Student Leadership Recognition

2025 Recipients: Emma Tandara and Zachary Gong

2024 Recipients: Cece Chan, Allen Benjamin Tugade, Chandra Wallace, Ash Bechtel Chavarría, Molly House, Seth Gebauer, Elijah Paez, and Kenzie Knapp

2023 Recipient: Aniya Pickett

2022 Recipient: Kerry Dolan

Congratulations!

This award recognizes students who have demonstrated exceptional leadership throughout their term of office and has enhanced participation and involvement within their organization, the campus, and the community as a whole.

Past Recipients:

• 2025: Minh An Vo, Corbin Avichouser, Henry Clark, Marley Bjornstad, Quynh Dam, Nhat Nguyen, and Tulip Carter
• 2024: Ja’Kenya Hoskins, PJ Morales, Isabella Bernas, Chandra Wallace, and Chantel Hayes

This award recognizes students who lead through example, intentionality, and strength.

Past Recipients:

• 2025: Kindra Gonsalves
• 2024: Brandon Liukkonen and Quoc Ly

This award recognizes an organization that has advanced the mission of PLU by fostering growth in thoughtful inquiry, service, leadership and care.

Past Recipients

• 2025: Nā Hoaloha O Hawai‘i, The Hidden Opponent, and the Vietnamese Student Association
• 2024: PRISM, the Umbrella Organization, and Delta Iota Chi

This award recognizes programs that go above and beyond to create opportunities for students to connect. Programs nominated in this category represent community-focused initiatives or events that create space for students to gather for learning, connection, and a good time. All programs awarded in this category are student-led. 

Past Recipients

2025: Ritmo Latino, hosted by LXU

This award recognizes advisors who go above and beyond to support the clubs they advise.

Past Recipients

• 2024: Heidi Brocious and Dream Gonzales

This award honors a graduating student for their exceptional leadership contributions to the PLU and greater Tacoma communities. As the highest honor presented by the Division of Student Life, this award recognizes student excellence in leadership that embodies the ideals and values expressed through the University Mission: PLU seeks to educate students for lives of thoughtful inquiry, service, leadership and care—for other people, for their communities and for the Earth.

2025 Recipients: Emma Tandara and Zachary Gong

2024 Recipients: Cece Chan, Allen Benjamin Tugade, Chandra Wallace, Ash Bechtel Chavarría, Molly House, Seth Gebauer, Elijah Paez, and Kenzie Knapp

2023 Recipient: Aniya Pickett

2022 Recipient: Kerry Dolan

Congratulations!

This award honors a graduating student who, through collaborative leadership and enthusiasm for cross-campus connections, has made a contribution that has improved the PLU student experience in specific ways or as a whole. This individual challenges others and the PLU community to live up to the ideals embedded in the university’s mission.

2025 Recipients: Audrey Bonn, Ella Brei, Grady Lemma, Joseph Middleton, Lauren Lazarte, Luke Van Tassel, Olivia Petersen, and Shayla Tuisamatatele-Vaielua

2024 Recipients: Caroline Bergren, Evelyn Ayala Avila, Zoe Bucher, Sidney Chan-Orcutt, and Jillian Chong

2023 Recipients: Syd Cameron, Danny Samson, and Mona Nieman

2022 Recipient: Mary Sarpong

Congratulations!

This award honors a student who has demonstrated innovation through thought and action, and who has contributed greatly to the improvement of the PLU community or student experience in a transformational and groundbreaking way

2025 Recipients: Andrumada Lady Edwards and Justinpal Singh

2024 Recipients: Lorelei Eddy

2023 Recipients: Mackenzie Mayhem & Cas Hebert

This award honors a graduating student who through the mentorship of other students has recognized their strengths, encouraged them to their cultivate strengths and utilize them for the good of community, and supported them to explore their passions and vocation.

