This weekend was PUC’s annual Fall Festival where the Pioneers family came together to enjoy food and fun. With booths full of things to buy, things to eat, and causes to support, Fall Fest is one event everyone looks forward to.
Here are just a few of our favorite moments.
Members of SOL Club pose for a photo before the crowds come!
These lovely ladies are taking a break by the English table! 📚
The Biology Club had the cutest succulents for purchase! 🌿
No explanation is necessary.🤣 Thanks for the laughs, REVO!
The Mabuhay Filipino Club really wowed everyone with their Tinikling which is a traditional Philippine folk dance!
Do you love the mountains? Do you love the beach? Do you love the forest? Do you love the city? Do you love a combination of those? Do you love all of them? If you answered yes to even one of those questions you might want to consider applying to PUC and spending the next four or five years in NorCal.
Relax at the Beach
There are plenty of beaches within a short distance of PUC. Grab a blanket, a Frisbee, a guitar, and your friends and spend an afternoon on the coast.
Hang in There
Take advantage of being on our beautiful and peaceful campus. Join the latest craze; grab a hammock and a friend and swing the stress away.
Clear Your Mind
The campus is surrounded by over 30 miles of picturesque hiking and biking trails with incredible destinations, allowing for some of the most exquisite sunsets, perfect to get that Instagram-worthy photo or just take a moment to enjoy God’s gift.
Think Outside
For students interested in spending time outdoors, Northern California has limitless options. Go hiking at Mount St. Helena, take a mountain bike ride on the Napa Vine Trail, raft down the Russian River, ski at Lake Tahoe, go surfing at Ocean Beach, or simply take a nice stroll through the PUC forest.
Be a Local
Nearby St. Helena is just a quick trip down the hill, and you can often find students studying at one of the many coffee shops or taking a study break at Crane Park.
Be a Tourist
There are plenty of well known Bay Area sights but the Golden Gate Bridge is probably the most iconic!
Love the Small Town Charm
Sebastopol is famous for its quirky, artistic feel and friendly, small-town vibes with one-of-a-kind restaurants and shops.
Explore the City
There’s a reason why over 25 million people visit San Francisco each year! You will never have the same experience twice. You can catch the latest exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art, have a picnic at Crissy Field, go on a shopping spree at Union Square, or catch a Giants game at Oracle Park.
Still not sure if life in NorCal is for you? Follow #PUCAdventures and @PUCNow on Instagram to see PUC students living their best lives. For even more of the adventures you can visit, puc.edu/norcal.
In the early 90s, Douglas Sandquist attended PUC as a bio-chem. Upon being accepted into dental school after his junior year, he left PUC and headed to dental school. He went on to become a dentist back in his hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada, where today he curates the unexpected combination of his dental career and photography.
In 2016, a photo Sandquist took in Iceland with his iPhone and shared via Instagram was requested by Apple for use in a worldwide marketing campaign. This resulted in mega exposure for this Nevadan dentist-photographer. (More on this in the Q&A—keep reading!)
Some of Sandquist’s photographic art will be displayed in an exhibit in the Rasmussen Art Gallery beginning this Saturday, Oct. 12, with his opening reception at 7 p.m. He will present an artist talk and refreshments will be served. Before you go, though, you may want to learn a bit more about the artist himself. We did, so we asked him a few prodding questions.
Introducing: Douglas Sandquist.
Where did you grow up, and how did that environment contribute to how you view the physical world?
I was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. It’s right in the middle of the Southwest part of the United States. California, Utah, and Arizona, along with their beaches, deserts, and National Parks, gave me the opportunity to get out and see what was out there. I’ve never stopped exploring.
What sparked your original interest in photography?
I actually dabbled with it even as a child. It wasn’t until I wanted to get better at taking photos for my day job as a dentist that I really started getting serious about it. I wanted to somehow be able to capture what I do. Most dental photography is macro photography, but it’s also portrait photography. I originally wanted to learn how to take better clinical photos, so I delved into learning how to better use a camera, how to compose a shot, and how to work with different lighting. One thing led to another, and I started to enjoy photography outside the office just as much as in it.
What was the first camera you used to start shooting artistic/intentional photography?
I bought a Canon 10D in 2004.
What camera is your instrument of choice now?
I currently use a Canon 5D Mark IV and, of course, an iPhone.
Where do you learn your photography skills?
I’ve never taken a formal photography class. I am mostly self-taught, but I have also participated in workshops all over the world, and have engaged in online mentorship programs for over 10 years.
Okay, let’s talk about the Apple iPhone ads. (You knew it was coming!) How did this happen?
Crazy as it sounds, I didn’t submit my photo to Apple. In January 2016 I took a photo with my iPhone and posted it on Instagram with a few hashtags—as you do—and a few months later, I was contacted by Apple and their advertising agency, requesting the use of my photo in a campaign. I agreed, and within a matter of months, my photo—taken with an iPhone 6S—was on billboards, in magazines, and on signs around the globe.
Where did your photo show up, that you know of?
That photo appeared on over 30 billboards all around the world: L.A., San Francisco, Dallas, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Paris, India, six cities in China—including Shanghai—Korea, Thailand, Mexico, Tokyo, and Turkey, and on the back of magazines all over the world.
What inspires you as a photographer?
I love challenging what I see and then attempting to capture it. It also means I get to get out there and go see the world.
What are your favorite subjects to photograph?
I particularly enjoy capturing cold landscapes and the stars in the American Southwest.
How do you think the desert of the American Southwest and the frozen tundra of Iceland are connected for you? What draws you to those environs to shoot?
Both of these regions offer plenty of opportunities to ask, “How did this happen?” Whether it’s a massive arch-like Double Window in Arches National Park or the glacier ice that ends up on the black sand beaches of Iceland, there are always unique views and perspectives to capture and ponder. I also love the way the light transforms these elements. Different times of the day or year create different scenes that often catch me off-guard and illuminate my sensibilities.
We have to ask one completely abstract question, so here goes: If the experience of taking the perfect photo had a color, what would it be?
