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…
Mark Hernández ’20 has been an advocate, storyteller and student leader at PLU
As a first-year student, the initial adjustment to life at PLU was challenging for Mark Hernández. They’d attended a high school that was over 90 percent students of color. PLU, which is around 40 percent, felt daunting. “I was so culture-shocked at not seeing people…
Andrew Miller ’14 leverages his PLU MBA to help Tulip Town adapt during COVID-19
Andrew Miller ‘14 and his partners at Mount Vernon’s Tulip Town were counting on a big haul in April. That’s when 350,000 tourists normally flock to the area to celebrate the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival and admire seas of colorful blooms. A graduate of PLU’s…
Aminda Cheney-Irgens ’20 on her chemistry and Hispanic studies double major, research in Puerto Rico, and preparing for graduate school
Aminda Cheney-Irgens is a smart, driven, and globally-minded Pacific Lutheran University senior who, like her peers, spent her spring adjusting to a new way of doing college. She’s learned to record Zoom lessons, sharpened her Google Docs skills, and misses the real-life campus interactions. She’s…
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…
Answering the call: PLU nursing alum volunteers for COVID-19 testing unit transfer
TACOMA, WASH. (May 5, 2020) — After a lifetime devoted to care and service, Kathy (Welsh) Krogstad ‘85 wasn’t going to stand on the sidelines during the COVID-19 global health crisis if she could help it. “I just always wanted to be a nurse,” she…
The Trail Back to PLU: Alayna Linde ’10 on her path from undergrad to urban planning and environmental outreach
By ; TACOMA, WASH. (April 28, 2020) — Ten years after graduating, Alayna Linde ‘10 is back on Pacific Lutheran University’s campus — this time consulting with Pierce County Parks on an innovative new trail project to connect people, parks and PLU. The Parkland Community…
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…
Kevin Andrew explores Alumni & Student Connections’ virtual services, impact on graduating seniors
TACOMA, WASH. (April 21, 2020) — Worried about graduating into an uncertain job market? Need to hear some encouragement or advice from a PLU alum who’s been in your shoes before? Alumni & Student Connections has gone virtual to make sure resources to help you…
PLU alumna is helping educators nationwide adapt to teaching from a distance
TACOMA, WASH. (April 14, 2020) — Jessica Anderson ’07 is hunkering down at home in Montana with husband Chris, kids Bryer and Jase, and Jethro the dog while working for an EdTech company supporting educators across the country as they transition to distance learning. As…