DARREN BONAPARTE | staff writer
photo | SHANNON OTT
Homecoming royalty from left to right: Brittany Sheldon, Chadwick Trentham, Jordan Gash, Cathy Hong, Alex Turpin, Jessi Tobin, Phil Brazell, Amy Mitchell, Anders Lindwall, and Lauren Cray with Homecoming 2006 queen Brittany Johnson and king Jared Lincoln.


Cathy Hong's desire to serve others through community won over the majority votes to crown her this year's Homecoming Queen.

Senior Applied Health major Cathy Hong is an example of a community-based student with a heart for others.

Raised in Santa Monica, Calif, Hong moved to Texas before coming back to the Golden State, where she resided in Monterey. Ever since she was a child, Hong knew she had a heart that felt for others.

“I wanted to be a firefighter and a nurse and a missionary all at the same time,” Hong said. “I wanted to blow out a fire while dressing wounds while running through jungles.”

Hong’s plans for her future now, just like her childhood plans, are about helping and caring for people.

“I just get really overwhelmed with caring for people,” Hong said. “I think that God’s heart is full of compassion. I want my heart to be aligned with his.”

She also wants to start a family of her own and welcome in others by adopting.

“I would like to someday have a family. I want to have wild little boys,” Hong said. “My family as a unit is the most significant thing in my life.”

Letting God work through her and for her has been a key element in Hong’s life. She believes she should strive to follow after Christ, and then in doing so, everything else will fall into place.

Believing in the importance of community and fellowship, Hong is the current Community Advisor for Adams Hall, where she works with Resident Advisors and the Living Area Council to further build a sense of connectedness.

Hong believes that one of the reasons she won Homecoming Queen was that she lives in the freshmen dorms.

But it wasn’t just freshmen who voted for her.

“Cathy Hong has devoted her life to Residence Life, which serves as an example of how much she truly cares about the students on this campus,” senior English major Lindsay Houts said.

“She deserves to be Homecoming Queen,” freshmen business marketing Kasaundra Domen said. “She has a great heart, she serves the Lord, she serves us. She deserves it. She’s always with somebody different. She’s always investing time in someone new.”

Her positive social personality was a factor for some others, especially freshmen nursing major Cassie Jones.

“She’s really nice and she’s funny. When she talks to you, she really pays attention,” Jones said. “She knows everyone on the hall really well.”

Senior English major Cara Domene, who classifies herself as a lazy friend, didn’t vote for Cathy because of lack of internet in her apartment. But Domene delieves that Hong won Homecoming Queen because people recognize how selfless she has been in her four years at APU.

“It’s just thanking her for her service.” Domene said. “Her heart’s desire to serve people in general, but especially the APU community.”


JACLYNN STAUB | staff writer
photo | SHANNON OTT
Homecoming crowns adorn Cathy Hong and Phil Brazell at the Homecoming game Oct. 20.


Phil Brazell is committed to building genuine relationships winning him the Homecoming vote.

As a 10-year-old boy, Phil Brazell wanted to be a killerwhale trainer. But somewhere in life, he decided that becoming a business administration major was a more practical decision.

Now, upon graduation, he is unsure whether he will actually go straight into the business world, but he is leaning on God for guidance.

“I’m really at the place where I’m like ‘Ok Lord wherever you want to lead me I will go, even if that means dropping business all together, I will do it.’ But I enjoy it so I’m going to pursue it for now,” Brazell said.

Brazell lives by a philosophy that helps him keep this trusting attitude.

“My philosophy on life comes from how I see God fitting into life and to me God’s faithfulness is the theme of my life,” Brazell said. “His life gives us the hope to live in every day even though I don’t know what’s going on in my future and I don’t have a lot of control.”

Brazell’s philosophy is rooted in Hebrews 10:23. “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”

With a pastor for a father, Brazell grew up in the church, always surrounded by people. He has learned to be patient and welcoming and gives credit to his family for enabling him to carry these virtues now, especially as ASB President.

“Phil definitely strives to build authentic Christ centered community at APU and that’s something we throw around a lot,” junior social science major Stewart Joslyn said. “I just think a lot of what he stands for is a lot of what people at APU should stand for.”

Every day Brazell is presented with the challenge of being around groups of people, and the thing that he holds dearest is quality time with those around him.

“I think the illusion is that I get invigorated by groups of people, but big groups actually drain me,” Brazell said. “It’s hard to see people and then not get quality time with anybody.”

Those close to him say that Brazell is always intentional about getting to know the core of a person and truly cares about who they are as a person.

“I voted for Phil because, titles aside, I think he really is the king of the campus in terms of really getting to know people in a variety of groups and clubs on campus,” senior business administration major Megan Ilertsen said. “He is really genuine about his friendship and relationships that he forms with people and it takes a really special person like Phil and I don’t know any one else like him.”

It is easy to see why Phil was voted homecoming king with a heart for people and a future set on Gods plans rather then his own.

“I voted for Phil because...he is a really genuine guy and he really exemplifies Christ in his actions and what he says,” junior nursing major Kara Mccourt said. “He’s really committed and just an all around good guy.”