Archives

Brennan Stokes (’13) started piano lessons when he was in Kindergarten. He was following in his parent’s footsteps; they themselves were in their church choir, his dad played trumpet through high school and college, and his mom plays piano.“Music has just always been around me, and piano was a match right from the start,” Stokes says. “I just took it and ran with it.”When he arrived at Pacific Union College, Stokes enrolled as a chemistry major, but changed to music with an emphasis in piano performance in his sophomore year. He took lessons, theory, and history, but when he got to the required composition class, he hesitated.“For as long as I can remember I’ve been on one side of the page,” he says. “I always knew I’d learn music, research it, and analyze it, but I’d never considered creating it myself.”Despite his misgivings, it didn’t take Stokes long to recognize the magic in the composition process. He quickly fell in love with creating music, and continued to study the subject beyond the required course.“I loved performing, but this idea of creating new music was even more exciting to me,” he recalls. “There are far superior pianists to me out there,...

Edsmart.org has ranked Pacific Union College in its list of the top 19 Best Christian Colleges in California, listing PUC at number 10.As the website says in its preamble to the rankings list, “There is a level of comfort found in attending a college or university that supports an individual’s fundamental values.” PUC provides a place for students to gain not only a quality education, but also the opportunity to engage with other young people, professors, and community members who share their Christian values.EDsmart assesses colleges based on four main areas:Affordability (average net price)Academic quality (graduation rate)Student satisfaction (retention rate)Salary after attending (the median earnings of former students who received federal financial aid, at ten years after entering the school)They collect their data from the U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, and College Navigator."PUC has excellent professors, compassionate staff, and outstanding students—and they all help to create a vibrant community of faith and learning,” says Milbert Mariano, academic dean at PUC. “We are proud of our campus, and it’s great to be recognized among the best Christian colleges in California."Coming in ahead of Vanguard University of Southern California, San Diego Christian College, and La Sierra University, PUC scored a 96.6....

This story was originally published in PUC's Campus Chronicle.On November 1, 2019, freshman Justin Roosma won a record-breaking first place in the Cal Pac championships. Competing against 81 competitors from 11 different schools, Roosma won first place in the 8k race by three seconds. Not only did Roosma win the Cal Pac championships, he also broke a Cal Pac cross country record with the time of only 24:56.5—the fastest in Cal Pac history. Additionally, Roosma is the first freshman and PUC athlete to win the Cal Pac title.The ChampionshipThe California Pacific Conference Men’s Cross Country Championship was held at Woodward Park in Fresno, California. The race was initially led by Santiago Hardy from Antelope Valley and Grady Kerst from Embry-Riddle. Half-way through the race, Roosma quickly advanced from the middle of the pack to the lead. Roosma not only won the Cal Pac title by a whole 16 seconds, but also qualified for the NAIA Championships.This Cal Pac championship was the fastest in Cal Pac history. This was the first time that two runners crossed the finish line in under 25 minutes. The 2019 Cal Pac Championship now holds the fastest times ever recorded, with Pacific Union College, Justin Roosma,...

This story was originally published in PUC's Campus Chronicle.Senior business major and student athlete Joshua Mitchell flew out to D.C. Oct. 16-19 for a leadership conference.Mitchell did two video interviews and two in-person interviews before the conference board made the final decision to invite him. The all-expenses-paid trip included five nights in the Washington Marriott Wardman Park and meals that Mitchell describes as “too bougie”— multiple forks and all.Where His Passion StartedRaised in New York—South Bronx, to be specific— Mitchell emphasizes the importance of pointing out his neighborhood because of hometown pride, and to acknowledge the impoverishment. Although many of his friends passed away or were incarcerated, Mitchell always knew he was different.“There was violence in my neighborhood every day. So I made a change. I wanted to get my family out,” he explains. “I just don’t want kids to go through what I went through.”His altruism and passion for business rightfully earned him a spot in the D.C. conference—a chance to network with people who could help him make a difference back home.The ExperienceThe conference offered networking opportunities with both businesses and graduate school recruiters. Fortune 500 companies like AIG, Boeing, Wells Fargo and JP Morgan Chase had representatives...

On Nov. 9, painter Davis Perkins will host an opening reception and artist talk at 7 p.m. in the Rasmussen Art Gallery on the campus of Pacific Union College. Admission is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.Always drawing as a kid, Davis Perkins doesn’t remember a time when art wasn’t a part of his life. Perkins attended University of Oregon, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts, and he has now made art a career. He has original artwork in a permanent collection at the Smithsonian as well as in the Pentagon, and has done one-man shows at the Alaska State Museum and the Smithsonian’s Air & Space Museum.“I consider myself a traditional landscape painter,” Perkins says. “Much of my life has been spent outdoors, and the wonders of nature inspire me.”His exhibit, Landscapes: A Moment in Time, will be on display through December 8 (the gallery will be closed Nov. 23-Dec. 1 for Thanksgiving break). Gallery hours are 2-6:30 p.m., Thursday through Sunday.To enjoy a Q&A with the artist, visit puc.edu/blog.For more information regarding the arts on the PUC campus, contact the department of visual arts at 707-965-6604 or the department of music at...