Pacifica Graduate Institute Alumni Association (PGIAA) invites Pacifica graduates and the community to Coming Home to Pacifica, its annual Alumni Weekend, Jan. 17-19. This year’s theme The Stories We Tell welcomes participants to share in the magic of personal, cultural and mythic storytelling.
Through story, people not only access healing, teaching and communicating, they also celebrate diversity, lift up humanity, and promote intercultural respect.
Opening with a gala awards banquet on the Ladera Lane campus, the weekend includes a peek at PGIAA’s 2020 Film Conference; the annual alumni Authors Spotlight; the launching of PGIAA’s Community Network; and a moment to honor the story of Martin Luther King, Jr. during the Remembering the Past, Celebrating the Future legacy presentation.
Day 1: The first seminar is an interactive story-creation session with Marvel’s John Bucher, called Telling a Better Story: A Creative Seminar and Lab for Mythic Storytellers of Every Medium. Following, Corinne Bourdeau will present Creating a Film Conference.
In the afternoon, guest speaker Alexandre O. Phillippe, a writer and producer, will host a panel discussion and screening of his film “Memory: The Origin of Alien.” Panelists include John Bucher, Devon Deimler, Will Linn, Patricia Danaher and Corrine Bourdeau. Moderator will be Glen Slater.
The Annual Chancellor’s Reception and Awards Banquet on Friday evening is a private event by invitation only for Pacifica alumni. Recipients of the V. Walter Odajnyk Scholarship, Wendy Davee Award for Service, Chancellor’s Award for Service, Chancellor’s Award for Excellence, and President’s Scholarship Initiative will be announced.
Day 2: Harry Grammer, PGIAA’s new board president, will give the morning’s welcome address, followed by a workshop called Coming Home 2020, The Stories We Tell: Cultivating Community at the Fates and Graces Mythologium, presented by The Fates and Graces themselves, Joanna Gardner, Rachel Lugn and Stephanie Zajchowski.
The afternoon will offer a breakout session with Kelly Carlin-McCall, daughter of the late comedian, George Carlin, called How to Build a Highly Profitable Business, While Building a Better World. Co-presenter Melissa McFarlane, internationally recognized coach and world-renowned speaker, joins Carlin-McCall.
The annual alumni Authors Spotlight event is at 7 p.m. with a meet-and-greet with PGIAA authors who have recently published books. Attendees are invited to celebrate their powerful journeys as writers, scholars and everyday folk. The entire evening, including the book signing and reception, is open to public.
Day 3: The PGIAA Coming Home program celebrates the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with the theme of Remembering the Past ~ Celebrating the Future.
The annual gathering honoring the Rev. King features local community students, scholars and community activists in discussions centered on The Beloved Community – A Society Based on Justice, Equal Opportunity, and love Of One’s Fellow Human Being.
Panelists include Paul Hudson, Harry Grammer, Aaron Jones, James Joyce III, Jordan Killebrew, Jeremy Scruggs, Darius Simpson and Brandon Costa. The event is open to the public.
New this year is an Alumni Weekend pre-event, a Lunch and Learn Career Workshop titled Are You Ready? 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, at Barrett Center, 801 Ladera Lane, Santa Barbara. It is open to Pacifica students, alumni and the public. The presentation, in partnership with LinkedIn, will provide opportunities for planning how to create a sustainable life and work where you thrive.
Participants will learn about resources and gain tips for an effective job search, including how to create a resume, prepare for an interview, and use networking to full advantage. LinkedIn relationship manager Ryan Zervakos will talk about how his company’s platform is a tool for career advancement, networking, and job searching.
This pre-event workshop is free, but seating is limited. Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pgiaa-linked-in-presents-lunch-learn-career-workshop-tickets-81706005863.
“Coming Home to Pacifica will offer a variety of thought-provoking programs designed to encourage support and foster deep dialogue, as well as serve as a springboard for personal and professional growth,” said Dianne Travis Teague, PGI’s director of alumni relations.
“With over 4,000 graduates from the U.S. and around the world, we strive to build strong and sustainable bonds between professors, administrative staff, graduates, students, and the Santa Barbara community,” she said. “It’s one of the many ways we stay true to our motto ‘Animae Mundi Colendae Gratia,’ tending the soul of and in the world.”
Registration fees for PGIAA Coming Home 2020 are $170 (general admission), $120 (student admission.) Register at https://retreat.pacifica.edu/coming-home-2020/ or call 805-879-7303. For more about Coming Home to Pacifica, visit cominghometopacifica.com.
— WaveComm SB.