Amy Spieker ’09 on community health advocacy, service and building relationships
TACOMA, WASH. (Feb. 18, 2020) — If you’ve ever wondered whether leaders are born or made, the answer is both. At least it is when you’re referring to Pacific Lutheran University graduate Amy Spieker ’09. Growing up in a Navy family, Spieker moved her fair…
National recording artist Crystal Aiken ’97 returns to PLU for a Gospel Experience Concert encore
TACOMA, WASH. (Feb. 14, 2020) —The Gospel Experience Concert is returning to Pacific Lutheran University on Saturday, Feb. 15., featuring an encore performance by national recording artist and event headliner Crystal Aikin ’97. The renowned gospel singer was born and raised in Tacoma, and graduated…
New J-Term job shadow program connects PLU students and alumni
TACOMA, WASH. (Feb. 10, 2020)- Pacific Lutheran University’s Office of Alumni and Student Connections recently launched the J-Term Job Shadow Program, aimed at exposing students to professions they are interested in pursuing after graduation. From January 21 to 24, 40 students visited PLU alumni at…
Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree William Foege ‘57 returns to PLU for annual Rachel Carson lecture
TACOMA, WASH. (Feb. 4, 2020) — Pacific Lutheran University is pleased to announce that world health icon and distinguished alumnus Dr. William Foege ‘57 will return to campus to give the annual Rachel Carson Science, Technology & Society Annual Lecture on Feb. 20. Foege, who…
Kristina Walker ’02 on running for office, loving Tacoma, and city council goals
TACOMA, WASH. (Jan. 8, 2020) — At about this time last January, Kristina Walker ’02 got The New York Times’ special insert that featured all 126 women who had been sworn into Congress. It ignited a fire inside of her — it was that thing…
PLU alumnus Kell Duncan creates space for socially conscious Phoenix businesses
TACOMA, WASH. (Jan. 6, 2020) — Basketball drew Kell Duncan ‘11 from Arizona to Pacific Lutheran University. But while he loved his time playing forward and center for the Lutes, he was far less certain about his initial choice of major. “Business school wasn’t a…
A Conversation with Shannon Murphy ’07, President of Washington Conservation Voters
Shannon Murphy ’07 loved exploring the beauty that surrounds Pacific Lutheran University’s campus — from majestic Mount Rainier to the sparkling Puget Sound. What she learned as a communication major with minors in public affairs and Spanish and during her time outdoors, set her on…
Passion for solving unanswered questions drives PLU alum’s research career
TACOMA, WASH. (Dec. 24, 2019) — Research has become Pacific Lutheran University grad SarahAnn McFadden’s life. This year, McFadden ‘11 landed a position as a postdoctoral associate at the Yale Institute of Global Health in New Haven, Connecticut, where she spends her time analyzing factors…
Shoebox Sharing: how one PLU alumna comforts those in need
What if, by donating just an hour of your time, you could change someone’s life. Twenty years ago, while still attending her Central California high school, Kristina Garabedian heard about a pastor’s intriguing invitation. The pastor asked church members to reach under the pews and…
Nursing alumna Katie Blanchard on how her near murder has led to her powerful advocacy
Three years ago, Katie Blanchard ‘13 was set on fire and nearly killed by a colleague at a military health center at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Since then, Blanchard has undergone over 100 recovery-related surgeries, filed a personal injury claim against the Army and enrolled in…
Josh Wallace: The Art of Business, The Business of Art
To catch Josh Wallace, you’ll have to call him — and he’ll probably be on the move when you do so. The busy MBA student is juggling school classes, his job as a marketing intern… and a starring role in The Fern Shakespeare Company’s “Othello,”…
It’s Mylie Miller’s job to market Wild Waves. And yes, she has a lot of fun at work
Mylie Miller ‘19 had only visited Federal Way’s Wild Waves Theme & Water Park once before last spring, and that episode ended with her looking like a pint-sized extra from “Fight Club.” “It’s kind of funny, but it’s kind of embarrassing,” she said, laughing about…