Lute Powered: PLU alumni help lead Chief Leschi programs dedicated to student support and success
Operated by the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, Chief Leschi Schools enrolls 670 students in preschool through high school. Visual representations of Northwest Native culture and art are present throughout the school, and the curriculum is infused with the tribe’s cultural heritage. Chief Leschi is one…
Social work major and working mom Teranejah Lucas ’23 explores the politics and power of Black hair in her capstone
Teranejah Lucas, 28, is now in her senior year at Pacific Lutheran University, and majoring in social work. She’s preparing to do great things—after already accomplishing significant wins—and wrapping up a fascinating capstone. “As a single parent, first-generation college student, I’m out here defying the…
Stephanie Aparicio Zambrano ’23 discusses her PLU experience, psychology major & internship with the Dean of Students Office
Once a major in communication, Stephanie Aparicio Zambrano ’23 found burgeoning success turning her advice-giving prowess into a future career path. Zambrano found her calling in working with college students as an intern in PLU’s Dean of Students Office. There, she learned the importance of…
A Trip to the Archives? Book It, PLU Librarian Says
Sometimes you’re drawn to a career path, and other times you discover it by serendipity, as Lauren Loftis, Archivist & Special Collections Librarian at Pacific Lutheran University, did. “I carelessly stumbled into it. In fact, the first time I entered an archive was when I…
PLU to host environmental symposium and Earth Week events exploring the violence of natural resource extraction
Pacific Lutheran University will host the Steen Family Symposium for Environmental Issues and Earth and Diversity Week April 17-23 . Series events will explore the theme of “Sowing Resilience in Fractured Land.” Guest speakers, dialogues, and hands-on activities will invite attendees to examine the wide-ranging…
PLU MBA alum Nancy Nelson discusses her work directing career and technical education at Chief Leschi Schools
Nancy Nelson’s path to a career in education was a nontraditional one. So it’s no surprise that her journey led her to a special kind of school. Since fall 2020, Nelson has served as director of career and technical education (CTE) at Chief Leschi Schools,…
Author David Treuer Will Discuss Being “Adrift Between Two Americas”
For Pacific Lutheran University’s 2023 Natalie Mayer and Raphael Lemkin Lecture, the university will welcome award-winning author David Treuer to give a presentation titled “Adrift Between Two Americas” on April 13 at 7 p.m. in the Regency Room (Anderson University Center.) Treuer is an Ojibwe…
PLU alumna Jenifer Leavens ’18 leads elementary education at Chief Leschi Schools
Jenifer Leavens was an experienced educator when she decided it was time to pursue a master’s degree in education. A transplant from California, she wasn’t sure which Puget Sound area university had the best program. So she asked some of her colleagues. “Hands down, people…
Dhaval Patel on Forging His Own Path
Dhaval Patel found his calling when he was a computer engineering major at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Spoiler alert — it had little to do with binary digits, buffer or bandwidth. “I was drawn to student affairs because when I was a college student,…
Building Community: A PLU Special Education Major Discovers the Beauty of Returning to His Childhood School District
Gavin Knapp ’23 reflects on Fife Public Schools with a new lens, now student teaching with one of his former educators. Gavin Knapp discovered his vocation for special education in an unusual way – volunteering with unified sports in high school. Although his former high…
Spring edition of The People’s Gathering will encourage attendees to ‘Double Down on Justice’
Pacific Lutheran University’s Center for Graduate and Continuing Education will host the spring virtual convening of The People’s Gathering: A Revolution of Consciousness conference on March 30. The People’s Gathering conference is a day-long Zoom-based professional and personal development experience offering a supportive space to…