2025 Receipients: Alina Boorse, Austyn Blair, Gabriela Vera-Kavanaugh, Hannah McVay, and Joshua Sandoval

2024 Recipients: Dillon Benacerraf-Gajda, Rylie-Ann Wada, Tatianna Neufeld, Georjina Soliai, and Jackie Wray

2023 Recipients: Sahara Jones, Jenna Tapia, Drake Nguyen, and Hailey Marie Wharton

2022 Recipient: Miguel Ordañez

Congratulations!

In past years, this award recognized a graduating student who has served as an agent of change. The individual receiving this award has contributed to increasing the PLU community’s capacity for the awareness and action necessary for justice; prioritized and engaged diversity and inclusion at PLU, local, regional, and/or global communities; and has committed to the personal learning necessary for efficacy in this work. In the spirit of PLU’s emphasis on integrated and continual learning, the recipient also has and will continue to engage in both philosophical and practical educational opportunities, which promote greater learning, appreciation and understanding of diverse perspectives.

Students who show dedicated efforts to supporting Diversity, Justice, and Sustainability are now recognized at the Spirit of Diversity Awards.

2024 Recipients: Isaiah Lenard and Andrés Felix

2022 Recipient: Hannah Si’itia

Congratulations!

This award honors a graduating student who has demonstrated leadership through education and advocacy for the sustainability of the earth and its inhabitants. The recipient has engaged the interconnection between people, planet, and prosperity, and incorporated economic, ethical, and environmental concerns into their lives and relationships with others.

Students who show dedicated efforts to supporting Diversity, Justice, and Sustainability are now recognized at the Spirit of Diversity Awards.

2024 Recipients: Aaliyah Figueroa and Kirsten Iverson 

This award honors a graduating student who is purposeful in exploring, discerning and living their vocation in a way that serves both their purpose and academic pursuits and that contributes to the lives of others.  This student has a comprehensive understanding of the reflective process required for discerning vocation and a demonstrated track record in influencing their peers by mentoring them in discerning their vocation and leading and guiding them to contribute to respond to the world’s greatest need.

2025 Recipients: Joshua Davis, Lilybeth Esau, Matthew Helmer, Molly House, and Zoniece Grose

2024 Recipients: Prarthana Durvas Kumaresan, Isabella Bernas, and Jane Davie

2023 Recipients: Kiah Miller & Nick Etzell

2022 Recipient: Sarah Nelson

Congratulations!

Lutes Living the Mission recognizes individuals and groups that have quietly and loudly advanced the mission of PLU by fostering growth in thoughtful inquiry, service, leadership and care. Through their actions and development of programs and services, the recipients of these awards have promoted innovation, engagement, and holistic-wellbeing to support student success, transition, and graduation.They provide opportunities for others to become involved and transform through care and service at PLU and in the Parkland/Tacoma community. 

LUTES Living the Mission is awarded to individuals who always ask the questions…. Why? What if? Who does this serve? and How can we do better? 

• Those highlighted in Inquiry have created initiatives that have increased collaboration, innovation, and/or a willingness to try new approaches.
• Individuals awarded in the category of Service contribute to a sense of community on campus or by encouraging students to come together and meaningfully engage with one another.
• Individuals awarded in the category of Care have demonstrated care for self and others, uplifting wellness, holistic health, and addressing inequities. 
• Individuals in the category of Leadership uplift those who recognize impact, engage respectfully and collaboratively with others, embrace equitable decision-making, and demonstrate courage to both speak up and listen.

2025 Recipients:

Leadership: Kelly Bui and Tulip Carter

Inquiry: Katherine Gunter

Service: Evelyn Rivera Narvaez, Haley Demangelaere, and Theint Thu Thu Han

Care: Brianna Brum, K Mettler, and Olie Santos.

