APU Articles
Learn about Financial Aid: How the FAFSA Can Help You Pay for School
June 23, 2022
You’ve probably heard of the FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid. But you may not fully understand how completing your FAFSA can help you and your family pay for your education. Many students—85 percent, according to a —think the FAFSA only determines which loans student and parent loans qualify for, yet loans are only part of the FAFSA determination.
Changing Hearts and Minds with Police Therapy Dogs
June 20, 2022
Better Together: APU’s College of the Arts Hosts Industry Showcase at Warner Bros.
June 15, 2022
Azusa Pacific University’s College of the Arts (COTA) culminated their academic year by hosting a landmark event at the legendary Warner Bros. Studios in Hollywood. APU’s Industry Showcase featured the exceptional talent of students from five areas––cinematic arts, animation, theater arts, studio orchestra, and graphic design. This unforgettable evening drew more than 1,200 attendees, including agents and industry professionals.
Ezekiel Hong: A Trilingual Journey of Faith
June 08, 2022
Ezekiel Hong, MDiv ’22, walked up to the podium for the Azusa Pacific Seminary commissioning service full of gratitude and awe. Just eight years prior, he wasn’t sure if he would be able to move to the United States or if he could afford to live in California while seeking his Master of Divinity degree. Placing his faith in God, Hong moved from Sao Paulo, Brazil, to Los Angeles. It was the second major move Hong had made in his life, after moving to Brazil from South Korea 20 years earlier at the age of 11. Hong used his proficiency in the Korean, Portuguese, and English languages to deliver his commissioning speech at APU in all three. “The seminary has a Hispanic and Korean program and I really wanted to honor graduates from all programs and to celebrate the diversity we have in the school,” Hong said. “I was honored and humbled by the opportunity to give the speech. It felt like a confirmation from God that His faithfulness had carried me and my family through and He fulfilled his promises.”
Esther Ruiz: A Story of God’s Unfailing Provision
June 03, 2022
Tessie Scavone: My Faith Revitalized
May 23, 2022
Tessie Scavone ’21, MA ’23, found hope in God in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic, revitalizing her personal faith. At the beginning of her college journey, Scavone came to Azusa Pacific University to join the swim team and pursue a degree in communication studies. While faith has always been part of her life, she was primarily focused on her studies and athletics at the time. Then with the onset of the COVID pandemic, everything changed.
James Lee: Helping Others in Time of Need
May 17, 2022
Tiffany Nakla: Connecting My Faith and Science
May 12, 2022
Raised in an Egyptian Christian family, Tiffany Nakla ’22 grew up attending a Coptic Orthodox church where the beautiful prayers and hymns sung in Arabic and Coptic during the services deeply moved her and inspired her faith. Transitioning to college, Nakla enrolled at Azusa Pacific University where her faith continued to flourish.“At APU I grew in spiritual maturity in tandem with the strong sense of community here,” she said.
APU School of Nursing’s Socks, Shoes, and Salvation Event Returns to Serve Those in Need
April 27, 2022
Clifford Young III: Resting in God’s Grace
April 25, 2022
Clifford Young III ’23, Azusa Pacific University’s incoming Student Government Association president, knows a lot about multitasking. Growing up as a pastor’s son in Carson, California, he attended the California Academy of Mathematics and Science while balancing leadership roles in the Boy Scouts of America. When he entered college at APU, Young adopted a familiar rhythm of business, skillfully spinning many plates. He chose to pursue degrees in kinesiology with an emphasis in health professions and honors humanities, with a minor in psychology while also participating in student government, holding a part-time job on campus, and keeping up an active social life. “My calendar is booked with events, on-campus meetings, and trying to figure out classes for next semester."
Mark Gobrail: Listening to God’s Call
April 18, 2022
Mark Gobrail ’22 took a leap of faith and answered God’s call to travel across the globe to attend graduate school, immigrating to the U.S. from Cairo, Egypt in August 2021 to complete his Master of Science in Organizational Psychology degree at Azusa Pacific University. “I wanted to pursue a degree at a university that would share my Christian values and enhance my professional career in HR,” he said.
Charlie Reynolds: Igniting a Spiritual Fire
April 04, 2022
In a single day, Charlie Reynolds ’25 discovered his fiery passion for serving God. Growing up, most of Reynolds’ family and friends were nonbelievers, and faith was not an important part of his life. “I had heard about Christ, but I never truly knew who God was, or what he had done for me. I had a hunger deep inside me for something more, but I didn’t know what it was.” It was in high school that Reynolds had his breakthrough faith experience.
Jada Tarvin Abu-Bekr: Transformed to Serve
March 28, 2022
“The thing that transformed my life and my identity was definitely my study away trip to South Africa. It’s a familial culture. Your neighbor is hurting in your township, and you love them. You make a meal for them. It just opened up everything for me.”
