Admissions & Aid

On Sunday, May 4, the athletics department at Pacific Union College hosted its annual awards banquet at the Fireside Room to celebrate and recognize all 114 student-athletes. 29 students received awards from PUC, and 18 were given awards from the California Pacific Conference for their exceptional performances this year.“It was nice to see the student-athletes be recognized for their hard work and dedication throughout the year,” said Kenneth Perez, PUC sports information director. “I hope they understand that their dedication makes our work even more meaningful. They’ve done an excellent job this season, overcoming various challenges, and I hope they can reflect on this year with pride on how much they’ve grown. Not just as athletes, but also as students and individuals.”This year's highlight was the men’s volleyball team making the playoffs for the first time since their inauguration five years ago. They also became the first team in PUC history to have back-to-back years with CAL-PAC individual awards. During the 2023-2024 season, Justin Vital, now an alum, won Defensive Player of the Year, followed by Nate Tejada, receiving the 2024-2025 Offensive Player of the Year. Another achievement was Emiliano Ascencio, who received the Newcomer of the Year award, earning...

Pacific Union College was excited to welcome back over 250 alumni to Howell Mountain during Homecoming weekend. From April 18-19, alumni reconnected with the campus community and friends through endless events, activities, and gatherings.The weekend began on Friday afternoon with Pioneer games of men's and women’s volleyball and basketball, which were newly included this year. As more people made their way to campus throughout the afternoon, a Pioneer dinner was held before vespers to continue welcoming alumni. PUC Chaplain Arturo Lopez welcomed everyone at vespers before alumnae Kathryn (Hopgood) Sculatti and Elle Wheeler led the congregation in the school song, “Our College on the Mountain”.The speaker for the night was alumna Pastor Samantha Angeles Peralta, who was also the guest speaker for PUC’s Week of Worship in the days before Homecoming. She spoke about feeling homesick during her college years, but expressed how PUC shaped her and many others through the community they all built. With the celebration of Homecoming, she emphasized the true homecoming to Heaven.On Saturday, alumni Pastor Joey Oh spoke during Sabbath school and began with a quiz to test everyone’s PUC knowledge. He showed photos of famous Adventists, such as Ellen White, Joseph Bates, and J.N....

From March 21-31, three professors and 13 students from Pacific Union College served in the sweltering Amazon basin of Pucallpa, Peru. With Maranatha organizing the mission trip, they brought leaders and a construction team to supervise their work on a church. While PUC’s mission trips have always provided healthcare services, Vacation Bible School, and construction work, this year, academy students joined them for the first time since 2015.Five students and three teachers from Orangewood Academy traveled to Peru to further PUC’s mission. “I would like to partner with more academies during future mission trips so their students have more opportunities to participate in mission service, potentially take our College Early courses, and be more inclined to attend a SDA college or university—hopefully PUC!” said Floyd Hayes, PUC professor of biology.Their team also included PUC Nursing Professors Iris Engelman-Tompkins and Nicolette Piaubert, alongside a spouse, parent, and two nurse practitioners from ComuniCare+Ole in Napa Valley. PUC student Areli Castro organized and led their team, which worked with the AMOR Project led by Dr. Guillermo Gow-Lee, and fundraised and successfully implemented the medical outreach.During the trip, news broke that the Ucayali River had flooded homes, forcing hundreds of locals to evacuate and...

Pacific Union College hosted a music festival for several academies throughout California in March. During the event, PUC’s Department of Education partnered with the music department to provide a workshop for visiting teachers led by Jennifer Peñaflorida, associate professor of education, and Nicole Nunes-Smith, assistant professor and education director of field experience. Attended by six academy sponsors, the workshop focused on the professional development of culturally responsible music teaching. Specifically for music teachers, Peñaflorida researched what topics would be relevant to them. With culturally pertinent and responsive music teaching in her literature review, she considered the multicultural classroom course that Nunes-Smith teaches and how that would be an interesting frame for thinking. “We thought this topic would be relevant because while music teachers cover so many genres of music, the traditional music taught is Western European music,” said Peñaflorida. “With our K-12 students mirroring the diversity of ethnicities and cultures, we thought this topic would bridge teachers’ knowledge of music education to culturally relevant music education.”This workshop brought many perspectives, reminding Peñaflorida and Nunes-Smith how beneficial these seminars are with educators outside campus. “Sometimes we work in silos here at PUC, and collaboration with other curious educators allows for co-construction...

The film department from Pacific Union College had a lot to celebrate at this year’s Sonscreen Film Festival at Loma Linda University. From April 3-6, PUC film students presented their work, networked with fellow filmmakers, and returned to campus with awards. PUC film students Josue Hilario (A Better View), Fabiola Ixcot (What If…), Alex Parriott (This is Real), Nils Anderson (Decisions), Jacob Capiña (Second Self), and Melaney Klinedinst (Ego) showcased their films, alongside alum Melody Park who also presented her film, The Bard of the Mountain Valley. Watching Park’s thesis film brought a special moment to the weekend as she spoke about her work with former PUC Chair and Professor Rajeev Sigamoney. “It’s an ambitious and heart-warming project,” said Melissa Pratt, assistant film professor. “Many in the audience were moved to tears and inspired by her dedication, art, and storytelling.”Capiña won the Special Jury Award for Mise-en-Scene for his film Second Self, while Klinedinst received the Special Jury Award for Visual Storytelling for her film Ego. For the Pitch Competition, Katya Popravkina came in second place for her film IT. When Popravkina pitched her movie on stage, PUC’s film department sat in the front row to cheer her on. “She...

