How to stay spiritually active from home

This article was originally published on APU.edu.

Amidst COVID-19, as Azusa Pacific University students returned home and began online classes, they had to adjust to life without many of the constants that helped sustain them spiritually while on campus, including chapel. APU students usually go to chapel three times a week, learning from renowned pastors and worshiping alongside thousands of their peers. Many students did not realize the chapel before spring break would be their last for some time. While navigating so many changes and uncertainties, a strong relationship with God is perhaps now more important than ever. With this in mind, the Spiritual Life team created a plan to offer one chapel a week online and created a podcast dedicated to helping students keep their walk with Jesus steady.

“None of us could have anticipated how this year would unfold,” said Coba Canales, Ed.D., dean of Spiritual Life. “We continue to place our trust in God. We’re strengthened by the promise of His presence with us and the Holy Spirit’s guidance.” To support students through this time, Canales and the campus pastors film one live chapel a week on Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. Students can watch it in real time, or watch it later on YouTube. “We remain committed to providing resources, spiritual care, and encouragement to our students.”

In a recent online chapel service, Ta’Tyana Leonard, associate director of Corporate Worship and campus pastor, dove into the passage of Luke 22:39-44 and explored the similarities between Jesus’ prayer on the Mount of Olives and our situation today. “The coronavirus has caused anxiety and fear in our communities. It’s shut down schools, churches, and even cities,” she said. “But I see hope in this as well. I see families spending time together, more than they ever have. I see churches getting creative and spreading the Gospel more than ever. I also see Christians needing to rely and trust in the Lord in ways they’ve never needed to before. Even though it feels like God is not answering our prayers in the way we want Him to, just like in the life of Jesus, God is keeping promises right now.”

To supplement chapel, the Spiritual Life team added a podcast series entitled, “Weekly Rhythms,” with four episodes so far. In the fourth episode, Wesley Parker Reed, discipleship coordinator and campus pastor, offered a piece of advice. “Spiritual disciplines are Christian practices that remind us that we are inherently spiritual beings who are desperately in need of connection with the presence of God to truly live an abundant life through all seasons,” Reed said. “They’re habits that create a very real space for God to work in our thoughts, our feelings, and even our circumstances. They’re ways for us to work with the Holy Spirit, whose desire is to cultivate spiritual growth within us.” Reed suggested students use this time to practice spiritual disciplines and grow their faith.

Canales offered another idea for students to practice during this time—contemplation. “Take advantage of this time to sit back and ask big questions. God, what have you been doing over the last year of my life and during my time at APU? Where have I seen you at work? Who am I and am I who I want to be at this point?” Canales said. “We don’t usually ask these questions because we’re busy running from one class to the next, or from work to hanging out with friends. Our schedules, especially as college students, are impossibly hectic. Right now, it’s different. Build in a space for contemplation, reflection, Scripture reading and prayer.”

Canales recommends reading the Psalms because they capture every range of human experience and emotion. He also suggests a verse to reflect upon: 2 Timothy 1:7, which reads “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind.” “That’s important to remember. We should not be driven by fear. We should recognize that God is still with us, even during this time,” he said. “For that reason, I also recommend our university passage, John 14. At the end of it, Jesus talks about giving peace to us and not being afraid. God is still giving peace to us through it all.”

The Spiritual Life team is available for students remotely so they can receive spiritual care, including pastoral counseling and prayer requests. APU’s Contemporary Chapel Band created a playlist for students to listen to on Spotify or Apple Music while they work from home. Students can find additional resources on the new Together APU site designed to keep students engaged through virtual community.

The impact of the coronavirus on an APU senior

This article was originally published on APU.edu.

As I drove away from University Village last week, I looked back at Azusa Pacific University’s East Campus for the last time in the foreseeable future. This had been my home for the past four years, minus one summer and a semester away, and all of a sudden, I had to say goodbye. I had to abruptly leave my roommates, my friends, my classes, my jobs, my independence, and my campus with only a week of warning. Everything seemed so sure for the end of my senior year, the end of my 16 years of education, and then it wasn’t. The coronavirus took a lot from me, and countless other seniors at APU and across the country, but it could not take one thing — the memories.

