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From June 13 to 15, Pacific Union College happily celebrated the Class of 2025. Of the 276 graduates, 235 were from the nursing department, 11 from the psychology and social work department, nine from the business administration department, eight from the biology department, and six from the visual arts department. This year, there were 103 academic distinctions, seven more than last school year.“I have a great sense of pride for the current graduating class,” said PUC President Ralph Trecartin. “Many of them have been here for four years, during which time I have been able to observe them from start to finish. There are strong student leaders among the graduates. Our graduating seniors are unique individuals with exceptional talents and will achieve new heights. From what I have seen, some students in this class have the highest levels of character development and have dedicated hearts for God. Wherever they go in life, the world will be a better place around them.”The first program of graduation weekend was the social work consecration at Scales Chapel on Friday afternoon. That same afternoon, the Adventist College Abroad (ACA) and the student missions stole conferral ceremony that took place on the Irwin Lawn. PUC...

On Thursday, May 29, the Visual Arts Department at Pacific Union College hosted its 21st annual Diogenes Film Festival at the Cameo Cinema in St. Helena. With 130 attendees, the festival showcased 20 films from the school year and featured some movies from the previous year.PUC’s Diogenes Film Festival greatly benefits students, providing them with an outlet to share their creativity with a broader audience. Although their films are not made specifically for the festival, seeing them on a big theatre screen gives them a sense of pride in all their work and motivates them to continue doing their best.“Another great aspect is the sense of community that it builds, not only within our department but with our entire school and the outer community,” said Nephtali Marin, PUC lecturer of visual arts, referring to the film festival. “Our films span outside of our spaces, whether it be filming in other departments, the outer community, or using friends as actors. Diogenes allows us to come together and see everyone’s contributions and hard work.”This year, Marin and Professor Melissa Henry Pratt co-hosted, sitting alongside Professor Tim de la Torre as the judges. With three award categories, freshman Jacob Capiña received the Filmmaker...

On Sunday, May 11, Pacific Union College students from all majors and departments performed PUC on Broadway for the third year in a row. Alongside students from PUC Prep, they performed songs from various musicals and movies for the community to enjoy in the newly remodeled Paulin Hall Auditorium.The students chose songs from musicals they liked and wanted to see performed live. This year's songs were from the musicals The Great Gatsby, Hercules, Pippin, The Wizard of Oz, Anastasia, The Lightning Thief, and the stage production of Beauty and the Beast. They also performed selected songs from the movies Frozen and Tick, Tick... Boom! Based on the audience response, the majority enjoyed PUC’s adaptation of “Therapy” from Tick, Tick... Boom!Milton Perez, a senior voice performance major, was one of the directors of PUC on Broadway this year. After being a part of the last two shows, the past directors asked him to run the production. With a desire to learn more about the behind-the-scenes work, Perez was inspired to direct and accepted the role.He and his co-director, Jalexis Herman, a freshman liberal studies major, began production at the start of this school year to research songs. They brought along freshman...

The global health department at Pacific Union College is proud to share that senior Areli Castro will be their program's first graduate. From Napa, CA, Castro decided to attend PUC after seeing the value of its close-knit, supportive community. With a love for traveling and helping others, she enrolled in global health as the perfect opportunity to combine both passions in a meaningful way.In March, three professors and 13 students from PUC partnered with Maranatha to serve in Pucallpa, Peru. Castro was one of those students, as she always wanted to go on a mission trip but never had the opportunity. With the help of Global Health Director Nancy Jacobo in planning the trip, Castro and Jacobo discussed incorporating a medical component into the trip as part of Castro’s capstone project. With Jacobo’s approval, Castro was able to complete her project in another country–something she never expected.For her capstone course and senior project, Castro led the development and coordination of the medical aspects of the mission trip. She successfully organized and led her team, collaborating with AMOR Project, led by Dr. Guillermo Gow-Lee, to fundraise and implement medical outreach programs. Castro also coordinated and planned logistics, securing sponsorships from two...

On Sunday, May 4, the Pacific Union College Flight Center and Angwin Disaster Airlift Response Team (DART) welcomed 600 visitors to their Air Expo at the Angwin Virgil O. Parrett Field. In collaboration, they showcased the world of aviation with the help of local vendors, pilots, and humanitarian aviation organizations.PUC aviation students played a significant role at the Air Expo, selling tickets and pancakes and assisting people to and from the event in golf carts. They also helped operate two flight simulators and organized plane rides as two event activities. The plane rides were so popular that they were already booked for the whole day during the first hour of the event. To increase availability next year, the Flight Center aims to have more airplanes available for rides.Along with DART, the Angwin Fire Department and Angel One Mission Aviation had booths to inform and connect with the community, with some campus clubs from PUC also participating in the Air Expo.In the middle of the event, the string ensemble from PUC Elementary School performed several airplane-themed musical items. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also sent a representative to present two prestigious awards to Mike Terhune of Mike’s Aero, a maintenance shop...

