[Emotional Music]
Marcia Bankirer: A person
who uses their own life
their own experience in context
is what gives them the ability to learn
and to then use  that new information to make a difference.
Michael Lopez-Patton: The core
of pacific oaks college is really
looking at the importance that education
in and of itself isn't enough.
Saul Rios: Pacific oaks children's school, 75 years ago,
was founded by quaker families in Pasadena
and then out of the children's school
pacific oaks college was born.
Jack Paduntin: We wanted to promote progressive education
and build the college to support the Children's School.
Donald E. Grant: Many students come to higher education
with the thought of just gaining knowledge and information.
I think what's different here
is that no matter how much life
experience you have
our pedagogy is set up specifically to develop this self-reflective quality
that allows people to grow in ways that
they didn't even know they needed to grow.
Victor Soto: Historically, we see education as this dichotomy
between like black and white and there was a lot of instructors here
who brought an awareness to
the different cultures and how diversity
is really becoming such a big topic
in terms of social justice.
Carlene Fider: We live in a climate currently
where it's really really tough
when we think about individuals being able to really advocate
and Pacific Oaks gives students that
voice.
Andrew Kami: Pacific Oaks purposefully brings in people that work
in the communities where our students
are coming from.
It gives them a different opportunity to engage with the community that they're learning about
and in a manner that is giving back to
where they're from.
Saul: Everybody in Pasadena knows about Pacific Oaks and
anytime that there's any kind of issue
going on in the community
pacific oaks is there it really is that
family environment.
Victor: It's very different sitting in a lecture
hall when you're one of 500 versus
being in a small classroom.
Michael: Then they start to realize that
they're not here just to receive a
lecture they're here to actively
contribute to the learning of everybody
else in the room.
And the students walk away really with a
different level of education.
And they walk away with an understanding of how this is applied in the real world
versus just the theoretical that so
often happens in a traditional classroom.
Donald: The role of higher education is to provide services to the community.
And community has to be defined not as the geography in which the school exists
but the communities that they have the capacity to touch.
The opportunities for the international work come pretty regularly.
Carlene: Study abroad programs that provide students with access to other
individuals in other countries
is invaluable.
Even though they may be thousands of miles away the human experience
is what we have in common in the United States.
Brittney Carey: We consider it a melting pot of cultures which is a great analogy
but that kind of assumes that we're all blending together
to become one which isn't the case we
all have our own identities and we all
bring our own cultures and we all bring
something different to the table.
Francelia: This has given me a gift and it has given me hope.
I feel the responsibility to take this
experience and to share with my community.
Marcia: To take students and go into another
location another culture is life-changing
it's a new kind of diversity and it's a new way of thinking.
And pacific oaks is unique. We are
helping people change the world.
Jack: It's important that you need to connect and i think students learn from
here on how to connect.
Saul: It's not just a program it's part of my life now.
You take away a lot more than just the diploma.
The knowledge that i'm taking away
I'm applying to every aspect of my life.
Michael: We are such a small college
and yet the influence and footprint that
the alumni have is far-reaching and that's such an exciting rewarding thing
for us at Pacific Oaks College.
[Emotional Music]