2024 Recipients: 

Leadership: Anna Preciado, Lizveth Delgado-Olvera, Thalisa Saldivar, Corbin Avichouser

Inquiry: Mattie Tupper

Service: Sierra Campbell, Marlee Lawson, Luke Farag, Drew Sims, and Evelyn Rivera Narvaez

Care: Grace Karns, Mal Rizzo, Blaize Nakamura, Juan Flores del Toro, and Flora Saelor

2023 Recipients: Luke Farag & Seth Gebauer (Leadership), Karen Zamora-Chavez (Inquiry), Andrés Felix and Elijah Paez (Care), Victoria Parsons and Molly House (Service)

2022 Recipients: Cece Chan and Cailey Collado

Historically, this leadership distinction was synonymous with aspiring LUTES who engage in leadership, service, and community impact. This group of students not only discovered ways to thrive through connection, they helped their peers thrive. This recognition is reserved for continuing students who explore to discover, learn by doing to develop skills, and apply their strengths in inquiry, service, leadership and care – for self, others, community, and the earth.

Starting in 2025, emerging student leaders are recognized through participating in the DJS Coalition. Continuing and graduating students are eligible to be recognized for their participation in the DJS Coalition at the Spirit of Diversity Awards each year and are encouraged to reach out to djs@plu.edu if they have questions about the DJS Coalition.

This leadership distinction has become synonymous with excellence in leadership, service, and community impact.

2024 Recipients: Anna Preciado, Annica Stiles, Devin Bianchi-Rivera, Cadelyn Wood, Caden Seil, Cody Nutter, Corbin Avichouser, David Kidd, Drew Sims, Erika LeBlanc, Eryn Aston, Evelyn Rivera Narvaez, Evergreen Burling, Frida Marie Hernandez Perez, Ila Fualefau, Grace Karns, Hayat Mohammed, Jerel LaLone, Josh Jimenez, Joshua Sandoval, Juan Flores del Toro, Kartene Kamaraj , Liz Delgado-Olvera, Maddie Downey, Maria Cools, Marlee Lawson, Noe Feliciano, Jocelyn Nussbaum, Paradise “Kátoyiss’aaki” Gladstone, Ryan Mitchell, Shane McGaughey Fick, Sofia Isabel Navarro, Sofia Ramos, Tam Le, Thalisa Saldivar, Tia Christensen, Tulip Carter, Zachary Gong, and Zari Warden

2023 Recipients: Aku Dogbe, Andy Valentin, Brian Sung, Caden Ankrom, Caleb Lawson, Courtney Tudor, Daniel Beck, Danielle Poulin, Dillon Benacerraf-Gajda, Emma Tandara, Evelyn Ayala Avila, Gabriela Vera-Kavanaugh, Hailey Staats, Jamae Clemons, Jasneet Kaur Sandhu, Joseph Middleton, Kenzie Knapp, Kloey Talbert, Marissa Smith, Maryjane Norton, Mattie Tupper, McKenzie Frazier, Meghan Bonafilia, Molly House, Nya Spivey, Saifullah Penick, Samantha Atienza, Stella Schena-Gordon, Taezha Watson, Taylor Pasquale, Thea Pulido

2022 Recipients: Abigail Cox, Abigail Thompson, Aniya Pickett, Casiana Lucero, Christian Cutter, Cora Beeson, Emily Enos, Fiona Ashton-Knochel, Gabriel Murray, Haley Nguyen, Hiuying Lin, Jack Johnson, Jackie Wray, Jessie Dougherty, John Mejia, Kaden Bolton, Karen Zamora-Chavez, Lorelei Eddy, Margaret Murdoch, Nicholas Etzell, Skye Gibbs, Tiffany Wong, Zachary Tevault.

2020 Recipients: Aaron Miller, AJ Moore, Alissa Ouanesisouk, Bethany Girma, Bryant Barlett, Carlos Alvarez, Casey Brown, Cece Chan, Danny Samson, Hannah Jeffries, Heze Goodwin, Hunter Hobbs, Joey Grabowski, Kayna Kliewer, Miguel Ordanez, Rayna LaFave-Clark, and Sheridan Moore.

Congratulations!