Heidi Brocious, Ph.D, MSW

One of the gifts I have gained from growing up near and among the Indigenous people of Southeast Alaska is a strong sense of collectivism over individualism; I feel successful only when my team is successful, and it is this core philosophy that I would bring to both my teaching and leadership if offered a position at Pacific Lutheran University. I have always loved to learn, and this passion has guided me as a social work educator over the last 19th years. It is exciting to watch students reach a point of new understanding, to have their worldview shifted, or to observe them understand something in way they did not before. At the core of my teaching philosophy is this experience; that learning should be exciting, and growth is possible for everyone.