Pacific Union College is proud to announce a new online Master of Arts in Communication program, currently the only Seventh-day Adventist institution to offer this degree.Tara Hargrove, PUC chair of the Departments of Communication and World Languages, is excited about this new degree program. "I am especially looking forward to possible collaborations with other departments, institutions, and organizations," she said. "Courses are designed by industry professionals and faculty to include real-world experiences and applications, including a study tour experience–location pending! I love that this program is asynchronous and accessible for a wider range of students to add to their skill sets."The degree has three emphases: Communication Research, Strategic Communication, and Health Communication. The program also offers four certificates that can be stacked or taken on their own: Communication Research, Strategic Communication, Health Communication, and Communication.The program is for working professionals who want practical skills in digital communication, media strategy, leadership, and analytics. It equips graduates to excel in dynamic communication roles across industries, including healthcare and denominational employment.Dean of the School of Arts, Humanities, and Professions Milbert Mariano said this new online program means PUC can reach students beyond campus. “We are adding to our list of online graduate programs...

Pacific Union College has relaunched its Associate of Science in Engineering degree—and now, qualified students entering the program will be guaranteed admission into Andrews University’s Bachelor of Science in Engineering program through a newly signed Guaranteed Admission Agreement.This agreement ensures that eligible PUC engineering students will be accepted into AU’s BSE program. To support this partnership, PUC has designed a curriculum that fulfills AU’s transfer requirements, including foundational coursework in engineering, mathematics, and physics.“The agreement with AU means a guaranteed pathway for our students to complete a bachelor’s degree in engineering within the Adventist school system,” said James Robertson, chair of PUC’s mathematics and physics department. “Additionally, it will allow West Coast students to start their college experience closer to home and with friends, then complete their program at Andrews.”The engineering program, relaunching in Fall 2025, was reintroduced at PUC to meet student demand and provide an accessible and mission-aligned entry point into the field. Students benefit from small class sizes and a supportive learning environment tailored to the rigorous demands of STEM education.“Our program has a long history of successfully preparing engineering students,” Robertson added. “The first two years of any engineering program can be difficult, so our faculty...

Noah E. Paulin’s violin has never been silent for long. Nearly 60 years after his passing, Paulin’s beloved instrument—like his legacy—is a testament to music’s lasting power to connect generations in praise to Christ. The violin itself is beautiful and unique–a light golden brown with four strings. The top of the violin, known as the scroll, is carved into the likeness of German composer Felix Mendelssohn. While lovingly maintained, the violin bears the marks of life well-played.A Life of Music and MinistryThere’s no official record of when Paulin acquired the violin, but his own musical journey began long before he became known as the “Patriarch of Howell Mountain.”Paulin nurtured his passion for music at Findlay College from 1898-1901 before touring the country for two years with the Henry Minstrels. In 1905, he moved to Santa Barbara, taking graduate classes and establishing a well-known music studio, where he shared his love of music for nine years. His life took a spiritual turn in 1909 after attending evangelistic meetings by H.M.S. Richards, where he was inspired to join the Seventh-day Adventist Church. From then on, his violin became a tool of ministry, played at camp meetings, church gatherings, and more.In 1914, then...

Theology department Chair, Professor, and published author Jim Wibberding is adding to his literary collection a new book, Walking with the Pioneers: The Captivating Story of West Coast Adventism. The book explores traditional Adventist beliefs as they enmeshed and clashed with the landscape and culture of 1800s California. Wibberding shares the story of “the second founding of Adventism”—a term coined by his wife, PUC History Professor Laura Wibberding—in the “restless land of the Gold Rush;” a lesser-known story than Adventism’s first institutional center at Battle Creek, Michigan. “The book tells stories of how something Ellen White dubbed ‘California liberality’ and what one critic called ‘Western informality’ stirred changes that were huge gifts to Adventism,” Wibberding shared. “These include innovating worship music in 1877, the 1888 message of righteousness by faith, the first missionary ship, a cadre of women in ministry, the first Black person ordained to Adventist ministry, the first Hispanic Adventist pastor in the U.S., a medical empire, and plenty more.”Wibberding’s inspiration to document the perspective on this region’s Adventist legacy began because he lives and serves on the West Coast, but shifted into a deeper pursuit as he sifted through dusty archives. “West Coast Adventism is unique,” he...

What began as a promising career in the music industry—complete with a pop-soul album, an international tour, and the pursuit of fame—took a dramatic turn when Tad Worku felt a deeper calling. Now, with a thriving career that blends healthcare, leadership, and music, Tad’s pursuit lies in spreading hope and healing. Tad, a Pacific Union College alum, graduated with a business degree in 2008. “I really enjoyed PUC—all the great friendships forged there,” he shared. “I loved studying business and had a really good experience the first time around.” However, Tad’s true passion was for music. He spent the next several years pursuing a career in the industry, where he thrived, securing a tour spanning locations worldwide and nearly releasing an album. But Tad found himself searching for something more. That search led him back to PUC in 2012 in pursuit of a different career path. He graduated in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. “It was a very intentional decision to come back to school,” he explained. “I returned my tour funding and completely stepped away from the music industry. I asked myself, ‘What’s something I can do where my hands are directly connected to purpose?’ That’s...