Pacifica Stories

Pacifica’s new Director of Visual and Performing Arts, Nate Overby, spent the first five years of his life growing up in Mexico where he learned Spanish after his first language. However, he and his large family of nine siblings took English up as their primary language after moving to the United States. From a young age, Nate’s father fostered in him a constant practice of questioning everything. Out of this persistent curiosity, he found himself being led again and again to Christ as the “most experientially relevant and logically consistent answer to all of life’s toughest questions.” His faith has since had a strong influence over the direction of his life. Matthew 16:25 says “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it.” Mr. Overby claims that the more he has tested these statements, the more he has seen God’s fingerprints over everything.

Mr. Overby holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theater Arts from Azusa Pacific University, which is also where he completed his credentialing program. He also recently earned his Masters degree in Christian Apologetics from Liberty University. Prior to working at Pacifica, Nate spent the last 11 years developing a Theater Arts Conservatory at Monrovia High School. Throughout his time in college and beyond, his greatest takeaway has been to not let knowledge get in the way of wisdom. He is now stepping into his role leading all aspects of the visual and performing arts at Pacifica as Director of PACARTS, including teaching theater and acting classes, and producing/directing the fall musical, Little Shop of Horrors and spring play, The Three Musketeers.

“I feel so grateful to work in a space where there's no need to shy away, dance around, or encrypt the truth,” says Mr. Overby. “Numerous measurable statistics indicate a new generation of youth struggling to find their way through darkness and so many of them are being offered artificial light. This light is easily extinguishable and will surrender its illumination to the slightest breeze. Jesus said ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12).’ I am looking forward to working alongside brothers and sisters in Christ who strive to ignite an eternal light within the hearts of those we serve.”

Nate believes that his role in teaching theater and acting revolves primarily around training students to become storytellers. He hopes that every student at Pacifica, whether involved in the performing arts or not, will leave this school confident in the truth that their story matters and is divinely intertwined with an eternal story authored by their Creator. Mr. Overby is reimagining the PACARTS program this year, and we can’t wait to see what he does! 

In his free time, Nate enjoys being a husband to his wife of 14 years, and a father to his three children: Kaden (10), Skyla (8), and Eden (2). He also enjoys playing basketball and watching football.