College of Natural Sciences

Friday, May 22, 2026 @ 11:00am

Academic Processional

“Processional of Joy”

Invocation

The Rev. Jen Rude, University Pastor

Greetings

Joanna Gregson, Provost, Professor of Sociology
Allan Belton, President

Celebration of Student Achievements

Ann Auman, Dean of the College of Natural Sciences, Professor of Biology

Faculty Retirement

Ann Auman, Dean of the College of Natural Sciences, Professor of Biology, presenting
Faculty Retiree:
Jeffrey Stuart, Professor of Mathematics

Reflections

Naufal Kamran Alavi, Student Speaker
Paola Monique García, Student Speaker

Commencement Address

Duke Paulson, ’93
Executive Director, the Tacoma Rescue Mission

Conferral of Degrees

Allan Belton, President

Closing Comments

Allan Belton, President

Prayer and Benediction

The Rev. Jen Rude, University Pastor

Recessional

“Processional of Joy”

Duke Paulson ’93

Duke Paulson has been the Executive Director at the Tacoma Rescue Mission for the past 8 years. Prior to that, he worked in leadership positions at MultiCare, Helping Hand House, and MDC, all in Pierce County. Duke completed his undergraduate work at Pacific Lutheran University with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and a minor in Psychology. Later, he completed coursework at PLU for a Master of Arts in Education Administration, but never finished his internship because he chose to stay in the non-profit sector. Duke is passionate about helping community members in need. His career began with helping youth from low-income backgrounds who struggled in high school to go on to graduate from college. Eventually, his focus shifted to addressing extreme poverty, homelessness, and addiction in our community. At the Tacoma Rescue Mission, with a team of more than 130 people working 24/7/365, one thousand meals are served to the community each day, and over six hundred men, women, and children have a place to sleep in our community every night. Nearly twenty percent of people who stay at the mission exit with either a job, housing, or free of addiction. His passion is to increase this impact to help more people escape homelessness and addiction forever.

Naufal Kamran Alavi

Naufal Alavi is a candidate for a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics with a minor in Data Science. Hailing from Lahore, Pakistan, Naufal found that PLU offered the close, personal environment to which he was accustomed, paired with a refreshing, new approach to learning. He credits the small class sizes and the dedicated professors in the Mathematics department with helping him shift from studying simply to pass exams toward nurturing his genuine passions and identifying what truly motivates him. His fondest memory of his time at PLU is studying abroad in Greece with his friends, a trip he still fondly looks back upon. Following graduation, Naufal plans to pursue a Master’s degree at Georgetown University, while simultaneously evaluating internship and work opportunities as he awaits final decisions from other institutions.

Paola Monique García

Paola García is a candidate for a Bachelor of Science in Biology. A native of Downey, California, she chose PLU because it provided the unique opportunity to balance her academic goals with her passion for athletics alongside teammates who became like sisters to her. She notes that living out of state fostered her independence and helped her build lasting confidence. Her fondest memory of her PLU experience is traveling to California with the softball team, where she was able to show her teammates her hometown and have her family watch them play—a moment where two vital parts of her life came together. After graduation, Paola will return to Southern California to pursue a master’s degree in education, where she plans to continue her service work and uplift students and young athletes from backgrounds similar to her own.