![Kaden Bolton smiles while standing with his arms crosssed. He's standing on PLU's cmpus with two black and gold PLU flag pole banners behind him.](https://www.plu.edu/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/573/2024/06/bolton-banner-725x408.jpg)
Kaden Bolton ’24 explored civics and public policy on campus and studying away in Oxford
For the graduating class of 2024, freshman year was online and confined. So by the time fall came around for sophomore year, they embraced in-person classes, study groups, lunches, dinners, and more. That’s true at least for political science major Kaden Bolton ’24, who graduated…
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PLU French professor Rebecca Wilkin wins the 2024 Translation Prize
The French-American Foundation has announced that PLU Professor of French Rebecca Wilkin is one of the winners of the 2024 Translation Prize. Wilkin and her co-editor and translator Angela Hunter, an English professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, received the nonfiction prize…
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Heven Ambachew ’24 combines her passions and experiences to design major in innovation studies
Like many students, Heven Ambachew ’24 wasn’t yet sure of her major when embarking on her PLU journey. Four years later, thanks to PLU’s individualized major pathway, she is the university’s first graduate with a major in innovation studies . Innovation Studies at PLU Courses…
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Student athlete Vinny D’Onofrio ’24 excelled in biology and chemistry at PLU
Vinny D’Onofrio ’24 majored in biology and chemistry at PLU, played at nationals with the men’s soccer team, and prepared for a career in the medical field. D’Onofrio recently sat down with PLU News to discuss his PLU experience. How did you learn about PLU?…
![Three students present their senior capstone in front of a screen.](https://www.plu.edu/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/573/2024/06/senior-capstone-725x408.png)
Student-athletes Nasier Ford ’24, La’akea Ane ’24, and Jesse Canda ’24 utilize communication capstone to boost mental health awareness
The PLU capstone project is a meaningful culmination of a student’s academic journey at PLU. It offers students a chance to embrace complexity and ask tough questions. In a display of remembrance and advocacy, Nasier Ford ’24, La’akea Ane ’24, and Jesse Canda ’24 opened…
![Allen Tugade stands in front of a white wall with the PLU mission written on it in silver letters. Tugade is half-smiling and wearing a blue vest over a white button-up shirt.](https://www.plu.edu/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/573/2024/05/tugade-feature-image-725x408.jpg)
Sociology major Allen Tugade ’24 has been a dynamic researcher and student leader at PLU
As a student, Allen Tugade ’24 engaged in academic and applied sociological research on the student population of Pacific Lutheran University. Tugade was a member of Choir of the West and a well-known student leader on campus, serving as a Wild Hope Fellow and with…
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Ash Bechtel ’24 combines science and social work for holistic view of patient care; aims to serve Hispanic community
Ash Bechtel always wanted to be in healthcare, she just wasn’t sure which direction to take — nursing or medical school. So, Ash counseled with family and academic advisors before deciding to pursue a biology major that would put her en route to becoming a…
![Two students look off camera while working on laptops in a classroom setting.](https://www.plu.edu/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/573/2024/05/20240419_sb_math-348_004-725x408.jpg)
PLU introduces new data science major to meet growing demand in data-driven economy
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…
![Emma Stafki poses for a photo on PLU's upper campus while holding two canon cameras with large zoom lens. She is wearing a grey tee shirt over a white long sleeve shirt.](https://www.plu.edu/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/573/2024/04/emma-stafki-featured-image-725x408.jpg)
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…
![Cece Chan smiles for a portrait standing in the lobby of the PLU Anderson University Center.](https://www.plu.edu/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/573/2024/04/cece-chan-banner-725x408.jpg)
Cece 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…
![Autumn Thompson smiles at the camera. She is standing in photo studio in front of a white background. she is wearing stylish thick-rimmed glasses and denim overalls over a white sweater.](https://www.plu.edu/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/573/2024/04/autumn-banner-725x408.jpg)
Creative Community: Autumn Thompson ’24 reimagines PLU spaces—in the art gallery and the residence halls
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…
![Jessa smiles while sitting in the outdoor ampitheater outside of PLU's music building. She is wearing a black tee shirt and holding her ukulele.](https://www.plu.edu/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/573/2024/04/jessa-delos-reyes-1-725x408.jpg)
Universal 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…