51吃瓜网

For the last two years, Vice President for Student and Spiritual Life Dr. Ryan Smith made tremendous changes to Pacific Union College. Smith stepped into the role at a critical time as the college was moving forward with its new vision and future plans following the COVID-19 pandemic. He realigned departments, worked to change the Teaching Learning Center into the Student Success Center, supported dorm remodeling projects, improved the athletics program, and served as the role of chaplain for a year while the campus worked to fill the position. His dedication to students and the connections he made will be missed. 鈥淩yan has a unique blend of wisdom, experience, compassion, and presence,鈥� shared PUC President Dr. Ralph Trecartin. 鈥淚 have often felt that he was the perfect team member one would want to work with. We agreed on most things after discussing various viewpoints, and we could disagree with smiles and laughter, parting as respected colleagues when this happened. Ryan helped PUC and me tremendously over the past two years. While I fervently wish he would continue on our team, I understand that someone like him has endless new opportunities."Smith鈥檚 career spans from student life and academia in the Seventh-day...

Pacific Union College students from various departments showcased Shrek the Musical in the halfway-renovated Paulin Recital Hall on May 24, 26, and 27. The stage adaptation of the DreamWorks Pictures movie Shrek, the musical follows the plot with 20 songs written for the show that include ballads, classic Broadway songs, and funky dance numbers. From building sets and designing costumes to directing and producing, PUC students ran the entire show. The character of Shrek was performed by music major Milton Perez, with his sidekick Donkey played by theology major Jacob Duran. Madeline Eastman, a biology major, had the lead role of Princess Fiona, nursing major Gabe Llanell-Vararaj played Lord Farquaad, and Dragon was performed by psychology and music major Kyra Grant. Perez brought the idea to perform this musical to co-director and co-producer Leila Beltran (who played one of the three blind mice). With other musicals in mind and unsure of what to showcase, PUC SA President Kaitlyn Nakanishi, co-director/producer and choreographer, encouraged Beltran to say 鈥測es鈥� to Shrek the Musical鈥攁nd she鈥檚 glad she did!聽 Being a part of the production team, Beltran coached the cast on their lines and movements, helped with music direction, and organized rehearsals, which was...

Leila Beltran decided to attend Pacific Union College for two reasons: she heard the education department was one of the best in the Adventist school system, and she knew she thrived in a smaller community. With an interest in developing relationships and realizing she wouldn鈥檛 like to go to a college or university where everyone was just another face in a crowd, PUC was the community for Beltran to receive support and make meaningful connections. Beltran will soon complete her sophomore year of liberal studies and earn a music associate's degree. Within this school year, she has made a tremendous impact in the music department by being the president of the music club and co-directing and co-producing PUC on Broadway and Shrek the Musical. With a love for musicals and hearing students' interest in putting on a show, Beltran dedicated time to making these productions happen and considerably accommodating her cast and crew to give the community enjoyable shows. She didn鈥檛 always have a passion for musicals, aside from knowing the famous musicals Hamilton and Wicked, but not much beyond that. Movie soundtracks and music in general were something she enjoyed, but she couldn鈥檛 call herself a theater kid since...

Pacific Union College was delighted to celebrate the 245-student graduating Class of 2024 from June 14-16. The consecration service on Friday night kicked off graduation weekend at the PUC Church. The program was led by graduating class members, with Executive Vice President Sitraka Andrianarijaona welcoming family and friends. Professor of Communication Dr. Tammy McGuire addressed the congregation as the chosen speaker for vespers, where she discussed the fullness of uncertainty. Former PUC Pastor Mark Witas returned to campus to share the word for Sabbath church service. In the afternoon, Tad Worku, mission coach at Inland Empire Health Plan, spoke during the nursing graduate recognition service and was followed by the Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, Kimberly Dunker, who presented awards and pins to the students who completed an associate, baccalaureate, and MSN degree in nursing. Family and friends then continued celebrations afterward at the Dining Commons for the President鈥檚 Reception. Among the graduates, 177 were from the nursing and health sciences departments, 16 from the psychology and social work department, 15 from the business administration department, 10 from the chemistry department, and eight from the communication and world languages department. From completing essays and giving presentations...

The English department at Pacific Union College recently announced the winners of the second annual Emerging Voices of the Pacific Union. The English department received an influx of essays in which contestants were asked to write about a moment they were changed. 鈥淲e received 90 essays, and judges were greatly impressed by the quality of submissions we received,鈥� said Milbert Mariano, PUC dean of the school of arts, humanities, and professions. 鈥淭hrough a blind judging process, where the judges had no idea who or where the essay was from, it was a difficult decision to choose just three winning entries and several honorable mentions.鈥滱fter attentively reviewing all the essays, PUC chose the following winners:...