![April Reyes looks over her shoulder, showing off a tattoo of her last name across her back and shoulders.](https://www.plu.edu/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/573/2021/11/april-featured-image-2-725x408.jpg)
No Mud, No Lotus
Social work major April Reyes ’21 loves to talk about her tattoos. She has 13 total, nine of which she received while studying at PLU. She struggles to choose a favorite but says she loves to flaunt the lotus flower on the back of her…
![RHA president Hezekiah Goodwin ’22 sits, smiling outside south hall holding his packpack on a sunny fall day](https://www.plu.edu/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/573/2021/11/heze-web-725x408.jpg)
(Re)Building Community
The PLU Residence Hall Association, or RHA, brings students together for social events, community forums, and to advocate for residence hall-related issues. RHA president Hezekiah Goodwin ’22 thinks of his role in building a vibrant student community as a campus vocation. We met with him…
![Three photos set together of Professors Ksenija Simic-Muller, Corey Cook, and Rebecca Wilkin](https://www.plu.edu/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/573/2021/11/try-again-725x408.jpg)
Timely Research
Translating the Enlightenment The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) recently awarded Professor of French Rebecca Wilkin a $133,333 grant under the Scholarly Editions and Translations interest area. Wilkin and her collaborator Angela Hunter, an English professor from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock,…
![Nicole Harmon ’03 (Photographed by Justin D. Knight)](https://www.plu.edu/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/573/2021/11/nicole-harmon-housing-neighbor-header-725x408.jpg)
Housing Our Neighbors
Housing is something many of us take for granted. Much more than just a place to sleep and a structure to shelter us from the elements, our homes provide the space we need to maintain a functional life. It’s where we manage our mental health,…
![George Zeno stands smiling on front of of a brightly colored mural on Garfield Street near PLU.](https://www.plu.edu/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/573/2021/11/zeno-featured-725x408.jpg)
Collective Impact: George Zeno talks Parkland, equity and community partnerships
Nearly a year into his new role as PLU Associate Vice President of Advancement, George Zeno and I took a walk through Parkland and discussed one of my favorite questions, #WhyPLU? Zeno is essentially a community matchmaker for social progress. Mentored at the University of…
![People's Gathering host and founder Melannie Denise Cunningham waves at the attendees from on stage at Karen Hille Phillips Hall.](https://www.plu.edu/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/573/2021/11/pg-1-725x408.jpg)
People’s Gathering fosters timely conversations about race, perspective and inclusion
PLU Director of Multicultural Outreach and Engagement Melannie Denise Cunningham has an uncanny ability to get folks talking. In 2016, she noticed the community was yearning to discuss one pressing topic in particular. That summer, the news of Philando Castile, a Black man fatally shot…
![Dean Waldo and a student discuss their research.](https://www.plu.edu/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/573/2021/11/waldo-3-725x408.jpg)
Charged Up
PLU Chemistry professor Dean Waldow hopes to one day become useless. After all, as an educator, his job is to empower students to work confidently and independently in a field that is constantly innovating. He does this by bringing students into his lab to help…
![six PLU students wearing protective masks pose with a sign that says "I'm a New Lute"](https://www.plu.edu/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/573/2021/11/return-1-725x408.jpg)
Welcome Back Lutes
Most PLU alumni remember their first move-in weekend vividly. The nervous excitement you felt walking into your residence hall. Meeting your roommate for the first time. Just as you were starting to feel settled, it was time to head to your first New Student Orientation…