Emma Stafki ’24 explores the challenges facing Puget Sound orcas in capstone documentary
Emma Stafki grew up on Washington’s Key Peninsula, hearing stories about a tragedy in 1968. In nearby Vaughn Bay, her grandparents witnessed the heartwrenching capture of Hugo, a three-year-old orca whale. Southern Resident orcas typically stay with their mothers their whole lives; losses echo throughout…
continue readingCece Chan ’24 elevates the experience of Hmong Farmers and their rich history with Seattle’s Pike Place Market
For Cece Chan ’24, what began as a love of student advocacy and social justice in high school, has blossomed into activism through art at Pacific Lutheran University. From serving as ASPLU president her junior year, to spending a semester in Trinidad and Tobago, to…
continue readingUniversal language: how teaching music in rural Namibia was a life-changing experience for Jessa Delos Reyes ’24
When the principal of N/a’an ku sê, a rural school in Namibia that serves the San people, asked PLU music education major Jessa Delos Reyes ’24 to expand their existing music program to include children in junior primary (grades K-3), she initially felt daunted at…
continue readingInspired by Women: Cora Beeson’s research in Indonesia began with her Taiwanese Grandmother’s caretaker
Global studies major Cora Beeson ’24 spent four months in Indonesia last spring for a study abroad semester. Little did she know the research she conducted there would lead to a presentation at the esteemed 2024 Human Development Conference at the University of Notre Dame’s…
continue readingBig picture learning: Physics major Julian Kop ’24 studies the universe and his family background at PLU
Julian Kop spent the summer of 2023 at Pacific Lutheran University looking up at the night sky and the stars. Kop earned an opportunity to do summer research with professors Sean O’Neill and Katrina Hay at PLU’s W.M. Keck Observatory , working some nights between…
continue readingBrian Sung ’24 discusses his business and econ majors, Oxford trip, and PLU experience as a first generation Chinese immigrant
Brian Sung ’24 has made the most out of his PLU years inside and outside the classroom. In the classroom, he’s an international honors student with a double major in business and economics and a double minor in data science and statistics. Outside the classroom,…
continue readinglatest from Video
PLU and MultiCare leaders discuss new partnership on ARC Seattle (KOMO News)
March 26, 2024
PLU President Allan Belton and MultiCare CEO Bill Robertson discuss the recently announced Partnership for Health Innovation with KOMO News anchors Steve McCarron and Tyra Majors on ARC Seattle (KOMO News). Announced in February 2024, the Partnership for Health Innovation unites PLU, MultiCare, and Washington…
continue readingPLU nursing students help provide meals for Thanksgiving
November 22, 2023
PLU service-nursing club Delta Iota Chi assembled nearly 350 meal boxes which will feed over 2,000 community members this holiday week. Boxes stuffed with turkey, green beans, corn, stuffing mix and other food were distributed to local community organizations and individuals throughout the week.
continue readingA day in the life as a cancer research center intern
October 9, 2023
PLU chemistry major Elijah Singleton ’25 takes us with him for a day in the life at his summer internship at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center in Seattle.
continue readingPLU students and faculty collaborate on summer chemistry research
August 29, 2023
Dive deeper into PLU’s summer undergraduate research program! Students Rebecca Smith ’24 and Aidan Hopson ’24 spent ten weeks collaborating with chemistry professor Andrea Munro to study colloidal nanocrystals, particles so small they are nearly invisible. #LutesEmbraceComplexity To learn more about chemistry projects, classes and…
continue readingNewly minted PLU graduates reflect on what commencement — and earning their degree — means to them
May 30, 2023
“Commencement means the culmination of hard work and accomplishments with my teammates and my classmates — so it’s a great day.”
continue readingMoving Moments | PLU Commencement 2023
May 27, 2023
PLU students, parents, alumni and friends gathered at the Tacoma Dome this afternoon for our 2023 commencement. PLU alumnus and filmmaker Joshua Wiersma ’18 captured moving moments from the ceremony.
continue reading“We are uncatchable” | PLU Women’s Rowing
February 1, 2023
“There is this moment, where everything around you disappears. Where your vision goes dark, and all you feel is the handle of the oar…” Today is National Girls & Women in Sports Day, so we invite you to put on a life jacket, grab a…
continue readingCampus Tour: PLU’s newly renovated anatomy and physiology lab
January 30, 2023
PLU Resident Instructor of Biology Michelle Crites gives a tour of the newly renovated anatomy and physiology lab in the Rieke Science Center. Learn more about the PLU Department of Biology.