I remember when I arrived on campus in late August 2016. I had been to APU only twice before, once for a preview weekend and once for orientation. I had no idea what to expect over the next four years. I just hoped I would make good friends and grow as a student, a person, and a Christian. The first of these concerns was alleviated when I moved into my dorm room in Smith Hall and met my two roommates, Garrett and Jonathan Davis, who would become two of the best friends I have ever had.

Though in some ways it seems long ago, I can still remember many things from freshman year. My roommates and I would pull pranks on each other and our RA. We would stay up until 1 or 2 a.m. every night because we didn’t have classes until 11 a.m. We would feast on massive Mexicali Grill burritos and show each other countless memes. I don’t think I could go back to living in a dorm now if you paid me, with the community bathrooms and lack of a kitchen, but I treasure the time I had in Smith Hall.

After a summer back home in Reno, Nevada, I returned to APU for my sophomore year. I lived with the same roommates and revelled in the space University Park offered. Each day, I would venture to West Campus where most of my journalism and honors humanities classes took place. I would get into heated debates with my honors friends in colloquy over Dante or Thomas Hobbes, then I would head into my sports communication class where we got into many arguments about our favorite football and basketball players. Though they were vastly different subjects, I loved them both. One of my favorite memories came in the sports communication class when we had the opportunity to attend a LA Clippers game, talk to their head of PR, and sit in on a press conference with head coach Doc Rivers. This experience reinforced my dream of becoming a sports journalist.

Nothing was as impactful in shaping this dream as my time at APU’s student newspaper, ZU News. I began as a staff writer in the fall of freshman year and wrote so many articles that the staff advisor, Kent Walls, hired me that spring as the opinion editor. During my sophomore year, I helped student media transition from four separate outlets to one convergent entity. We rebranded everything with the name ZU, reflecting our motto that we were the student voice of APU. The newspaper, which had gone by the name The Clause for more than 50 years, became ZU News. It was our “baby,” and we student journalists were very proud of the work we did. I served as the news editor my sophomore year, and after a semester away in New York City, I returned and became editor-in-chief. My experience working alongside professional journalists as a video production intern at Newsweek created a higher set of standards for ZU News, and we improved quickly. Stories came out at a much faster pace and students watched their readership climb.

While I valued my experience in New York, I was delighted to be back at APU, living with one of the same roommates and a couple other friends. We moved into a new apartment in University Village, which became a refuge after insanely long days of working at three different jobs. It was great to take a few classes that were unavailable in New York, including I & II Samuel and hiking. Hiking off of Glendora Mountain Road and seeing the incredible mountains just miles away from the urban environment was awesome. On one particular hike, I remember looking out over the San Gabriel Valley and thinking that this might be a nice place to call home even after graduation.

I stayed on campus over the summer and remained in the same apartment for senior year. Two new roommates moved in and our apartment was never the same. There were many late nights with lots of pointless yelling and lots of pranks pulled — there was never a dull moment. This made homework hard to finish at times, but I managed to complete my last general education, public relations, and journalism classes.

This final semester began on a high note, as I accepted a position with Teach For America, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending education inequality across the country. I found out I would be teaching English in Nashville, which meant the next few months in Azusa would be my last. Then COVID-19 struck. Everything changed. At first, classes moved online and we were allowed to remain on campus. Then just a week later, we were informed we had to return home and the May commencement ceremonies were canceled.

While I understood the rationale behind these decisions, and realized college students across the nation were impacted in the same way, that did not take away from the pain of having to bid farewell to my friends and my home. I am still trying to figure out how to cope with the fact that I may never see many of my friends, coworkers, and professors again. I am coming to terms with the fact that I may never get to walk across the graduation stage in front of my family, though I know the university is exploring ways to honor graduates. I am adjusting to the worldchanging impact that the coronavirus has had in my life and those of people all over the world. However, in the aftermath of COVID-19, there is solace in knowing that I will always have these memories, and many more, from my time as a Cougar. Just because the ending is far from what I wanted, my college experience at Azusa Pacific changed my life for the better, and I’m trusting God with my future.

