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On Friday, February 13, a group of Pacific Union College’s bachelor’s in nursing partnered with the college’s Wellness Program to present a health fair aimed at increasing the awareness and health of PUC students. The fair had information and health assessment tests for heart health, blood sugar, skin cancer, body composition, and nutrition, as well as free foot reflexology. The nursing students also provided information on high blood pressure, lifestyle modifications, and foods to avoid. The fair was organized as part of Health Care Education, a course that covers the learning theories and educational strategies nurses need to know to develop as educators. “Students learn to write a teaching plan with goals, objectives, evaluation, etc.,” shares Susan Allen, the course’s instructor. “In the health fair they were able to put into practice what they learned in the classroom.” Erika Torres, a bachelor’s of nursing (BSN) student graduating this spring, teamed with her classmates on a station where students could have their blood pressure taken. The BSN students then taught their fellow students about the healthy range for blood pressure numbers. Torres completed her associate’s in nursing at PUC, and looks forward to finishing her bachelor’s in June. “A lot of...

The Honors Program at Pacific Union College provides an alternative to traditional General Education requirements, enrolling students in classes that depart from a traditional lecture format to encourage a lifetime of critical thought, aesthetic appreciation, and spiritual prosperity. Recently, the program was reinvented to meet the needs of more pre-professional students while still retaining its great books legacy and liberal arts tradition. Since its inception, the PUC Honors Program has maintained its status as an excellent educational route by offering semi-weekly seminars, each with a different focus. The Honors Program has always offered students a variety of opportunities to work closely with professors, especially on the senior-year capstone Honors project; study abroad to learn about art, history, architecture, etc.; hone leadership abilities as well as scholastic skills; seek truth by engaging in a journey of personal growth and spiritual development; and raise their academics to a distinguished level in preparation for graduate school applications. The program director, Professor of English Georgina Hill, says Honors provides “a stimulating, alternative environment, focused on in-depth understanding through lively discussions.” According to Hill, the program underwent its makeover in the fall of 2014 to create scheduling flexibility, add more variety, provide cross-cohort classes, and...

Senior night for the Pioneers men’s basketball program meant saying goodbye to six players who played a key role in helping the team achieve the success they reached this season. They will be losing Austin Coetzee, Devon Marshall, Jordan Monteith, Keith Hicks, Gurpreet Sangha, Taureaus Maxwell, and Jordan Greenwell. The Pioneers, having already locked in a playoff spot, looked to improve their record against the UC Merced Bobcats. The Pioneers came out of the gate running and were able to make the seniors’ last home game memorable with an 85-58 senior night win. This win improves their record to 11-16 and their conference record to 6-4. Three seniors scored in double figures: Jordan Greenwell had 16 points and seven rebounds, Jordan Monteith added 13 points and nine rebounds, and Gurpreet Sangha tallied 12 points and eight rebounds. Taureaus Maxwell added 4 points and Devon Marshall had six points and six rebounds. Austin Coetzee, last year’s team manager turned basketball player for the Pioneers 2014-2015 campaign, has been “a great example of what it means to make sacrifices, to be humble, honest, and always displays great sportsmanship,“ Coach Greg Rahn states. “He is very much about the goals and success of...

Ezra Frech, a disabled child athlete who has been featured on Good Morning America and The Ellen DeGeneres Show, spoke to a crowd of nearly 200 Pacific Union College students, faculty, and community members on Monday, February 23. Frech shared his approach to life and the challenges he has faced in his 11 years of living with a disability. The event began with a presentation by the Pacific Union College men’s and women’s basketball teams. The players highlighted the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ values and what it means to be “Champions of Character” (PUC’s varsity teams play in the NAIA’s California Pacific Conference). Fabio Maia, coordinator of Service, Justice and Missions for Pacific Union College, then introduced Frech. Maia met Ezra’s parents through the Challenged Athletes Foundation, an organization that provides opportunities and support to people with physical challenges so they can pursue active lifestyles through physical fitness and competitive athletics. Following Frech’s presentation, the PUC Pioneers played an exhibition basketball game with Team Ezra, made up of Ezra and four local elementary students. The outsized Team Ezra played well, with Ezra making a layup just before time expired to give Team Ezra the victory. After the game, Frech...

Tad Worku’s dream was a familiar one for aspiring musicians: fame, fortune, success. The talented vocalist and composer was on verge of his big break when he truly felt the power of the words of Mark 8:36. “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (King James Version) Worku’s song “Me” tells the story of that realization, with a chorus that builds on the refrain, “When I lost the world what I found was me.” (Watch the video.) Worku has found new purpose by using his talents as a musician and a nurse to organize a concert and a clinic that are the beginning of an exciting journey that he hopes will help answer a question that’s deeply important to him, “What would it look like if we could truly live out the Gospel?” On February 28, the Love is All Concert and Clinic will answer this question through a medical and dental clinic for the clients of several local homeless shelters. The proceeds from the evening’s concert, which will feature with the Oakland East Bay Symphony Strings under the direction of conductor Michael Morgan, will support the clinic...