On Sunday, June 12, for the 114th time on its campus, Pacific Union College celebrated its commencement exercises, with 393 students graduating. The college proudly awarded 413 associate, bachelor, and master’s degrees to the 393 graduates, 53 of whom are from Napa County. The largest departmental groups represented were nursing and health sciences (178), communication (29), business administration (28), biology (22), and exercise science (20). One hundred and twenty-seven students received academic distinctions and honors, with 15 summa cum laude graduates, 40 magna cum laude graduates, and 60 cum laude graduates. Eight students from PUC’s Honors Program and four Maxwell Scholars were also represented, as were two Student Association officers. Also of note, 16 members of the class served in countries around the world as student missionaries and task force workers. Commencement weekend began Friday afternoon with a dedication service for social work graduates. They shared stories of their internship experiences and how their faith was a fundamental part of their work as well as read the social work oath alongside other social workers present. Each student was also awarded a social work pin, and several had the honor of being pinned by their internship supervisor. Social Work Program Assistant...

On May 26, Pacific Union College hosted the 14thDiogenes Film Festival at the Cameo Cinema in St. Helena. The annual event showcases the talents of both PUC’s visual art majors. This year, 25 short films were shown and five awards were available—Filmmaker of the Future, Orson’s Disciple, Audience Choice Award, Audience Choice Award (for Thesis Films), and Best Thesis Film—with underclassmen being eligible for the first three. The Audience Choice Award was awarded to the producer receiving the most votes from a text poll. However, Best Thesis Film and Filmmaker of the Future were determined by festival judges. The underclassmen projects ranged from a TV web series, “At Grainger” by Hayden Cox, to short films such as “The Wiggles” by Kaitlin Darnell and Alexyss Johnson. A short question and answer session and awards presentation followed. This year the Filmmaker of the Future and the Audience Choice Award were both awarded to Taylor Bivens and Nick DeChicchis for “White Collar.” Also nominated were Jonathan Salvador for “Investigative Journalism,” Julian Ybarra for “Genesis,” and Rachel Ermshar for “Teardrop.” Johnathan Thall, sophomore software development and film and television major, received The Orson’s Disciple award, a new honor given to the film student who...

As students gear up for the fast approaching week of finals, most are excited to wave goodbye to school and head off to warmer weather, catching up on sleep, and days at the beach. But there are some who have different plans, plans which include spending a portion of their break taking classes. Over the past few years, summer classes have become more and more popular, allowing students to remain academically productive during the summer months. PUC offers a limited number of classes which cover the same coursework as a typical class, only in a much shorter amount of time, and sessions range variously from June 13 - August 12. Once you get past the idea of sitting in a classroom while your friends are off enjoying months of freedom, and once you realize the accelerated course work of one or two classes is completely manageable, we hope you recognize the benefits of taking a summer class at PUC. While an accelerated class will likely mean a little extra work and studying, the lack of other classes and fewer distractions will allow you to devote much more time to your class, which will show in your final grade! Summer classes...

For the past three years, the women’s volleyball team at Pacific Union College and The City of St. Helena’s Recreation Department have teamed up to provide a volleyball league for youth in the area. The eight-week program is offered for ages 9-14, and student athletes from PUC’s women’s volleyball team serve as coaches and mentors for the league teams. Aside from running practices and games, the PUC women’s volleyball team educate young athletes on what it means to be “Champions of Character,” a program in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), which PUC is a part of. The goal of the program is to instill character building values so students can do the right thing on and off the court, and understand how those values play out in practice and competition. The five core values are integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship, and servant leadership. Brittany Brown, PUC’s athletic director, prioritizes the league’s goals as “character training, then practice training, then games.” Throughout the eight weeks, games and practices were held at Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School in St. Helena. The final city league event took place on PUC’s campus at the Pacific Auditorium, with parents and the local community joining...

Spring is one of the most memorable seasons for students. It is a time when the campus community enjoys many festivities, including the highly anticipated REVOfest. On Sunday, May 15, students, faculty, and staff members gathered at the Campus Center for the REVO Stuff Sale and campus club food exhibitions. Participants browsed the REVO thrift shop for treasures. Clubs dished up ethnic foods and beverages. Later that evening, over 300 people gathered in the Pacific Auditorium for the highly anticipated annual REVO fashion show. Five teams comprised of 11 PUC student designers debuted fashions created from recycled materials. The designers where given the choice of five materials to craft their fashion lines from utensils, plastic, paper, cardboard, and cups. The designers created works of art which were model by PUC students. Cardboard, designed by Hannah Barnes, Aaron Hernandez, and Taylor Pittenger, won People’s Choice award. Bree Ali Mary and Suzie Deberry won Judge’s Choice for their recycled paper line. The show was a huge success, raising over $2,000 for REVO. Overall, REVOfest was an uplifting event for the campus and the local community to celebrate a noble cause. For the past eight years and counting, REVO, PUC’s student-led international philanthropy...