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when he moved to Washington, to get acquainted with the country where his life started. Drews was born in Spokane and has dual citizenship in the U.S. and Canada. He currently lives in Surrey, British Columbia, with his wife, Yvette, and their 7-year-old twins. “I have this birth certificate that says I am American and a passport that says I am an American,” Drews said. “So what does that mean? And to find out what that means I had to live there.” However, once it became obvious that Drews needed

2014 Minnesota Book Award for Young People’s Literature and was nominated and/or a finalist for several other Really Big Deals. What kind of mixture of surprise/relief/excitement/validation did that elicit? When did it hit you that you had seriously knocked your first book out of the park?When the Morris Award announcement came, I was little shocked. It was very odd, but yes, it felt wonderful to know that the librarians and book people who had read it felt that it deserved that distinction. The

, chosen by Barbara Kingsolver for the Bellwether Prize. The Alaska Literary Series is edited by Peggy Shumaker. She is the founder of Boreal Books, an imprint of Red Hen Press, which publishes literature and fine art from Alaska. She was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Poetry, and has served as poet-in residence at the Stadler Center for Poetry at Bucknell and as the president of the board of directors of the AWP. Professor emerita from University of Alaska Fairbanks, Shumaker

fall 2021, and through the Wang Center’s Gateway Program, she traveled to Oaxaca in spring 2022. At Oxford, a class on forced migration and refugee studies spurred Jackie to apply for the Wang Center grant, and in Oaxaca, a literature course on United States-Mexico migration relations showed her another side of migration. They’re the kind of experiences Jackie might not have had without the benefit of a PLUS Year, a year of free tuition for undergraduates studying during COVID. “I used it to be

fall 2021, and through the Wang Center’s Gateway Program, she traveled to Oaxaca in spring 2022.At Oxford, a class on forced migration and refugee studies spurred Jackie to apply for the Wang Center grant, and in Oaxaca, a literature course on United States-Mexico migration relations showed her another side of migration. They’re the kind of experiences Jackie might not have had without the benefit of a PLUS Year, a year of free tuition for undergraduates studying during COVID. “I used it to be able

degree in English Literature and a minor in Music. While in Taiwan, she also will study local and American songs. Thomas Flanagan ’14 will leave Sept. 1 for Germany, where he’ll teach English. His love of languages likely will mean returning to a master’s program once his Fulbright tour is over. Two PLU alumni also received Fulbright Scholarships this year. Natalie Burton ’13 will study piano education and culture in China, a continuation of her senior research project at PLU.  She will conduct her

and photography to get magazine assignments,” said Bergman, whose writing and photography have appeared in esteemed magazines such as National Geographic and Smithsonian. A two-time Fulbright Scholar in Ecuador and Mexico, Bergman has led more than 25 Study Away trips to places such as Cuba; France; Australia; Mexico; and, most notably, his J-Term trips to the beautiful, icy tundra down south, Antarctica. He also has taught a number of English literature and writing courses, including: Writing 101

entrust us with precious family heirlooms,” Ward said. “Items have been donated to PLU since the late 1970s, many of them hundreds of years old.” The artifacts and literature housed by the SCC are used regularly by PLU faculty members on campus as well as K-12 and community educators throughout the area. “The artifacts collection of the Scandinavian Cultural Center is an invaluable teaching resource for faculty members,” said PLU Associate Professor of German Jen Jenkins, Ph.D. “We bring classes in to

how to conduct research through the literature and offering many opportunities to engage in this practice. This program has helped me to become a more critical thinker who seeks to unpack the layers of an issue or situation to best understand the why something is happening, as opposed to only the what.Career after graduationI am currently an elementary PE Teacher in southern California. The most pertinent part of the MSK program that prepared me to secure this position was the applied project

PLU professor) Barry Johnson, who encouraged her to audition. “PLU has given me amazing connections,” she said. As for advice for other students seeking a career in singing or opera? “Life isn’t a dress rehearsal,” she said. “Do your best work every time. Be accountable. Be flexible. Be able, ready and fierce with your art.” Like Van Mechelen, McIntyre arrived at PLU as a transfer student. She graduated with an English literature major, and a vocal and religion minor. McIntyre’s mother, Nancy