Michael Burris ’09 leads a dynamic team as regional president of Sound Physicians
Michael Burris ’09 worked at the intersection of business and healthcare since before even graduating from PLU with a business major and economics minor . While in his third year at PLU, he began an internship with MultiCare Health Systems, working as the CFO’s “right-hand…
Tiffany Wong ‘23 discusses transferring to PLU, her experience as an RA, and her plans to become a Certified Nurse Anesthesiologist
PLU senior Tiffany Wong was drawn to study nursing after spending 10 years caring for her grandmother — a special woman who taught her about empathy and compassion. “My heart broke when she passed away this fall semester. There were numerous stories that she told…
Grayson Nottage ‘23 prepares to become a teacher who excites students about science
Grayson Nottage ’23 has wanted to become a middle school science teacher ever since she was a middle school science student. She admired many of her own science teachers, and aspires to become the sort of educator that inspires and excites students about science. Next…
Dr. Erik Arnits ’11 relies on his medical training – and sense of humor – as an ER doctor in Central Washington
At PLU, Dr. Erik Arnits ’11 studied biology and chemistry as a double major. At first, he thought chemistry or dentistry was his future—but a medical mission trip the summer before his senior year to Costa Rica and Panama changed everything. He kept a journal…
Lute Powered: PLU alumni help lead Chief Leschi programs dedicated to student support and success
Operated by the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, Chief Leschi Schools enrolls 670 students in preschool through high school. Visual representations of Northwest Native culture and art are present throughout the school, and the curriculum is infused with the tribe’s cultural heritage. Chief Leschi is one…
PLU MBA alum Nancy Nelson discusses her work directing career and technical education at Chief Leschi Schools
Nancy Nelson’s path to a career in education was a nontraditional one. So it’s no surprise that her journey led her to a special kind of school. Since fall 2020, Nelson has served as director of career and technical education (CTE) at Chief Leschi Schools,…
PLU alumna Jenifer Leavens ’18 leads elementary education at Chief Leschi Schools
Jenifer Leavens was an experienced educator when she decided it was time to pursue a master’s degree in education. A transplant from California, she wasn’t sure which Puget Sound area university had the best program. So she asked some of her colleagues. “Hands down, people…
Building Community: A PLU Special Education Major Discovers the Beauty of Returning to His Childhood School District
Gavin Knapp ’23 reflects on Fife Public Schools with a new lens, now student teaching with one of his former educators. Gavin Knapp discovered his vocation for special education in an unusual way – volunteering with unified sports in high school. Although his former high…
Melanie Helle ’97 applies lessons learned at PLU to her work at Chief Leschi Schools
Melanie Helle ’97 walked into a new job in 2020, during the first year of the Covid pandemic. “That was my first year — the pandemic, virtual learning. I was learning on the job,” says the director of special services at Chief Leschi Schools, operated…
Quan Huynh ’25 Discusses her Internship at the Washington State Senate
Pacific Lutheran University Pre-Law Club President Quan Huynh ’25 unexpectedly stepped into the world of state government, with a bold new perspective. A self-described political newcomer, Huynh proudly represents PLU in Olympia as an intern at the Washington State Senate. As a member of Sen.…
PLU’s culturally sustaining STEM program helped prepare Becca Anderson to be a dynamic teacher
PLU alumna Becca Anderson ‘19, ‘22 is in her first year teaching biology to ninth graders at Sammamish High School in Bellevue. Her classroom consists of a diverse population of students — something her recent completion of the Culturally Sustaining STEM Teacher Program at Pacific…
A conversation with novelist Mari Matthias ‘94, author of “The Runestone’s Promise”
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…