How I built my life while fighting for it
It all started with a golf ball-sized bump on my neck. During winter break of my freshman year, I was travelling to Mexico to visit family when I noticed I couldn’t move my neck. The discomfort was excruciating. I thought it was a knot. I…
PLU Receives Full Reaffirmation of Accreditation from NWCCU
The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) has officially reaffirmed Pacific Lutheran University’s accreditation, recognizing PLU’s strength in mission, innovation, and student support. The reaffirmation marks the culmination of a seven-year review cycle, which included four annual reports, two campus visits, and a commission…
ResoLute Fall 2025 Opening Note
“Educating for lives of thoughtful inquiry, service, leadership, and care, — for others, for their communities, and for the Earth.” My guess is you started reading that and you immediately were brought back to a favorite memory of your time at PLU. Lutes know the…
Meet the Class of 2029: Reformers
Pacific Lutheran University is set to welcome the Class of 2029, a dynamic group of students ready to make an impact. This is a cohort of Reformers: students who are ready to turn passion into purpose, and purpose into action. One of them, incoming freshman…
Henrichsen ’07 named Andrew Carnegie Fellow for research shaping the future of journalism
“To strengthen democracy and journalism, more people need to step up, have courage, and fight for the values underpinning both.” That’s the vision driving Dr. Jennifer R. Henrichsen ’07 — and it’s one she’ll pursue as a newly named 2025 Andrew Carnegie Fellow . A…
Mason Taylor-Wells ’27 supports patient recovery through internship at MultiCare’s Tacoma General Hospital
Biology major and pre-med student Mason Taylor-Wells ’27 spent his summer helping patients take their first steps after major medical events. “ I’ve had patients cry tears of joy because they’re able to stand (with some help) again. I can’t think of a better way…
Rainier Adaptive Sports advocates for access and equity, finding partnership with PLU
One of professor Charlie Katica ’s favorite memories is walking into a gym buzzing with energy — 20 kids in sport chairs practicing basketball, surrounded by more than 100 parents, coaches, and volunteers. “These athletes are a part of my family, and I am part…
After experiencing PLU’s “Community of Care” first-hand, PJ Morales ’25 strives to reciprocate that care to local high school students.
PJ Morales ‘25 comes from a small town on Maui named Lahaina. Although she loves her island, PJ realized that the “small island life” wasn’t for her and began to look for colleges in the continental United States. When her admissions counselor, fellow Filipino Brandon…
Zari Warden’s ’25 PLU journey leads to an interdisciplinary tapestry of creativity and advocacy
Zari Warden ’25 arrived at PLU as a vocal performance major ready to pursue a career in music. However, her journey quickly took a transformative turn, one that would redefine not only her academic path but also her sense of identity and purpose. “I came…
Olivia Tate: Interdisciplinary scholar, advocate, and future nurse scientist
When Olivia Tate ’25 tells people she’s triple majoring in nursing , religion , and Native American and Indigenous studies — with a Peace Corps prep minor — the usual response is one of confusion and curiosity. But for Olivia, those reactions confirm that she’s…
2025 grad Lydia Downs wins prestigious Fulbright Scholarship to teach in Thailand
Lydia Downs ’25, a Master of Arts in Education student at Pacific Lutheran University, has been awarded a prestigious Fulbright Scholar Award to serve as an English teaching assistant in Thailand during the 2025–2026 academic year. Lydia, who previously earned her undergraduate degrees in global…
Stories Matter: Lydia Downs ’25 helps students connect, reflect, and grow
At the heart of Lydia Downs’ ’25 PLU journey is a simple but potent belief: stories matter. Lydia knows that stories shape who we are and who we might become. “Literature lets us step into lives different from our own,” Lydia says. “It helps build…