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…
PLU Senior Elana Tracy on her (three!) study away experiences, learning during COVID, and plans for graduate school
Senior Elana Tracy ‘21 has mixed feelings now that her studies at Pacific Lutheran University are coming to an end. On the one hand, PLU allowed her to discover a passion for global studies while studying abroad in Great Britain; but on the other, she…
Act Six Scholar Finds Support, Future at PLU
A native of Yemen, Abdulghani Mosa ‘23 had no idea what his future would hold when he moved to Tacoma in 2012. “Moving here, everything changed,” said Mosa, who was 12 years old when he and his family joined his father who was already living…
PLU Partners with Palmer Scholars to Create New Scholarship Opportunity
Pacific Lutheran University and Palmer Scholars are expanding their partnership to better serve students of color in Pierce County. For many years, Palmer Scholars have chosen PLU as their top private school choice. Since 2016, PLU has accepted 19 Scholars and has nine currently enrolled.…
A Tale of Two Students: Yakima area students find a home away from home
About two and a half hours east of Tacoma sits the farming community of Yakima, Washington. The Central Washington county has about 243,000 residents and is probably most notable for producing the majority of the nation’s apples and hops. But it’s also where Henry Temple…
Act Six scholar and social work major Georjina Soliai ’23 thrives at PLU
Georjina Soliai ‘23 of Lakewood, Washington grew up less than a 15-minute drive from Pacific Lutheran University. The Clover Park High School graduate was always aware of the university, but she never really considered it an option for herself. Soliai’s family moved to the United…
Paige Balut ‘21 tutors elementary and middle school students through the pandemic
Paige Balut ‘21 is finding ways to help her community through the pandemic by offering her skills as a tutor in both mathematics and music to local elementary and middle school students who may be struggling with the adjustment to online schooling. “Pierce County Health…
PLU Raises Black Lives Matter Flag on Red Square
Members of the Pacific Lutheran University Black Student Union led a ceremony raising the Black Lives Matter flag on Red Square on Friday evening. Organized by BSU student leaders, the ceremony featured Black student and staff speakers who shared with a virtual audience of over…
PLU debuts new ‘CheckFive’ initiative, designed to strengthen communities virtually
TACOMA, WASH. (April 9, 2020) — Physical distancing and shelter-in-place directives have made traditional ways of keeping in community challenging at best during the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s why PLU is rolling out “CheckFive,” a social media initiative designed to rebuild networks and spark connections among…
At on-campus food pantry, a nutritious meal is a swipe away
TACOMA, WASH. (March. 16, 2020) — Food insecurity is on the rise on college campuses across the nation, and PLU is no exception to the trend. In a 2017 survey entitled “Healthy Minds,” one in five PLU students reported experiencing food insecurity ranging from “once…
Cece Chan: First-Year Student, Long-Term Goals
TACOMA, WASH. (Feb. 28, 2020 ) — Cece Chan’s activism awakening came in high school. As a third-generation Asian young woman, she realized Seattle Public Schools’ majority-white institution and Eurocentric curriculum had damaged her own cultural understanding due to lack of representation within textbooks or…