Michael Lee '90 runs his race

Michael Lee ’90 flew headfirst in the icy slush and tumbled down the ski slope, hearing a snapping sound as he landed on his neck. Nearby skiers quickly called for rescue, and Lee was rushed to the hospital to receive a diagnosis that would change his life—a fractured C5 and partial paralysis in his left arm.

As an avid skier and runner, Lee initially felt terrified, and called out to God in his despair. “I said to Him, ‘God, no matter what I'm facing, your goodness is not on trial here. Whether I am healed or not in the way that I want to be, you're still good and you are going to cause this to work together for good in my life,” Lee said. “I started crying, but they were tears of joy.”

Lee’s response of steadfast trust stemmed from years of journeying with God, beginning when he arrived at Azusa Pacific University in 1986 as a new believer, eager to learn more. As a student, he played on the soccer team, joined the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, served as a resident advisor, and participated in a discipleship group led by former President Jon Wallace, DBA—as the APU community strengthened his faith in God. Lee’s mentoring relationship with Bible professor Bruce Baloain, Ph.D., led him to add a Biblical studies major on top of his business degree.

As his relationship with Christ grew, Lee wanted to share the Gospel with others. When he received an opportunity to work for the Duncan Toys Company and became a professional yo-yoer, a unique ministry emerged. Over time, he shared his testimony through yo-yoing to more than 1.7 million children in all 50 states and four continents, even performing three times at the White House. Lee saw God moving through his ministry—cultivating an even deeper faith in Him.

Following his yo-yoing career, Lee opened his own business in Seattle where he helps companies find administrative staffing. After a long week of work at his new job, on Valentine’s Day in 2016, Lee decided to go skiing, a decision that would alter the course of his life.

When he woke up in the hospital the day after the crash, an elder from his church stood by his bed, praying over him. Those prayers were heard. Two days later, Lee was released from the hospital with just a neck brace.

“My neurosurgeon said my neck had broken in just the right way,” Lee said. “He thought I might need surgery at first, but he determined the neck brace would be enough.”

With the help of meals from his small group and the care of his roommate, Lee began the slow road to recovery, trusting God along the way. After undergoing physical therapy, during his final appointment with the neurosurgeon, he received clearance for physical activities.

Just six months after his accident, Lee stood at the start line of the Spartan Race, wondering what he had gotten himself into. In contrast to popular races like the Tough Mudder, the Spartan presents even more physically challenging obstacles. If participants cannot successfully navigate an obstacle, they must complete 30 burpees before moving on. Many failed obstacles and more than 200 burpees later, Lee crossed the finish line in last place. Most importantly, he finished the race.

Lee decided to try it again, and again. Although he continued to finish near the back of the pack at first, he kept at it. He started to get better, train more, and work harder, as his rankings steadily improved until he achieved his first podium.

Lee went on to earn three more podium spots in 2018 and five in 2019, including a first place finish in his last race of the year. So far in 2020, Lee has competed in four races, placing among the top five competitors in all of them.

“I’ve had two races this year where I went head-to-head with Kevin Gilloti, a member of the Spartan Pro Team,” said Lee. “I was running neck and neck with him. I was pushing him and I couldn't believe it.”

Looking back, Lee said there is no way he could have predicted he would be here after his accident, when he cried out to God in his hospital bed. His trust in God, developed through his journey at APU, pushed him to keep moving forward.

“I want to use my Spartan journey to inspire others to run their race: I believe all things are possible to those who believe. God is able to do exceedingly more than we ask or imagine,” he said. “If this 52-year-old man can survive a near fatal accident, come back, complete 85 Spartan races, and thrive, others can too. What’s your race and how can you run it?”

APU's Games and Interactive Media Hosts Global Game Jam

This article was originally published on APU.edu.

Azusa Pacific University’s Games and Interactive Media program recently participated in the Global Game Jam (GGJ) for the second consecutive year, hosting a group of 40 students and gaming enthusiasts. The GGJ is the world’s largest game creation event where people come together and express themselves through video games. This year more than 48,700 people joined the jam at 934 “jam sites” in 118 countries.

