The holy hill called Tara Hargrove, and she answered! Okay, so maybe the voice she heard was God and not the mountain, but we are so happy, either way, that Professor Hargrove has joined the faculty in the department of communication. Read on to learn a bit more about her, and stop by her office in Irwin Hall to say hello.

Name: Tara Hargrove
Title: Associate Professor of Communication & Basic Course Director
Email: thargrove@puc.edu
Faculty since: 2018

Fall Quarter Classes: Three sections of Intro to Communication (COMM 105)

Education: M.A. in communication studies, Colorado State University

What brought you here to PUC?

I grew up in Colorado so I love mountains but I’ve always been drawn to the beach, as well. So the location of PUC—being on a mountain and so close to the ocean—was a big draw. But mostly I prayed and prayed for God’s leading, and He brought me here.

Before God called you to these California mountains, where were you and what were you doing?

I was actually most recently at Southern Adventist University, where I taught for the past nine years. This past year I taught strictly online for them, and I currently adjunct teach online for them a film evaluation class and a course on communication and public speaking. I was also the basic course director and the executive director for Studio 4109 which is a live comedy sketch program students put on.

Tell us how you got into teaching.

I tell a story my first day of speech class about how I was so terrified of public speaking when I first was contemplating college that I actually decided not to go to college just because of that class. I had a friend who took me skydiving and reminded me there are a lot of things in life we fear at first but if we push ourselves it can be fun and rewarding. I loved the feeling of overcoming my fear, so I took public speaking and found it was actually exciting to get up and share my opinions and ideas and people actually listened. Now I love helping others overcome their fears, and watching them face something challenging and succeed.

What has surprised you about your new home?

Not that we didn’t expect this, but everyone has been so very welcoming. We have been so blessed by this community.

So, when you’re not managing classes and teaching and meeting with students, where will you be?

I, of course, enjoy spending time with my husband and kids. We love going to the beach, tide-pooling, camping, and hiking. We are also Broncos and Rockies fans so we enjoy going to games when we can.

Okay, one last thing: What’s something people may be surprised to learn about you?

I’d love to live on a boat or in a van. Really!