
Cameron Bennett helps establish a culture of innovation at PLU
Cameron Bennett, DMA, is well-known as the Dean of PLU’s School of Arts and Communication , but from 2019-2021 he also had another title — Chief Innovation Officer and chair of the Presidential Commission on Innovation and Change . Established in fall 2019, the commission’s…

Karen Marquez ‘22 aspires to help her community through her studies
Karen Marquez ‘22 is a senior social work major with minors in Hispanic studies and criminal justice. Marquez is a heritage speaker of Spanish, and has a deep love for languages, culture, and diversity. She hopes to use her degree and the skills she is…

PLU announces that José Curiel Morelos will serve as the new director of Campus Safety
PLU’s Division of Student Life announced that José Curiel Morelos will serve as the next director of Campus Safety. Curiel Morelos currently serves in the same role at Lewis & Clark College and previously served as the assistant director for Linfield University’s Public Safety Department.…

Sophia Barro ’22 is following her passion for faith, literacy and diversity into elementary education
Sophia Barro ’22 is a senior education major and religion minor at PLU. She recently completed full-time student teaching at Lakeview Hope Academy. We spoke with Barro about her experiences at PLU and as a student teacher, and about the values she hopes to inspire…

Multi-talented senior and composer TJ Wheeler ’22 views music as his vocation
TJ Wheeler ’22 is a music composition major at Pacific Lutheran University. This semester, he was a valuable member of six music ensembles, including Choir of the West, Opera, Steel Band, Percussion Ensemble, Wind Ensemble, and the PLU Ringers handbell choir. We talked with Wheeler…

Lute Powered: MultiCare Health System
MultiCare Health System is a not-for-profit health care organization that’s been caring for communities in Washington state since the founding of Tacoma’s first hospital in 1882. MultiCare has grown from a Tacoma-centric, hospital-based organization into the largest, not-for-profit, community-based, locally-owned health system in the state…

Yaquelin Ramirez’s ’22 passion for helping others leads to a future in healthcare
As a child, chemistry major Yaquelin Ramirez ’22 often went to work with her mother at a Federal Way nursing home. The time spent watching her mom help the residents sparked something inside of her — a desire to pursue a career where she helps…

MultiCare’s Leah Butters ’15 believes that great care starts with recruiting great employees
When Leah Butters ‘15 decided to major in environmental studies she didn’t have healthcare marketing in mind. Actually, she didn’t have any specific professional sector in mind. The PLU Softball stand-out just knew she wanted to be in the business of service and care. “What…

History and literature senior Kathryn Einan ‘22 aspires to be a lifelong learner
Kathryn Einan ‘22 is a self-proclaimed “book nerd.” Einan is a triple major in Literature, History and Nordic Studies with a minor in Chinese. She has a deep love of learning and hopes to become a teacher one day. “There are so many interesting things…

Musician turned math major is excited about teaching in his community
Kevin Canady-Pete ’22 has a history with the Pacific Lutheran University campus. He grew up down the street, just a couple of miles from the university. The Franklin Pierce High School graduate came to PLU intending to pursue a music education major. While he enjoyed…

From the exam room to executive leadership: Dr. Mark Mariani ’98 follows his curiosity at MultiCare
When Mark Mariani ’98 was a student at PLU his singular goal was to become a medical doctor. A member of the football team and a biology major, Mariani loved his science courses, but he also found he was interested in a range of disciplines…