“It was an amazing event. This year, we doubled the amount of participants and games we created,” said Tim Samoff, MFA, program director for the Bachelor of Arts in Games and Interactive Media. “Everyone came together and started working.They went from idea to game production very quickly, which was really fun to watch.”

Participants incorporated the theme, “Repair,” into their eight games in different ways. One group created a game called “Mending,” where players must salvage a broken relationship by moving through a house and repairing memories of their significant other. Another game, entitled, “Shipwreck in the Sky,” puts players on an alien planet with a broken spaceship where they need to avoid obstacles and aliens while finding the missing pieces of their ship.

Keep Reading: Careers in the Games Industry Have Moved Beyond Entertainment

Participants had 48 hours to complete their game, starting Friday night and ending on Sunday. This year, Samoff decided to close the event at midnight on Friday and 10 p.m. on Saturday, giving the gamers only about 20 production hours to finish their project. “It’s always a challenge to complete a creative project quickly,” he said. “On the flip side, that time pressure provides an amazing inspirational force that can spark the creative process.”

On the first night, the group split up into four-to-six-people teams, each with a programmer, artist, audio expert, and narrative writer. “The jam encourages people, no matter their primary skillset, to do other things as well,” he said. “It was great to see everyone contribute with their strengths and tackle a lot of jobs along the way.”

In addition to designing games, attendees learned from keynote speaker Ryan Green, co-founder of Numinous Games. Green is a designer of the award-winning game, “That Dragon, Cancer,” which tells the story of his son Joel who was diagnosed with cancer and the grief the family experienced. Samoff met Green through the Christian Games Developer conference and invited him to share his knowledge at the GGJ this year. “Ryan was gracious enough not just to speak to our students, but he collaborated with us as well,” Samoff said. “He shared best practices and helped groups who were struggling with tasks in their game, from coding bugs to trigonometry and game art.”

Many students in APU’s Games and Interactive Media Program participated in the event. This immersive game design degree is a confluence of story and play. Students learn to build games of all types, benefitting from a well-rounded curriculum that integrates storytelling, game mechanics, art, and sound.

Samoff said his program plans to continue hosting the GGJ at APU. “It’s an amazing community-building experience, and an opportunity to meet new people and use creativity to work together and solve a common problem,” he said.

Watch Green's keynote speech.

APU Launches Zephyr Point Tahoe Study Away Program

This article was originally published on APU.edu.

In January 2020, 12 Azusa Pacific University students will travel to picturesque Lake Tahoe, where they will spend the spring as the inaugural class of APU’s new Zephyr Point study away program. The program focuses on the connection between the humanities and natural sciences, allowing students to explore the interaction between modern society and the environment.

Program director David Williams designed the semester in three phases. In the first, students will go on an introductory back-country trip. “I’d love to see students with zero outdoor experience attend,” Williams said. “If you want to learn how to travel in God’s creation safely and ethically, it’s an amazing place to do that.” Students will explore Lake Tahoe and the surrounding areas to the fullest, while hiking, skiing, mountain-biking, paddle-boarding, kayaking, and swimming.

During the academic portion of the semester, students will take a humanities class on nature, and they can choose their electives from required general education courses. The class selection offered at Zephyr Point makes it possible for students from any major to study there. Special course offerings are designed for kinesiology majors who can benefit from the unique environment for their training.In the final component of the semester, Williams will lead a five-day trip to Yosemite Valley, where students will combine their knowledge from the first two phases to learn in nature.

Williams created the semester with Ryan McKenzie, Zephyr Point director of program ministries. “This is for students looking to break away from the campus experience, to get out of the city and spend a semester at Lake Tahoe, which provides space and time to explore personal depth and growth in who you are in the kingdom of God,” he said. Zephyr Point Conference Center has offered Christians an environment of serenity since 1924.

“Here, the fabric is thin between heaven and earth,” McKenzie said. “At Tahoe, we come face to face with God as He reveals Himself through His creation.”