continue readingA conversation with novelist Mari Matthias ‘94, author of “The Runestone’s Promise”
November 9, 2022
Mari Matthias ‘94 loved diagramming sentences back in the ninth grade. Later, she served on the staff of Saxifrage, PLU’s student-run literary and art magazine, during all four of her years on campus. Matthias describes herself as a self-taught novelist. “Once I decided to write…
continue readingPLU students go on stunning rock climbing adventure in Vantage, Washington
October 24, 2022
Pacific Lutheran University student videographer Matt Shaps ’24 joined our Outdoor Recreation program on an epic rock climbing adventure in Vantage, Washington. Learn about Outdoor Rec’s upcoming day and weekend trips at plu.edu/recreations/outdoor-rec .
continue readinglatest from PLU Media Coverage
Mar. 21, 2024
President Belton joins discussion about college-employer partnerships at economic development event
South Sound Business
Feb. 7, 2024
PLU, MultiCare, and WSU Announce Historic Partnership to Improve Access to Health Care
South Sound Business
Feb. 7, 2024
New medical center at PLU might help Pierce County ‘health care desert’
Tacoma News Tribube
Feb. 6, 2024
New partnership will bring expanded health care access to Pierce County
KOMO News (Seattle)
latest from Alumni, Internships, Career
Former accountant Sarah Bell Rosenlund prepares for new career in nursing at PLU’s Lynnwood campus
May 15, 2024
Sarah Bell Rosenlund has always been a people person. She radiates positive energy, and smiles broadly when she talks about her PLU experience. “I realized that my gift is to be a helper to people,” she said. “I love to be in acts of service.…
continue readingCriminal justice major Raphi Crenshaw ’24 interned at Tacoma Pro Bono and plans to attend law school
April 30, 2024
After graduating from Emerald Ridge High School in Puyallup, Raphi Crenshaw ’24 enrolled at PLU with plans to major in biology. “I was going to become a dermatologist, but when I started taking the classes, well, I wasn’t a fan of it,” Crenshaw remembers. By…
continue readingIsaiah Banken ’21 earns Torrison Scholarship because of his dedication to medicine and faith
January 3, 2024
Isaiah Banken ’21 knew he wanted to pursue a career in medicine. Banken, with a B.S. in biology and a minor in mathematics from PLU, explored various medical opportunities near his hometown of Wenatchee, WA, including working at a ski resort, serving in hospice care,…
continue readingLifelong Parkland/Spanaway resident Kirsten Kreis leads Pierce County Navigator Program at PLU
December 6, 2023
PLU and the Parkland community are familiar to Kirsten Kreis . Her roots run deep in Parkland, from learning to swim in the PLU pool, to completing her high school assignments in the Mortvedt Library, to walking across the stage in Olson Auditorium at her…
continue readingAn internship with the Portland Pickles solidifies Simon Luedtke’s plans for the future
November 29, 2023
Simon Luedtke ’24 is a strategic communication major from Newberg, Oregon. His communication studies, combined with his part-time job with PLU Athletics, helped him land a summer internship with the Portland Pickles, a baseball team with an unforgettable name and a legendary Portland brand. Simon…
continue readingPLU alumna Shelby Hatton ’17 discusses her PNWU medical school experience (thus far!)
November 28, 2023
Shelby Hatton (Murdock) ’17 always knew she wanted to become a doctor, but now that she’s in osteopathic medical school she’s still deciding on what kind of doctor. The challenge, she says, is that she’s enjoying every aspect of her studies. That’s no surprise, because…
continue readingMargaret Murdoch ’24: Contributing to a cure at Fred Hutch Cancer Center
October 18, 2023
Margaret Murdoch ’24, a biology and religious studies major with a minor in gender and sexuality studies, spent their summer in Seattle alongside some of the nation’s best scientists. Experimenting, analyzing, and observing at Fred Hutch Cancer Center , they were able to assist in…
continue readingBreana Downs ’24: A summer soaring with native birds at the Rocky Mountain Wildlife Alliance
October 4, 2023
Just south of Denver, Colorado, tucked beneath the vast mountain range, lies Rocky Mountain Wildlife Alliance . Their vision soars high above the Rocky Mountains as they unite communities and ignite a passion for wildlife like never before, relentlessly working to deepen public understanding, resolve…
continue readinglatest from Research and Academics
PLU introduces new data science major to meet growing demand in data-driven economy
May 6, 2024
PLU officials recently announced the launch of a new data science major, which will commence this fall semester. This strategic addition responds to the escalating interest among undergraduates in coursework dedicated to data science and analytics. The highly collaborative mathematics and computer science departments will…
continue readingEmma Stafki ’24 explores the challenges facing Puget Sound orcas in capstone documentary
April 29, 2024
