can help analyze information and identify patterns, people still have the responsibility to ask insightful questions, consider consequences, and make ethical decisions. These lessons challenged the students to think critically about their data, question missing information, and evaluate how data-driven decisions affect people and communities.

During her lessons, Wambua noticed that students especially enjoyed the activity in which they had to create charts that tell the truth for different audiences and participate in an expert carousel. Through this assignment, students explained their work, learned from other groups, and enjoyed seeing how the same data could be communicated in different ways through information, persuasion, and deception.

“My first PQ experience was both exciting and rewarding,” shared Wambua. “I enjoyed working with curious students who were eager to learn and engage with real-world problems. It was inspiring to see them think critically about data, AI, and decision-making, and I look forward to participating in future PQ events.”

For PQFlix, five students learned about the world of filmmaking by attending lectures on storytelling, directing, screenwriting, and cinematography held by PUC Film Professor Melissa Henry Pratt and Film Instructor Nephtali Marin. With their first assignment to write two short scripts, the students were eager to start learning and creating. As they independently developed stories and scripts, they moved into pre-production, storyboarding, camera blocking, and preparing their actors for the shoot day. With their gear ready to go, the students trekked to the Back 40 as their film location to bring their work to life.

“I think they most enjoyed being on set, working together as a team to make something, and getting to work with some of the fun gear we have at PUC,” said Pratt. “I hope that they found the process both accessible and aspirational, that they have tools that they can take back home and continue making things, and that they also got a taste of how having a crew and professional gear can elevate their projects.”

Across campus at the Angwin Airport, 15 students had the incredible opportunity to take flight lessons in PUC’s airplanes and flight simulators during PQSoar. Taught by PUC Flight Center Director Nathan Tasker and Aviation Office Manager Janel Tasker, they organized various on- and off-campus activities, including a short trip to Mike’s AeroClassics in Angwin, where students learned how to clean wheel bearings, change the oil, re-inflate tires, lubricate surfaces on an airplane, and use safety wire. On campus, they also had lessons about aerodynamics with paper airplanes and then modified an airplane design in X-Plane Plane Maker. To close PQSoar, the students had the chance to go on a fly-out to Nut Tree Airport in Vacaville and tour the on-site Rowland Freedom Center Aviation Museum.

This year, Borin and Massena added new recreational activities to support the academic focus while also giving students an enhanced social experience outside their classes. During the day, students had the chance to explore St. Helena and all its charms, from hiking the trails around town and having a picnic at a local park to indulging in the culinary goodness of the Napa Valley. In the evenings, students had several fun activities planned, such as games and outdoor movie nights, indoor rock climbing, and a pool party. A student favorite activity during their time at PUC was the game nights Massena organized for them, where they could play volleyball and basketball with other academy students.

With Borin’s first year directing PacificQuest, he has had a smooth transition into the role through the mentorship of Aimee Wyrick, PUC’s dean of the School of Sciences. Having served as the director for the last 18 years, Borin has seen firsthand the dedication and knowledge Wyrick has shown in continuing the same work to provide a successful program for visiting students. With support from other departments such as marketing, digital services, records, and faculty and staff, PacificQuest is another prime example of PUC's commitment to ensuring students a valuable educational program and a memorable time on campus. “It takes a village to be able to provide a program of high caliber as PacificQuest,” said Borin.

On the last day of the event, the students created presentations to showcase their week at PUC, while the PQFlix students shared their experience by making a movie celebrating what they learned and showing it to their parents, faculty, and staff. As students prepared for their journeys back home, parents shared how pleased they were with PUC and that they plan to enroll their children again at PacificQuest.

To learn more about PacificQuest or have your child participate in next year’s event, please visit puc.edu/life-at-puc/high-school-programs/pacificquest