Last year, Daniel DeCaires decided he wanted to leave his mark on PUC and ran for Student Association President, and won. Now entering his senior year, he has big plans for our campus! As a kid from the public school system with no discernable connection to Adventism, I wanted to find out why Daniel decided to come to PUC and what made him fall in love with the school.
Daniel came to PUC because he wanted to do something different. He grew up within the public school system and was becoming disenchanted by the end of his high school career. Everything seemed to become so impersonal to him and he really wanted to be somewhere with a sense of togetherness and belonging. He recognized the people who graduated from PUC got more than just an education – they had people surrounding them who genuinely cared about their success beyond college, and who did their best to ensure students had the best possible experience while attending.
I asked Daniel to answer a few questions about his experience at PUC and his plans for his future.
Two favorite things about PUC
1.) The small class sizes. I’ve gotten to know my professors and build a relationship with each one as I’ve progressed throughout college.
2.) The aesthetics. This is one of the most beautiful regions in the Napa Valley and there are too many places to count which offer incredibly beautiful hikes and drives.
Favorite class at PUC
Management—Professor Nunes has seriously changed my life for the better and in addition to being my favorite professor he has become my mentor and dear friend. I have learned as much outside the classroom from him as inside. He is an awesome guy.
Career Goals
I plan to graduate with a degree in Business and immediately begin working at Kaiser Permanente as a financial analyst. Kaiser has already agreed to pay for my master’s degree as long as I stay with them for an additional three years after completion. Eventually I plan to start and oversee a fully operational medical clinic in either Central or South America, offering medical services to the underprivileged people of a developing country.
Why PUC?
Pacific Union College can be as great as you want it to be. You get to decide how involved you are and just how incredible of an experience you have. Up here, people care about you. If you’re having a bad day, people take notice and ask if you’re ok. What other college can you say that about? The teachers care about your education, even classes they don’t teach, and they truly care about you as a person. Your friends are always close by and someone is always willing to help you when you need it most. Overall, this college offers far more than an education, it offers an experience, and it is an experience you will never forget with people you’ll always have in your life.