Emma Stafki grew up on Washington’s Key Peninsula, hearing stories about a tragedy in 1968. In nearby Vaughn Bay, her grandparents witnessed the heartwrenching capture of Hugo, a three-year-old orca whale. Southern Resident orcas typically stay with their mothers their whole lives; losses echo throughout…
continue readingCece Chan ’24 elevates the experience of Hmong Farmers and their rich history with Seattle’s Pike Place Market
April 26, 2024
For Cece Chan ’24, what began as a love of student advocacy and social justice in high school, has blossomed into activism through art at Pacific Lutheran University. From serving as ASPLU president her junior year, to spending a semester in Trinidad and Tobago, to…
continue readingCreative Community: Autumn Thompson ’24 reimagines PLU spaces—in the art gallery and the residence halls
April 17, 2024
When Autumn Thompson ’24 selects an image or object for a piece for an exhibit or a class, be it sentimental or iconic, it’s not simply an assignment—it’s a step toward her vision of one day seeing her art in a museum. “I know that…
continue readingUniversal language: how teaching music in rural Namibia was a life-changing experience for Jessa Delos Reyes ’24
April 16, 2024
When the principal of N/a’an ku sê, a rural school in Namibia that serves the San people, asked PLU music education major Jessa Delos Reyes ’24 to expand their existing music program to include children in junior primary (grades K-3), she initially felt daunted at…
continue readingInspired by Women: Cora Beeson’s research in Indonesia began with her Taiwanese Grandmother’s caretaker
April 15, 2024
Global studies major Cora Beeson ’24 spent four months in Indonesia last spring for a study abroad semester. Little did she know the research she conducted there would lead to a presentation at the esteemed 2024 Human Development Conference at the University of Notre Dame’s…
continue readingMathematics major Lindsey Clark ’24 is a Noyce scholar and future teacher
April 2, 2024
Lindsey Clark ’24 came to PLU knowing it was where she wanted to be. But Clark—a double major in mathematics and gender, sexuality, and race studies (GSRS)—says PLU challenged and changed her and expanded her worldview in ways she never before considered on her way…
continue readinglatest from Student Life, Resources, Community
The 8th Annual Diversity and Inclusion Speaker Series: Dr. Richard Lapchick presents “Facing Uncomfortable Truths”
February 12, 2024
The 8th Annual Diversity and Inclusion Speaker Series presented by PLU’s Department of Kinesiology will feature Dr. Richard Lapchick and his keynote presentation, “Facing Uncomfortable Truths” on February 28th, 2024, from 7:00 P.M. to 8:30 P.M. in the AUC (Chris Knutson Hall). In his keynote presentation,…
continue readingLifelong Parkland/Spanaway resident Kirsten Kreis leads Pierce County Navigator Program at PLU
December 6, 2023
PLU and the Parkland community are familiar to Kirsten Kreis . Her roots run deep in Parkland, from learning to swim in the PLU pool, to completing her high school assignments in the Mortvedt Library, to walking across the stage in Olson Auditorium at her…
continue readingCommunity Meals brings people together and feeds souls
December 1, 2023
Looking at the packed tables, “the smiles on their faces, the sense of community, and the appreciation they express are incredibly gratifying,” says junior Rayen Slama, a Tunisian exchange student at PLU who volunteered for the October and November meals. Community Meals unite many people…
continue readingPLU nursing students help provide meals for Thanksgiving
November 22, 2023
PLU service-nursing club Delta Iota Chi assembled nearly 350 meal boxes which will feed over 2,000 community members this holiday week. Boxes stuffed with turkey, green beans, corn, stuffing mix and other food were distributed to local community organizations and individuals throughout the week.
continue readingPLU’s Parkland Literacy Center supports local k-12 students, receives new grant
October 3, 2023
For the past four years Pacific Lutheran University student workers and volunteers have made the Parkland Literacy Center a beacon of community and learning support. Operated by PLU and located in the Anderson University Center, the center provides free one-on-one and small group tutoring for…
continue readingHow Erik Bainter ’23 and Jai Alapai ’24 answered a call that could save two lives.
September 8, 2023
THE PLU ATHLETICS MISSION STATEMENT spells it out. The “S” in Lutes stands for service — giving back and making an impact in the lives of others. It’s a value that two Lute football teammates put into action this past year. Just a few months…
continue readingCommunications and psychology double major Alex Reed ’23 explored film and storytelling at PLU
May 19, 2023
Sometimes the most random moments leave lasting impressions. Alex Reed’s first experience at PLU happened when she was a high school sophomore, when her school band came to the university to attend a music clinic. “This trip definitely put PLU on my radar as I…
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