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…
A message from President Belton
Traducción Española Dear PLU community, I’m heartbroken over the continued loss of Black lives across our country. With the recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and Ahmaud Arbery, I’m angry at a system that collectively excuses and perpetuates racist violence. As frustrations…
New NSF grant will support PLU students studying to become STEM educators
Twenty-one new scholarships will be created for PLU students from underrepresented backgrounds preparing to become STEM educators, thanks to a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation. The grant, which provides funding over the next three years, will help extend existing collaborations between the…
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 MediaLab Film Project Nominated for Student Emmy Award
A film produced by MediaLab students at Pacific Lutheran University has been nominated for the College Emmy Awards. Living on the Edge tells the story of North Cove, Wash., one of the fastest-eroding U.S. coastlines, which loses roughly 150 feet of land per year. The…
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…
PLU’s new Community YouTube project showcases original programming, cross-campus partnership
TACOMA, WASH. (May 4, 2020) — Five dynamic new weekly shows headline PLU Community YouTube, a new venture that leverages original programming to showcase the uniquely interpersonal values and tight-knit culture of the Lute family — even in this time of physical distancing. The shows…
PLU, Dean Waldow receive NSF grant to continue lithium-ion battery research
TACOMA, WASH. (April 30, 2020) — The National Science Foundation has awarded PLU and Professor of Chemistry Dean Waldow a $230,000 grant over three years to continue his research with students into polymers and ion conductors that could revolutionize the lithium-ion batteries used in cars…