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…
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…
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…
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 ’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 ’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…
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…
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…
Inspired 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…
Mathematics major Lindsey Clark ’24 is a Noyce scholar and future teacher
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…
Big 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…
Elijah Paez ’24 developed passions for environmental justice, mathematics and bird watching during his PLU years
Elijah Paez ’24 is a double major in environmental studies and mathematics . While at PLU, he founded Birders of PLU , served as a Peace Scholar , and studied abroad in Oxford, England, and Oslo, Norway. We recently met with Paez to learn more…