Pacifica Stories

Grace Vander Veen graduated from Pacifica in 2022 and is beginning her sophomore year at UCLA, where she is studying Psychology with a minor in Accounting. Since leaving high school, Grace has flourished in college both inside and outside of the classroom. 

In her time as a Seawolf, Grace was a highly involved individual, and Pacifica allowed her to try out many different activities and passions that have carried into her life post-grad. At Pacifica, she played on our Varsity indoor volleyball, beach volleyball, and soccer teams. She continues to be involved in these sports by playing on the UCLA club beach volleyball team as well as intramural volleyball and soccer teams. In high school, Grace was also an active member of our PACARTS department, where she acted in our school productions of Sweeney Todd and Macbeth, and directed a one-act play her senior year. During her freshman year at UCLA, she assistant directed a production of Sweeney Todd. Lastly, Grace was highly involved in a Christian outreach ministry called Young Life while at Pacifica. Now, she returns to Pacifica multiple times a week to serve as a volunteer leader with West L.A. Young Life. 

Young Life played a critical role in Grace’s faith formation throughout high school, and she went through training to become a leader in her first semester at UCLA. Through this ministry, she builds relationships with high school students in order to walk alongside them and share not only her life, but the gospel with them. When she was deciding where to lead Young Life, Grace felt called to return to the place that had been so impactful in her own life. Not many high school graduates see the value of their alma mater so immediately upon entering college, but Grace was excited to give back to the Pacifica community and connect with students in a meaningful way that she experienced as a high schooler.

Grace looks back on her time at Pacifica as formative to who she is becoming at UCLA, and wishes she could tell her younger self that “all of your hard work will be worth it in the end.” Not only did Pacifica have a hand in exposing Grace to many of her extracurricular interests, but it also set a strong academic foundation for her college career. 

“Pacifica prepared me for college by the course difficulty and variety of opportunities that made me into a well-rounded person,” says Grace. “Some classes I have taken in college have been incredibly similar to courses taken at Pacifica. I had a big advantage in my political philosophy class– thanks Mr. McCulloch!”

Her favorite class at Pacifica was AP Calculus with Mr. Benedetto. Grace remembers how Mr. B made learning math enjoyable and interesting, with a commitment to helping his students however they needed. At UCLA, some courses of interest have been Management Accounting and Clinical Psychology: Biological Bases due to the engaging material. As she navigates college life, Grace is most enjoying exploring her independence, and being challenged daily in her classes and extracurriculars. After graduating from UCLA, she currently plans to continue on to graduate school to become a physician assistant.