A lot has changed over the past year, especially the way we celebrated accomplishments together! Here are some snapshots from the Liberal Studies program celebration for graduates. We’re so proud of the resilience of our Sunbirds!
Here’s to the next generation of teachers!
I still vividly recall my first college class when I was 17 years old. Prior to arriving at college, I had read all the self-help literature that suggested that I should make myself memorable to my professors if I wanted to succeed. So, immediately after that first class, I stood nervously at the back of the line of students waiting to speak to the professor. When my turn came, I awkwardly thrust my hand in the professor’s direction and in a single breath gasped, “Hi-my-name-is-Melanie-and-I-just-wanted-to-tell-you-that-I’m-really-excited-to-take-your-course.” What I didn’t know at the time was that this professor would turn into an important mentor in my professional life and that such relationships are no accident.
At the end of every school year Alpha Chi senior students are encouraged to consider a faculty member who has had an especially profound influence on them. Samantha Diaz selected Dr. Graciela Perez, program director of the Spanish program.
One of the biggest blessings in my life has been the opportunity to know Dr. Graciela Pérez. Throughout my time at Fresno Pacific University, Dr. Graciela has demonstrated a love and care for her students that I had never experienced before. It is evident that her students are her priority.
She does everything for the best interest of her students and goes above and beyond for each one of us. Dr. Graciela is one of the most dedicated and hardworking professors that I have ever met. Even though she is always on the go, she always has a beautiful smile on her face. I have never seen her without a smile! Her love for Jesus is so obvious. By simply being around her one can tell that her faith is the most important thing in her life. She approaches every situation in life with positivity and what she can do to grow as an individual. She is truly one of my biggest inspirations and is the kind of teacher that I aspire to be someday. In fact, I was originally going to have a minor in Spanish. However, once I met her and took my first class with her, I immediately decided to double major and add Spanish.
Dr. Graciela takes learning to a whole new level. I actually look forward to my Spanish classes and I am eager to hear her class lectures. She creates such a positive and welcoming learning environment for her students. Although I am bilingual, I was hesitant with the Spanish language when I began to pursue my Spanish degree. Due to some personal circumstances, I had a barrier in my heart and my mind regarding my Spanish skills. My self-confidence was very low, and I struggled to see my full potential. However, Dr. Graciela saw the best in me and knew from the start how much I was capable of achieving. She saw my insecurity and anxiety as an opportunity for growth and reliance on God, rather than a stumbling block. She did not judge me nor invalidated how I felt. She took the time to hear my story and offered guidance and advice. Not only does Dr. Graciela expand my learning in academics, but she also expands my understanding of the real world and teaches me about life. Within the short amount of time that I have known her, I have probably learned the most from her than from anyone else.
Dr. Graciela’s grace and keen understanding of her students are a couple of my favorite qualities that she has. I was having a rough time one day and after our class she approached me and asked if I was okay. She said that I was quiet, and she could tell something was going on. This absolutely touched my heart. The fact that my professor took notice on how I was doing and actually cared enough to take the time and ask me how I was, meant everything to me. This is how I knew that she was different from any other professor that I had met. From that day, I established an authentic trust in her. Another important moment was when she prayed with me after class one day. I shared something with her that had been weighing heavy on my heart and she was there for me. She offered a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, and brought my need in prayer to God.
My experience at FPU would not be the same without Dr. Graciela. She is one of my biggest inspirations. She is an example of the kind of teacher, woman, and servant of God that I want to be. Dr. Graciela brought healing to my relationship with the Spanish language/culture and taught me to excel. Thank you FPU for giving me such an amazing and dedicated professor.
At the end of every school year Alpha Chi senior students are encouraged to consider a faculty member who has had an especially profound influence on them. Magdalena Wegner selected Dr. Daniel Larson, a professor in the English department.
I would like to nominate Daniel Nelson, who taught the bioethics course I took last semester. I found his teaching to be inspiring for several reasons. First, his class was my first exposure to philosophy and ethics. We went through several major schools of ethical thought and worked specifically on developing the ability to assess different issues from the perspective of these thinkers. It is one of few classes I have taken that noticeably changed the way I think about and evaluate the world.
At the end of every school year Alpha Chi senior students are encouraged to consider a faculty member who has had an especially profound influence on them. Claire Starbeck selected Dr. Melanie Howard, program director of the Biblical and Theological Studies program.
I first met Dr. Melly at Hume Lake for Freshman Orientation. I was privileged enough to have her as the mentor of my collegium. I remember being so relieved and enthused to meet this new person who was full of energy and seemed to be just as excited to get to know us as I was about getting to know her. Of course she was a fun mentor at orientation and then in our weeklyCP-152 classes, but this was not what has made her stick out to me over the years.