Cost for the Zephyr Point semester will be the same as a traditional semester at APU. There are no extra charges and scholarships transfer. In addition, unlike most study away programs, students will have employment opportunities during the semester. “Students can work at the conference center in hospitality, foodservice, housekeeping, maintenance, and administration,” McKenzie said. “We host lots of Christian conferences and students will have the opportunity to see behind the scenes what goes into making a religious nonprofit work.”

Over the course of the semester, Zephyr Point students will partner with other APU students in the Sacramento study away program, which focuses on public administration and policy writing. “Lake Tahoe provides the perfect location for students to examine environmental issues quite broadly – historically, philosophically, biologically, theologically. Sacramento provides these students with opportunities to work on policies regarding specific issues like water rights in the West,” Williams said.

After this spring, Williams said the Zephyr Point program aims to expand its size. “We envision having 30-40 students per semester,” he said. “Each semester would consist of 12 APU students, along with students from other schools in the Council of Christian Colleges & Universities.” He envisions the program as a similar size to APU’s former High Sierra program.

Williams worked at High Sierra for 13 years. He said the new program offers students a similar experience in an even more beautiful location. “When you’re at these awe-inspiring sites like Lake Tahoe, it tends to raise your game academically and spiritually because you’re surrounded by something that’s just so awe inspiring every day,” he said. “We’ve been able to harness the reverence that’s inspired by Tahoe and connect it to a living learning community. I know this setting will be powerful and efficacious in the development of students’ lives in mind, body, and spirit.”

In My Darkest Hour, God Showed Up

This article was published on APU.edu.

“When I broke my back, it felt like it might be the end. I was panicking and in so much pain. Lying there on the ground, I began to pray. Suddenly, I felt the Lord’s presence cover my body. It was the first time I truly felt Him. I heard Him say, ‘I’ve got this.’ My pain didn’t go away, but I could handle it. From that moment on, I’ve had a deep knowing in the core of my being that He has a plan and a purpose for me.”

When she was 13 years old, Taylor Fiddyment dedicated her life to Christ at an altar call at a Christian rock concert called Joshua Fest. Four years later, at 17, she faced the biggest challenge of her life while riding ATVs with friends in Lemmon Valley, Nevada. “I had ridden ATVs many times, but this was just a freak accident,” she said. “I was going around the edge of a bowl, but I wasn’t going fast enough and my momentum didn’t carry me around. I jumped off but the quad rolled over and landed on my shoulders, crushing me.” Fiddyment was rescued and brought to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with a spinal cord injury and told she would never be able to move or feel her legs again.

After six months of rehabilitation, Fiddyment returned home. “People look at me and think I should be sad, or less motivated than I am because I'm in a wheelchair. I just don’t see it like that,” she said. As a student at Azusa Pacific University, Fiddyment takes a highly active role, including participating in Mexico Outreach, which she has done eight times in the past two years. “Serving in Mexico has been a profound experience. I love going out there with my team and helping in any way I can,” she said. “It’s an incredible chance to see how God moves and spend time with the APU community.”

After graduating from APU, Fiddyment plans to combine her love of service with her international business degree. “My dream job is to work with a team that travels the world and consults nonprofit organizations on how to use their resources efficiently,” she said. “I’m excited for whatever the future holds. Jesus has given me joy and a sense of adventure that makes my life fun. He is the reason I’m able to do all I do.”

Game Changer Tyler Endres ’10 Shapes Esports Culture

This article was originally published on APU.edu.

A long line of people wraps around an antiquated brick building in a nondescript area of downtown Santa Ana. The crowd anxiously awaits entrance, hoping to secure a front row seat to all the action. Inside, the atmosphere is electrifying and the spirit of competition palpable. Amid the cheers of hundreds of fans gathered around large computer screens, gamers of all levels battle it out. This is the burgeoning world of esports, and in just four years, Tyler Endres ’10, has capitalized on this international phenomenon by building a successful brand with his business Esports Arena expanding its reach and influence across the nation.