Last year, Pacific Union College launched a $5,000 STEM Scholarship to support students in the School of Sciences. This renewable scholarship is available and awarded to select incoming students who commit to science majors and maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher. This year, seven outstanding students received the scholarship, demonstrating collaboration, teamwork, and a close-knit support system.“The current STEM scholars have impressed me not only with their academic excellence and diversity of interests but also with their intellectual curiosity,” said Christian Von Pohle, assistant professor of behavioral science. “They are always asking insightful questions in and outside of class. They also demonstrate a strong desire to deepen their understanding beyond the curriculum.”For academic support, each scholar pairs with an upperclassman mentor who guides them through their classes. Alongside faculty advisors, scholars receive advice about their research and insight into different internship opportunities that lead to their career goals.To facilitate the exploration of various career paths, the School of Sciences started on-campus workshops led by PUC alumni and guest speakers who work in STEM-related fields. These workshops have greatly benefited the students as they hear inspiring stories from real-world careers.“Our STEM scholars have provided positive feedback as to the value of...

On Sunday, February 2, Pacific Union College held a grand reopening of the Paulin Recital Hall to celebrate the completion of the renovation. The event was open to the public and featured performances from students, instructors, faculty, and community members.PUC President Ralph Trecartin welcomed everyone and praised the recital hall's new appearance, including the new colored walls and carpeting, updated chairs, and advanced sound system. He also took the time to introduce PUC alum and new Vice President of Alumni and Advancement Carlos Garcia, who shared a few words about happily being back at PUC and making it the best college it can be.Going into the program, Manny Scrofani, a fundraising committee member, invited Angwin Ambulance Directors Brad Setterlund and Quentin White on stage to thank them for their organization's generous donations to the Paulin Recital Hall. He also told the audience to check their seats for engraved names to see who else donated chairs and announced that others could have their names included if interested. Scrofani appreciatively thanked donors for all the wonderful donations the committee and advancement office received.The celebration was enhanced by special performances by PUC’s string sextet Mosaic, Vox Pro Musica, the Eloquence Ensemble, and solo...

In the spring of 2006, Ted and Nikki Mamoulelis met at Pacific Union College. Nikki was surrounded by friends in the cafeteria when Ted approached her, stuck out his hand, and introduced himself. Nikki was so shocked by his introduction that she didn’t catch his name at first. Ted sat down and only talked to Nikki as if no one else was sitting at the table. When he left, there was no exchange of phone numbers, emails, or other means of contact. Nikki and her friends were left wondering, “Who was that guy?” since none of them had seen him around campus. With the table filled with sophomores, juniors, and seniors, they found out he was a freshman.Nikki never had or wanted to date someone younger than her, but after meeting Ted, she wanted to find the man God wanted for her. After graduating in 2009, Nikki married Ted, the “yin to her yang.” Later, they had two daughters, Sophia, 12, and Anastasia, 5. Living in Meridian, CA, Nikki believed their family's mission field was at home, wherever they were. That changed in May 2023 when Nikki and Ted felt God’s call to be missionaries.With the desire to obey, they...

Pacific Union College is delighted to share that the aviation department received a $12,000 grant from the VersaCare Foundation to purchase the full-motion platform and accessories for a high-fidelity, virtual reality flight training device prototype. The VersaCare Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Riverside, California, supporting innovative programs. PUC applied for the grant in December and obtained acceptance in April.“God has blessed our aviation program in so many ways over the last few months,” said Nathan Tasker, flight center director. “We were overjoyed to receive this grant. We are in the process of purchasing the components now, and we plan to offer a recently-accredited course called AVIA-402 Simulation Innovation in Fall Quarter 2025. Students in this class will be involved in designing and testing new simulation technologies using the components purchased with the VersaCare grant.”Using full-motion simulators is an unusual concept in the beginning stages of flight training. PUC’s aviation leadership team wants to change that. PUC students have already helped create and build one simulator, which is currently in use. In addition to saving the students money, this simulator allows students to rehearse emergency scenarios that are not as realistic in an airplane.“High-fidelity simulation gives us a serious...

Pacific Union College was happy to welcome back alumna Pastor Samantha Angeles to speak for the spring Week of Worship. From April 14-18, she spoke around the school year’s theme of “Passion,” discussing her experience in ministry at the age of eight and feeling that spark that would later lead her to PUC.When Angeles was in fourth grade, she went on a mission trip to the Philippines with her sister and parents, who were high school sponsors. One of her duties was translating Bible studies into English. One day, the students leading the Bible studies fell ill, leaving her in charge. The next day, with Angeles still leading, she asked in Tagalog if anyone in the congregation wanted to give their lives to God. Four people raised their hands. She was by their side during their baptisms at the end of the mission trip. In witnessing this commitment, she felt nothing was better. With a life of faith requiring total devotion and surrender, Angeles reminds students that when they don’t feel they are doing their best, trust that God is enough to carry them across the finish line if they remain steadfast in running their race of faith.“Even at eight...