Carlos Garcia was the 2020-21 Student Body President and did a phenomenal job navigating this responsibility along with his senior year. We are excited to share that Carlos has decided to stay at FPU by enrolling in the Strategic and Organizational Leadership MA program.
This past year was not what anybody had anticipated. I and the other 2021 class graduated online following a year of classes held on the same platform. However, despite all the adversity we faced, we still did it. We got through a year that seemed set on stopping us in any way possible.
Even though it was a time of discomfort due to the pandemic, being a Sunbird throughout this experience and being a part of this community made it possible. The commitment of the students in continuing to stay engaged and active in places such as new clubs and in advocacy positions was strong. It displayed an unmatched strength and was a testament to our ability to persevere. FPU faculty and staff also went above and beyond for the students and I thank them for braving these unprecedented challenges with us. I am optimistic that FPU will come back stronger than ever because I know that the faculty and staff are doing everything they can to make coming back and staying safe a priority. This year has put my classmates and I through challenges none of us could have ever expected, but our unity helped us come out on top and our faith in God made it all possible.
Join us as we celebrate Fresno Pacific University’s graduating class of 2021.
View the Virtual Commencement here!
Do any of your classes greet you with a song when you first sign in to zoom? Dr. Pam’s class did—and it was awesome. I had the honor of being in Dr. Pam’s History 130H class this spring semester. Particularly, I was in her Tuesday and Thursday 9:20 morning class, Go Greens! From the start I was very excited. I kept hearing rumors about some incredible Dante paper where you had the opportunity to put people in hell—what more did I need to convince me that it was going to be an awesome time?
As the semester progressed I was not let down. I absolutely loved the atmosphere that was created in the class. I found myself always engaged whether we were learning about Charlemagne (it is a must now to sing the song) or about the black plague (spoiler alert: death was quite the Don Juan). Before taking the class I had been intimidated by medieval history in general. I was better acquainted with the epic histories of the Greek and Egyptians, than with the expansion and politics of medieval Europe.
However that worry was short lived.
Our English majors got creative amidst COVID rules and regulations and hosted a socially-distanced outdoor movie night! Together they discussed the similarities between Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and the film, She’s the Man!
Being An Honors Student-Athlete During CoViD-19
Breanna Hurt (pictured) is a freshman President’s Scholar majoring in History. She has also made an immediate impression on the court!
It is safe to say that the COVID-19 virus has been around a lot longer and done a lot more damage than most of us could have imagined when it first popped up over a year ago. As the virus continued into the summer, I got word that we would be having classes online this year; I did not know what that meant for our basketball season. As it turns out, neither did our coach, Tim Beauregard, for quite some time. Our summer consisted of team Zoom calls and hoping we would be told we get to have a season this year. This process continued until late October when Coach Tim sent out a text that we would all be moving on campus within a couple of days and gearing up to play this season.
I don’t think anyone knew what to expect for this semester with all the new adjustments we’ve had to make as a university, but I was pleasantly surprised
with Dr. Friesen’s distance-learning Honors Modern Civilizations class. It was clear to me from Day One that he had prepared for these changes over the
summer, and it definitely made his class consistent, intellectually stimulating, and an overall enjoying learning experience. Learning at a distance is not something any of us signed up for, but Dr. Friesen always made it obvious that he was working with us to make sure we could all navigate the world if distance-learning together. His synchronous Zoom lectures were among the most well-structured and practical lectures I had this semester.
A long time ago, approximately one semester ago, in a college far, far away, approximately twenty minutes away, a brave college freshman decided to take on one of the greatest threats to any undergraduate’s galaxy: an Honors Writing Class, and it was one of the best decisions she has ever made.
Ray Nickson, Ph.D., associate professor and program director of criminology, and Alice Neikirk, Ph.D., assistant professor of criminology, have had an article accepted for publication in the interdisciplinary peer-reviewed journal Social Science. “Potlatch Justice” examines how restorative justice has come to represent sovereignty and cultural identity for two tribes in southern Oregon, the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, Siuslaw Indians and the Coquille Indian Tribe. The publication represents one dimension of this lengthy collaboration with both tribes, and incorporates extensive interviews with elders and tribal members.
With Election Day around the corner, Fresno Pacific rose to the top of the leaderboard as the institution with the highest percentage of the student body registered to vote among Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities (AICCU) members in the California University and College Ballot Bowl.
To say that this semester has not gone the way that we all expected it to go would be a great understatement. Though many of us have held onto optimism through these challenging months, it has also been a time characterized by anxiety and struggle. During times like these, many people turn (or return) to faith due to the hope it brings. Faith brings people together. Faith tells us that in the grand scheme of things, everything is going to be alright. Faith tells us that there is meaning behind what our eyes perceive as chaos. Faith is just what we have all needed in a year like this one.