The early imaginings for Esports Arena began with Endres and his roommate Paul Ward ’10 while they were students at Azusa Pacific University. “During my freshman year, we loved playing Halo II. Everybody at APU played it back then. We would leave our dorm room in Trinity Hall open so people could come and play with us,” Endres said. “Soon, our RD asked us if we could host a Halo II tournament. We borrowed Xboxes and TV’s and had 16 four-person teams. It was awesome and we ended up winning.” Endres and Ward hosted the same tournament the following year. Unfortunately, their reputation preceded them. “We were too good and nobody wanted to play with us,” he said.

While he wasn’t quite at the professional gamer level, Endres was much better than the average player. He envisioned a place where he could compete with other players at a similar skill level so they could keep improving. “That’s how we came up with this idea of opening a facility where people can come out and play competitively every night of the week,” he said.

After Endres graduated, a job in restaurant equipment sales provided a means to an end. He saved up for three years before launching Esports Arena in Santa Ana. “We were really lucky to find this building. The owner loved the concept so much that he paid for all the renovations, which were quite extensive. We couldn’t have afforded them without him, so that was a Godsend,” he said. Renovations took more than two years to complete. By the time the arena opened in September 2015, Endres was down to his last penny. “I paid my rent check and if we didn’t open then, I couldn’t have paid rent the next month,” he said. “Then we opened and received some investments that relieved the financial burden.”

In the following months, a number of large gaming corporations rented out Esports Arena. Business was booming, but it was not what Endres had envisioned when he started the company. “We had so much success doing these events that we only chased events for a while. We had to ask ourselves what do we stand for, what message do we wish to communicate,” Endres said. “Our core product now is gaming for everybody. We want to develop a grassroots gaming community where people can compete at any level.”

It is this sense of community that inspires Endres. “When I look back to my time at APU, that’s what helped me the most. APU enables students to find community and feel like they belong,” he said. “Our community was gaming. I started this company because we had so many good friendships that came about through gaming and our love for it.”

Keep Reading: Careers in the Games Industry Have Moved Beyond Entertainment

The rapid success of Esports Arena spurred opportunities for business growth, including opening facilities inside the Luxor® Casino in Las Vegas and in Oakland, California.

Part of the new business model is a partnership with the largest retailer in the world, Walmart. The company came to Endres in early 2018 with the idea of putting mini Esports Arenas inside their stores. “Walmart owns a 30 percent market share in video game consoles, but the market is declining because you can just download most games at home. They were losing a huge chunk of the market and saw us as a potential solution,” he said. So far, Esports Arena is in five Walmarts across the country. Endres said the company plans to expand into many more stores in the coming months. “This allows Esports Arena to create its own ecosystem of esports with competitive players from around the country,” Endres said. “That's what I've always wanted to build.”

In addition, Esports Arena launched a series of gaming computers called OverPowered, available at Walmart. “They’re phenomenal machines. The equipment inside is really high quality and they’re available for a great price,” he said. “Knowing my brand is in the household of gamers across America is a really cool feeling.”

Even with the growth of his brand, on most days, Endres can still be found at the place where his success began, the original facility in Santa Ana. “We keep busy around here. We partner with a lot of professional gamers and influencers like Ninja, Dr. Disrespect, and even Cobi Jones.” The facility has a live broadcast center where thousands of people stream the esports action. During big events, Endres said everyone is running around chaotically, but they all love it. “It's an absolute blast. I hope I get to do this for the rest of my life.”

After just four years, Endres’ company has expanded across the country and he now employs 72 people. “I need to constantly remind myself what it’s all for. With all the changes, it’s tough to keep it in perspective,” he said. “I work for everybody who works for me. I’m only able to do what I do because of all these people God has brought into my life. It's definitely not all me. I thank God for that.”

APU Summer Sports Camps Build Community

This article was originally published on APU.edu.

Azusa Pacific University’s campus is quiet over the summer—for all of three weeks. Then, at the beginning of each June, hundreds of excited kids and talented high school athletes flood campus to participate in six summer sports camps—baseball, basketball, football, softball, soccer, and volleyball.

APU football head coach Victor Santa Cruz leads an annual camp where more than 375 high school athletes attend each sold out session. “We draw athletes from all around California, Colorado, Texas, and even Hawaii. Parents will put their kids on a plane to travel here because they don’t want to miss our camp,” he said. “We limit the camp size to ensure the best experience possible. We provide personal attention to each student athlete.”

