Advocate, economics-enthusiast, environmentalist: Ava Foley’s ’26 evolving path and passions
Image: Economics major and student advocate Ava Foley. (PLU Photo / Tina Gianoulas)
By Britt Board
Assistant Director of Communications
“I don’t want to peak in any era of my life. But if I do, hopefully it’s in my 80s.”
It’s a perspective that leaves room to try things, change direction, and not rush toward a single definition of success – something economics major Ava Foley ’26 has done throughout her time at PLU.
A big example of this exploratory approach? Ava didn’t plan to study economics. “I used to say, ‘I won’t touch math with a 10-foot pole.’”
Now, as she prepares to graduate, economics has become central to how she thinks about policy, especially environmental issues.
Ava grew up in Martin City, a small town near Glacier National Park in Montana, where her father worked as a park employee. “My elementary school was right outside of Glacier National Park. I would walk into the park after school and wait for my dad to take me home.” With this early connection to nature, she imagined a future in science and wanted to pursue marine biology. “Growing up in that environment gave me a sense of stewardship.”
Her route to PLU wasn’t direct. After high school, she studied abroad in Buenos Aires through Verto Education, a program that allows students to begin college overseas while earning transferable credits before enrolling at a U.S. university. It was a hard left, going from a tiny town in Montana to one of the biggest cities in the world.
“I lived in Buenos Aires with a host mom, Gabriela. We would talk about politics, and it helped me learn Spanish.” It also helped develop her interest in the political world.
After her semester abroad, she moved to the Seattle area and started thinking more seriously about where she wanted to enroll. “Through Verto Education, I heard about this small school that was nearby, which turned out to be PLU! I ended up touring and deciding to come here.”
I learned that if I got a degree in economics, I can do soooo many things with it, and still pursue environmental policy. Economics is something I never thought I’d study. At any other school, I would've never gotten a degree in economics.
She found a balance of her needs and interests at PLU. “When I came to PLU, I immediately loved the campus. I’m from a super rural area. In elementary school, I was one of six students in my class. So I knew that I wanted a smaller school. But I also wanted to be part of a more diverse community, and that was a part of PLU’s ethos.”
Ava started as an environmental studies major, focused on policy. Economics came into the picture through a required course. “I had to take an economics class in J-term as part of my major requirements. I fell in love with economics.”
From there, it quickly became part of her career plan. “I learned that if I got a degree in economics, I can do soooo many things with it, and still pursue environmental policy. Economics is something I never thought I’d study. At any other school, I would’ve never gotten a degree in economics.”
Now, Ava uses economics to make sense of how policy decisions actually get made. “In politics and advocacy, if you don’t have a way to value something, it gets assigned a zero and doesn’t have any value.” In other words, if something can’t be measured or quantified, it’s often ignored in decision-making. That perspective shapes how she approaches both environmental and education policy. “You learn how people make decisions – it’s about game theory. How do you incentivize people to help the environment and not harm it?”
An economics background naturally lends itself to advocacy work. “Economics is a middleman when talking in policy – you have to know the science, talk numbers, and figure out how people make decisions.” Put simply: “The fields of economics and advocacy are strengthened the more they’re interdisciplinary.”
This year, she’s applying that thinking as a Student Advocacy Fellow at PLU, focusing on education policy. The fellowship brings students into the legislative process – researching policy, gathering student stories, and helping mobilize the campus community around issues like financial aid and access to education. The work is ongoing. “We’re getting things teed up for next year, because we all want this legislation to pass to restore scholarship programs to students.”
Alongside that role, she’s taken on other projects. Through the Carnegie Young Leaders program, she and four other PLU students created a website about energy with a focus on PLU, which launched in mid-April.
She’s also being recognized for that work beyond campus. Ava is receiving a Student Civic Leadership Award, part of a statewide program through the Washington Campus Coalition that recognizes students making an impact through civic engagement and community work.
On campus, Ava has also served as president of the Economics Club and spent two years in GREAN Club, adding other layers to her involvement and leadership experience.
Relationships have shaped how she’s navigated those opportunities. Maria Chavez played a part in her getting the Student Advocacy Fellow position. Ava sees economics professor Ryan Schwartzentruber as a key mentor, too. “I can go to him and ask him big things like, ‘What am I gonna do? How do you figure this out?’” Through PLU’s Mentoring Program, she connected with recent grad Elana Tracy ’21, who works for FEMA. “Elana is super supportive. I send my resume to her for review and talk to her about career opportunities.”
The people around Ava have played a defining role in the opportunities she’s pursued. “The community at PLU has meant so much to me.”
Not all of her support came from faculty and staff. “My sister has always been a constant. My friends will take me out to the track and do walks with me when I’ve had a bad day. My aunt worked in politics, and I respect their experiences. I look up to a lot of people for different reasons.”
These relationships have also helped clarify where she wants to focus her work moving forward. She hopes to work on the campaign of Washington State Senate candidate Sharlett Mena. “Representative Mena has sponsored multiple bills that I’ve supported.” As a result, she’s already had the chance to connect with her personally.
At the same time, she’s not committed to a single path, but her priorities are straightforward.
“I want my work to have a positive difference. That’s my philosophy. I’m less concerned about job titles.”
Outside of academics and work, Ava has found ways to make college feel balanced. “When I first got to PLU, I was like, ‘Let’s do everything!’ like a kid on a sugar high. Now I value my own downtime. I want to enjoy my college experience.”
She cooks regularly with friends and spends time outdoors around Tacoma. She’s also a regular at concerts. Over the past few years, she’s been to more than 10 concerts and two music festivals, with three more planned before graduation. One of her favorite memories from PLU happened late at night on campus. “We all ran out to see the northern lights. Tons of other students were lying there in the grass. It was a sweet moment of community. Definitely a bucket list item.”
Does she feel ready for graduation? “Yes and no. I do feel ready, but PLU will have a special place in my heart. I’m excited to still be in the area.”
What comes next is still open. “Advocacy is probably not my forever career. Right now it’s all about politics, but then I’m going to see where my interests take me.”
What she does know is that she wants to keep learning. “With policy and research, every year there’s a new bill, a new thing that you’re learning. I’m a curious person, and I love learning new things. Every job that I do in the future has to have that element.”