Fielding Graduate University at the Pacific Pride Festival

Fielding Graduate University supported the 2022 Pacific Pride Festival, “Pride at the Beach,”  with a sponsor booth. The festival took place this past weekend on Saturday, August 27, 2022, in Chase Palm Park along the beautiful Santa Barbara coastline. The annual event celebrates the LGBTQ+ local, national, and worldwide communities. This year’s “Pride at the Beach” event had a particular focus on inclusion and belonging, two shared values of Fielding Graduate University.

Fielding’s participation in the Pride event was organized by Erica Fichter, Director of Recruitment and Admissions, and included close to a dozen Fielding staff volunteers from across the university.

“We are proud to support the Pacific Pride Festival and Foundation,” said Director Fichter, “and I am very grateful for all of our wonderful staff who volunteered their time for this special event.”

The festival organizers took the theme of inclusion and belonging to the next level with ASL translation, Spanish interpretation, and more spaces for various groups to be included.

The “Pride at the Beach” was an all-day event with live entertainment, delicious food, education, and family-friendly activities. More than 30 community organizations participated and thousands were in attendance. It was a great day of community, sharing, and celebrating!

To learn more about the Pacific Pride Foundation and the Pacific Pride Festival, please visit their website at https://pacificpridefoundation.org.

Fielding volunteers included Neecole Moraga, Bowen Huang, Mila Kon, Danielle Welch, Shannon Beyer, Lillian Simmons, Hilary Lyn, Brian Wallin, Pablo Morales, Ignacio Vargas, and others.

Erica Fichter, Director of Recruitment and Admissions, and Neecole Moraga, Financial Aid & Scholarships Advisor, volunteer at Fielding’s booth at the festival. [photos by Fielding staff photographer, Carol Hirashima]