Collective Impact: George Zeno talks Parkland, equity and community partnerships
Nearly a year into his new role as PLU Associate Vice President of Advancement, George Zeno and I took a walk through Parkland and discussed one of my favorite questions, #WhyPLU? Zeno is essentially a community matchmaker for social progress. Mentored at the University of…
People’s Gathering fosters timely conversations about race, perspective and inclusion
PLU Director of Multicultural Outreach and Engagement Melannie Denise Cunningham has an uncanny ability to get folks talking. In 2016, she noticed the community was yearning to discuss one pressing topic in particular. That summer, the news of Philando Castile, a Black man fatally shot…
Welcome Back Lutes
Most PLU alumni remember their first move-in weekend vividly. The nervous excitement you felt walking into your residence hall. Meeting your roommate for the first time. Just as you were starting to feel settled, it was time to head to your first New Student Orientation…
BJUG DAY: Q&A with Dr. Elizabeth A. Barton
PLU is creating a campus experience that helps our students thrive by supporting resources and experiential programs that cultivate the mind, body and spirit of each of our students. After all, it takes a healthy Lute to build a healthy community. Many of these resources…
When the pandemic cut her Peace Corps service short, Margaret Chell ’18 enrolled in medical school
During her senior year at Pacific Lutheran University, Margaret Chell ’18 decided to join the Peace Corps after a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer visited her global development class. She soon met with PLU Peace Corps advisor, Dr. Katherine Wiley to learn more. She was excited…
Community First: PLU alum supports local sellers and town with 3 Sisters Market
For Whidbey Island business owner Roshel Donwen ’17, her close-knit island community is everything. She finds fulfillment in running her store, 3 Sisters Market, providing local food and goods to the people she considers family. “The best part about running and owning 3 Sisters Market…
PLU Receives $11,000 Grant for Tacoma/South Puget Sound MESA Program
Pacific Lutheran University has been awarded another grant from School’s Out Washington and the Washington State Department of Commerce to be used toward the Tacoma/South Puget Sound MESA program. The $11,000 grant comes from the Washington Youth Development Nonprofit Relief Fund. The MESA program prioritizes…
PLU launches Internship Fund to create equitable opportunities for students
During her senior year at PLU, Chloe Willburn ‘21 wanted to intern with the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families. As a social work major, Willburn believed that the experience gained from working alongside DCYF would benefit not only her but her future…
Teaching in the Pandemic: How Three Teachers Made the Best of an Unprecedented Time
High school choir and guitar teacher Alonso Brizuela ’14 was in Spokane at a national choral directors conference in mid-March of 2020. Just a day and half days into events, the conference shut down early—due to a mysterious new illness that had arrived in the…
Meet Mike Snyder, PLU’s New Director of Athletics and Recreation
Pacific Lutheran University and President Allan Belton are excited to announce Mike Snyder as the new Director of Athletics and Recreation, following a national search. “I’m thrilled to welcome Mike to the Lute family,” said Belton. “He brings proven experience and an exciting vision for…
Q&A with Biology Major Brandon Nguyen ’21
Brandon Nguyen ’21 was born in Hawaii and moved to Washington with his family when he was a child and has lived in the Pacific Northwest ever since. Nguyen shares how he became interested in biology and why he chose PLU for his studies. 1.…
John Evanishyn ‘21 studied environmental science on campus—and in France and Costa Rica—during his four years at PLU
John Evanishyn ‘21 grew up in Tacoma, exploring Point Defiance Park, Ruston Way waterfront and other urban green spaces. By high school, he had learned enough from his dad to become a skilled forager, someone who knew his capstones from his shaggy ink caps. (Those…