Nicole Hargreaves ‘09 documents her move overseas on HGTV’s House Hunters International
Nicole (Hughes) Hargreaves graduated from PLU in 2009 with a degree in communication and a minor in women’s and gender studies. Originally from Kirkland, Wash., she went on to begin her career here in the Pacific Northwest. However, after her husband Paul was struck with…
PLU receives funding from Pierce County Connected to support mental health services
Pacific Lutheran University has been selected for a second time to receive funding from Pierce County Connected, a collaborative philanthropic fund led by the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation and United Way of Pierce County in response to COVID-19. PLU will receive $8,470 to support mental…
PLU Students thrive in internships through pandemic
Across the world, we’ve seen a change in our daily routines as we seek to socially distance and help flatten the curve of the current pandemic. Nearly every part of daily life has been affected from how we learn, to how we work. What does…
From foster care to doctoral degree: Lizbett Benge’s educational journey
Lizbett Benge ’11 describes her educational journey as “a long and winding road.” It began with her immersion into foster care and deeply influenced her time at PLU, where she grappled with a set of life experiences few of her peers could understand. Benge felt…
Carson Bergstrom and Nate Sager start a podcast to showcase capstones of fellow 2020 graduates
Recent graduates Carson Bergstrom ‘20 and Nate Sager ‘20 struggled with quarantine boredom and the bittersweet end of the school year when they thought of a cathartic project to help share the capstone projects of their peers and burn some creative energy. The series, titled…
Tacoma Rescue Mission Executive Director and PLU alumnus Duke Paulson on adapting through the pandemic
Duke Paulson ‘93 graduated from PLU in 1993 with a major in biology and a minor in psychology. While at PLU, he was on the swim and rowing teams, played soccer for a bit, and was heavily involved in Young Life. Today, he’s executive director…
PLU helps celebrate Tacoma Pride Week by raising the rainbow flag on Red Square
On Tuesday, Pacific Lutheran University celebrated Tacoma Pride Week with its second annual pride flag raising. Hosted by the dCenter, the online/campus hybrid event featured five student speakers, who spoke about what pride means to them, especially in 2020. “Although this is only our second…
Special education teacher Erin Azama ’01, MAE ’06 discusses her distance learning transition
Erin Azama ’01, MAE ’06 is a special education teacher at Grant Center for the Expressive Arts, an arts-focused elementary school in Tacoma’s North End. She works with children from kindergarten to fifth-grade, so her work-from-home transition was not only a break from her routine…
A message from President Belton
Traducción Española Dear PLU community, I’m heartbroken over the continued loss of Black lives across our country. With the recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and Ahmaud Arbery, I’m angry at a system that collectively excuses and perpetuates racist violence. As frustrations…
PLU senior Daniel Hachet leaves a legacy of green on campus
Daniel Hachet ‘20 might be graduating this spring, but his green initiatives will continue on at PLU. On-campus restaurants now recycle thousands of cereal bags—and are even getting paid to do so. Residence Halls now offer recycling during summer camps. Reusable dishes and compostable straws…
What’s Happening This Fall
To: All students and families From: Office of the President Date: Wednesday, April 29 at 3:30 p.m. Dear students and families, My oldest son, a first-year university student, recently quipped, “Remote learning was okay for a few weeks, but I just want to get back…
PLU Regent and Virginia Mason Chief Nursing Officer Charleen Tachibana ‘77 Discusses Service, Leadership and Self-Care
TACOMA, WASH. (April 22, 2020) — As a senior vice president at Virginia Mason Health System, Charleen Tachibana ‘77 serves as the chief nursing officer and oversees the quality and safety of the Seattle-based hospital and healthcare nonprofit. We recently spoke to Tachibana, who also…