Writing a mission statement is one thing, living it is another matter entirely. The lofty goals on paper must inspire action before they really mean anything. The mission statement of PUC reads: “Pacific Union College is a Seventh-day Adventist learning community offering an excellent Christ-centered education that prepares its students for productive lives of useful human service and uncompromising personal integrity.”

How are those words being lived out in the lives of students at PUC? It’s easier to measure the tangible results of an excellent education. PUC still consistently ranks in the top tier for Western comprehensive colleges in U.S. News & World Report. PUC students regularly get accepted into top graduate and professional schools, and PUC faculty continue to be honored for achievements both in the classroom and in their academic fields.

But how do you measure service and integrity? How do you measure character? The answer: one story at a time. These students and alumni exemplify the spirit of service that PUC hopes to cultivate in every student.

Filling the Needs They See

Jake Scheideman had no idea that a vacation would turn into the service project of a lifetime. After graduating from PUC in 1990, he took an extended bike trip through Central America and ended up being nursed back to health from a bout of giardia by a family in a small village in Nicaragua. A bond formed and eight years later he returned to visit. He discovered that they needed a place for their kids to play. Jake knew he could help. He went home and raised money to build a baseball stadium. Then he kept raising money. The project now includes a park, water tower and 65 new homes with a school in the works. Jake never expected to become involved in such a substantial service project, but his philosophy is simple: “If you see a need, fill it. If we each did that, it would make such a difference.”

Stefanie Holiman started a bone marrow registration program her sophomore year at PUC. As a mixed-heritage American, she especially focused on recruiting participants from minority and mixed backgrounds because most successful transplants happen when the donor and recipient are from similar racial backgrounds. Her two drives registered over 200 students, faculty, staff and community members, and, she’s thrilled to report, one of the students who registered just got notified that she is a potential match for a patient needing a bone marrow transplant.

Tim de la Torre just graduated with a degree in film and television and is on his way to be a full-time missionary in the Philippines with Laymen Ministries. He already spent a year as a student missionary in the Philippines and credits his passion for ministry to a trip he took with his classmates to film a documentary during his sophomore year at PUC. He thinks he keeps returning to work in the Philippines because he knows he can make a difference. “I feel like I'm really needed there,” Tim says. “I’m putting my time and energy into something that’s bigger than myself, into stuff that really matters.”