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The Visual Arts Department at Pacific Union College celebrated their film students at the 20th Annual Diogenes Film Festival. On May 30 at the Cameo Cinema in Saint Helena, 120 audience members watched 22 films by 18 filmmakers. In previous years, the department welcomed judges outside campus, but this year, the judges were kept within the faculty of PUC. Some of the winners included Sam Birsky, who received the Orsons Disciple; Dylan Sails and Melanie Klinedinst, who won the Audience Choice Award for Minority Report and Kateryna Popravkina for What Is This Feeling? Sails also received Best Screenplay for Before Next Winter, and Klinedinst won Filmmaker of the Future. PUC's film program emphasizes students learning to articulate their own concepts and stories and produce them at the highest quality. Visual Arts Chair Rajeev Sigamoney and Professor Tim de la Torre assist during production when needed but give their students the freedom to edit their projects as they see fit and support them as they make their vision come to life.Some projects, such as the senior thesis, took the entire school year to make, while others, like the freshmen projects, were completed over 2-3 weeks. 鈥淪eeing films screened in a professional...

When Kyra Grant was in high school, she traveled to Pacific Union College for a basketball tournament and felt a connection. Knowing she wanted to attend a smaller college in California, Grant decided to pursue her undergraduate education at PUC.聽 Grant is a double-major sophomore who first started as a biology pre-med major and realized after two quarters that this was not her calling. With an aptitude for psychology and an understanding of how and why people work, Grant decided to major in psychology. Additionally, she鈥檚 loved listening to or playing music since she was little. With this passion, Grant felt called to pursue the joy music brings her instead of devoting time to a major she didn't feel was her own. PUC Professor of Music Ronnie Zanella said that Grant was born with perfect pitch, a brilliant musical mind, and a natural talent. Zanella enjoyed teaching Grant Music Theory, generally the most feared class in any music department. But for Grant, there was nothing to fear, as she easily completed the class with straight A鈥檚. 鈥淪he is the type of student who always seems eager to tackle new concepts, showing interest and asking questions when she is still grasping...

18 Pacific Union College students鈥攁longside Damaris Perez, PUC chair of psychology and social work, and professors Tuwan Ussery White, Michael Jefferson, and Libna Arroyo鈥攁ttended The Western Psychological Association鈥檚 (WPA) annual conference in San Francisco from April 24-28, benefitting from the opportunity to network with students, faculty, and researchers from other institutions. Students spent their time meeting with professional psychologists and graduate school representatives and attending presentations on the latest research and advances in psychology. The diverse research presented at WPA allowed PUC students to explore various psychological topics, stimulate new ideas, and ultimately, remind them why they chose a career in psychology. PUC psychology students Catherine Garcia and Dania Guerrero presented their research on levels of extraversion, cell phone usage, and the impact on mental health; later, they answered questions after their presentation. With over a year of research work, Garcia and Guerrero鈥檚 study focused on college students and their usage of cell phones and depression. They found the PUC student body to be the main inspiration for this study. From their observations, they noticed several students on campus who were outgoing, friendly, talkative, and preferred to be in the moment tended to spend less time on their phones and...

Pacific Union College partnered with CAL Fire Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit and Napa County Fire Department to conduct a prescribed burn across 13 acres of the college鈥檚 Angwin forest property on May 1, successfully managing overgrown vegetation, enhancing forest health, and building fire resilience.These efforts demonstrate PUC鈥檚 ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship and community safety.PUC Forest Manager Peter Lecourt called the successful burn a win for PUC, Angwin, and Napa County, paving the way for future prescribed burns.鈥淚 am thrilled this project rolled out so smoothly,鈥� Lecourt said. 鈥淢any partners played a role in getting the burn unit prepared ahead of the project, as well as helping out on the day we conducted the operation. I鈥檇 like to say thank you to CAL Fire, Napa County Fire, Napa Firewise, the Angwin Fire Safe Council, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Napa County Resource Conservation District. Without the help of these partners, this project would not have been possible.鈥漈he burn took approximately nine hours assisted by numerous trained wildland firefighters, four fire engines, and a water tender. PUC, CAL Fire Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit, and Napa County Fire Department carefully planned and strategically coordinated efforts identifying the burn area and date, meeting strict...

Pacific Union College honored Nursing Professor Hannah Saravanakumar as the 2023-2024 Educator of the Year during Community on Thursday, May 23. With over 20 years of nursing education experience, she is a highly respected nursing professor who combines expertise in leadership, didactics, clinical and simulation experiences, curriculum development, and faculty mentorship. By creating a rigorous learning environment, Saravanakumar鈥攆ondly called 鈥淧rofessor SK鈥� by her students鈥攎eets their academic needs through creative teaching techniques and hands-on experience that her students find engaging and enjoyable. She teaches with passion, with her class earning one of the highest scores of all nursing standardized testing鈥攖he ATI assessments.Saravanakumar鈥檚 interests include faculty training, pedagogy, social reconstructionism, and redemptive education. Throughout her career, she has remained an active member of the Association of Women鈥檚 Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses, Sigma Theta Tau International, and the American Nurses Association, mentoring nurses and educators nationally.She earned her bachelor's degree in nursing from a prestigious university in India. After completing her master鈥檚 from Washington Adventist University, she discovered her passion for teaching. Saravanakumar is currently an advanced doctoral candidate at Capella University, specializing her research in nursing education. Milbert Mariano, dean of the school of arts, humanities, and professional studies, gave a...