Looking Outward: Mark Carrato ‘94 leads the U.S. Government’s Power Africa initiative
A year after graduating from Pacific Lutheran University, Mark Carrato ‘94 had been island hopping around rural southwestern Japan teaching English to junior high school students. But now he had a decision to make—return to the United States and begin the law school he had…
How Matt Bliss ’98 turned a family tradition into Modern Christmas Trees
As a child, Matt Bliss ’98 relished celebrating the holidays at his grandparents’ Broomfield, Colorado, home where the Christmas tree was anything but ordinary. Bliss’s grandfather, Lawrence Stoecker, designed his own tree, an artful cascade of concentric rings that hung from the ceiling. He crafted…
PLU MAE alumna Brooke Brown ’06 named the 2021 Washington State Teacher of the Year
Brooke Brown ’06, an ethnic studies teacher at Parkland’s Washington High School, was recently named the 2021 Washington State Teacher of the Year by the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). Brown engages students in her classroom by centering each student’s…
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…
Jacob Taylor-Mosquera ’09 discusses his new memoir about international adoption and belonging
In a 2017 issue of PLU’s ResoLute magazine, alumnus Jacob Taylor-Mosquera ’09 shared about his experience as an adoptee, finding and reconnecting with his biological family in Colombia, and the tension he still navigates today as a citizen of two countries and a member of…
Thu “Kim” Le interns with Benaroya Research Institute, doing cancer research from home
As the pandemic has progressed many of found ourselves thinking more about health and disease, however, Thu “Kim” Le ‘21 has spent most of her college career researching these topics. Le recently completed a six-week summer internship with the Benaroya Research Institute (BRI) at Virginia…
PLU business alumni Bradd Busick (MultiCare) and Andrea Adams (Nike) talk mentorship
Andrea Adams ’15 and Bradd Busick ’99, MBA ’09 discuss business, mentorship, and seizing opportunity. Adams is Direct Strategy & Portfolio Manager at Nike and a former PLU student athlete. Busick is an adjunct business professor at PLU and chief technology officer and vice president…
Cassie Paulsen ’21 interns (virtually) with Seattle Children’s Theatre
Like many Lutes, PLU senior Cassie Paulsen’s summer hasn’t been exactly what she thought it would be. Cassie has spent her summer in an internship with Seattle Children’s Theater, but instead of moving to Seattle, she is acting, leading classes, and helping the theater any…
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…