Santa Cruz said he recruits many of these high-caliber players. “Camp gives us a good opportunity to find students with strong character, academic skills, and athleticism. We’re looking for visionary young people who want to do something bigger with their lives,” he said. “We share who we are spiritually and academically. These athletes are really hungry for that. We often hear, ‘You guys are different. How can I be a part of this place?’”

APU’s other sports camps focus on a younger crowd (grades K-8). Cougar baseball head coach Paul Svagdis has led a summer camp for 10 years. The program has grown from about 25 kids in 2009 to 100 children per session today. An average day at camp is jam packed, beginning at 8 a.m. with warm ups, throwing, and stretching. Campers then split into two groups to practice offense on the Cougar Baseball Field with stations, including base-running and hitting, and defensive fundamentals at the Dillon Recreational Complex. After an hour, the groups switch, then they take a lunch break before afternoon games. “We play games on different parts of the field. They always want to play in center field because they can hit home runs there,” Svagdis said. “While home runs are great, we reward kids for demonstrating good character and sportsmanship. That’s where the big bucket of candy comes in.”

A Glendora resident, Svagdis said he often sees kids across town wearing their Cougar baseball gear from summer camp. “I’ll be in a grocery store and a little guy will come up to me and say, ‘Hi Coach Paul, do you remember me?’ They’ll tell me how excited they are for camp next year and how they asked for a week of baseball camp for Christmas,” he said. “Their parents will even tell me how they did extra chores all year so they could attend a second week of camp.”

Svagdis said APU’s camp is truly special because of the student athlete volunteers. “APU students are first class,” he said. “Just a couple weeks ago, I had four players travel to a little league game to support one of the kids who came through our camp. That’s not uncommon with our players. We build relationships within the community and it opens up opportunities for people to connect with the university.”

APU women’s soccer head coach Brooke Lincoln seconded this. “It’s pretty special to see these kids interacting with my college players. It gives our players an opportunity to give back. It wasn’t that long ago that they were one of those little campers. Now, it’s come full circle for them,” she said. “Some of them want to coach in the future, so this is an opportunity for them to get their feet wet. For other players, it gives them a different perspective on the game, not just as a player, but as a teacher. They can be a bright light, an encouragement, an inspiration, and a role model for these children.”

Lincoln said the best part of summer camp came months after camp ended last year. “We had a lot of these kids come to our games,” she said. “We invest in them for a week or two, help them develop their skills, and they come out to support us at our home games. They’ll never know how much that means to us.”

To learn more about APU summer sports camps, click here.

APU Alumnus Jorge Alvarez Named Bezos Scholar

This article was originally published on APU.edu.

Azusa Pacific University alumnus Jorge Alvarez ’03, M.A.Ed. ’08, M.A. ’12, was recently named a Bezos Scholar. Alvarez, an assistant principal at Colton High School (CHS) in Colton, Calif., was honored alongside CHS junior Ernest Cisneros for their work with the school’s TED Ed. club, including arranging the school’s first TEDx Conference on the topic of mental health earlier this year. As part of the Bezos scholar program, the pair will travel to Colorado later this month to attend the Aspen Ideas Festival, where they will learn more about how they can create change in their community.

“I was in disbelief when I found out,” Alvarez said. “They only pick 12 students and 12 educators from around the nation. We’re not from a big school or a big city, so I didn’t really think we had a chance. I think it will start to feel real when we get to Aspen.”

In Aspen, the two will hear from some of the world’s top creative minds, comprised of a diverse group of educators, innovators, and leaders. “I’m excited to see what ideas we can bring back to our community,” Alvarez said.

As part of the Bezos Scholars Program, Alvarez and Cisneros will create a Local Ideas Festival in the form of a wellness fair to be held next March. The fair will feature regional agencies that provide medical and mental health resources, parent and student workshops, entertainment, and food. CHS plans to host students from across the county as well as local government officials.

As the faculty advisor to the TED Ed. club, Alvarez organized the school’s first TEDx conference earlier this year featuring nine speakers. A strong advocate for mental health, Alvarez was selected as 1 of 33 TED Ed Innovative Educators from around the world in 2017. “Students are affected by mental health issues at a growing rate, yet communities in our area lack resources. Several students in the region committed suicide in the past year,” he said. “A stigma still exists around getting help for mental health issues and we want to combat that. It’s okay to get help.”

Alvarez said he wants students to have the space to decompress and the resources to support their mental well-being. To meet this need, CHS plans to open a wellness center in August. “This facility will give our students a place to deal with anxiety, depression, or other challenges they may face, and in turn, this will give them the best chance to succeed in the classroom.”

The Bezos Scholars Program was founded in 2005 by Jackie and Mike Bezos, parents of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, as part of the Bezos Family Foundation. Scholars are selected based on demonstrated leadership abilities, willingness to embrace challenges, and the desire to create positive change in their communities.

APU Expands Physical Therapy Program, Opens New Facility

As spring semester at Azusa Pacific University came to a close and most students and faculty headed home for the summer, the Department of Physical Therapy geared up to move into their new 26,000-square-foot facility. Located in the back of Duke Hall, the space is more than four times the size of the former location in Mary Hill. “It was a busy time. Our summer classes started just a couple days after we moved in,” said Derrick Sueki, DPT, Ph.D., Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program director. “Everyone is energized by the new space. It still has that new car smell!”

The facility was made possible by a $3 million donation from alumni Steve and Susie Perry through their Sacred Harvest Foundation. The expansion allows the DPT program to grow their annual cohort size by more than 50 percent, increasing enrollment from 48 to 74 students. “We have three cohorts at a time, so this represents a big increase in students,” said Susan Shore, Ph.D., chair and professor in the Department of Physical Therapy. “Our program is extremely competitive. We average more than 900 applicants each year. People come from all over the country to study with us.”

Annette Karim, DPT, Ph.D., Postprofessional Studies program director, said the design and planning was purposeful. “We’ve planned for growth. We could have easily filled more spaces from the beginning, but we didn’t have the space for the quality of education we wanted to provide. Now we do,” she said. “Maintaining the 1 to 15 faculty to student ratio is also very important to us.”

The facility features spacious lecture rooms and labs, providing a host of technological upgrades that enhance classroom instruction. “We educate through a different model than most departments. We have to visualize how people walk, squat, bend, and perform other movements,” Sueki said. “The new classrooms are equipped with cameras in the ceiling. The cameras are interconnected with our desktop, allowing us to take pictures and videos of people moving. We can project these videos on screens and draw on them with smart boards.” Students work on two-sided flip tables that consist of a soft padded side for physical therapy and a hard side for note taking.“The tables offer convenience and functionality for our students,” said Karim.

APU is one of only two Council for Christian Colleges & Universities schools on the West Coast with a DPT program, and Shore said APU’s program is one of the best in the country. “The thing that separates us from other universities beyond the curriculum is the quality of the teaching, which I think is unequaled by any other school,” she said. Karim said the faculty truly connect with their students. “The DPT program requires three full years to complete. That’s quite a bit of time to live life, to go through the ups and downs,” she said. “People often choose APU for the quality of the faculty. You choose your mentors. I think God uses us in that way.”

Sueki said the connection between students and faculty played a role in the design of the building. “One of the primary components in the facility design was to provide spaces for students to interact with each other and with faculty, to go beyond just education, to be a part of each other’s lives,” he said.

Contributing to the DPT’s program expansion and new facility is the exponential growth of the field. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment rate for physical therapists is expected to increase by 36 percent through the year 2022. “We’re an aging population. They say 60 is the new 30. Because of this, we need more physical therapists to take care of people as they get older,” Karim said. In California, the annual mean wage for a physical therapist is approximately $96,000. Currently, APU’s DPT students experience a 97 percent graduation rate, and its DPT graduates benefit from a 100 percent overall pass rate on the National Physical Therapy Exam and 100 percent employment in their field.

“This facility allows us to expand our mission, our visions for our field, and the students we serve,” Sueki said.