Search

the opportunity to direct university productions. She was finally a director as teacher – exactly what she wanted to be. During her final year at CU she began applying for jobs as a professor. She applied all over the country at several different types of universities. Lori Lee works with student actors as the Director of “How I Learned to Drive.” “I remember thinking how extraordinary it would be if I found such a job in the Northwest, as my entire family lives in Portland,” Wallace says. “When I

the opportunity to direct university productions. She was finally a director as teacher – exactly what she wanted to be. During her final year at CU she began applying for jobs as a professor. She applied all over the country at several different types of universities. Lori Lee works with student actors as the Director of “How I Learned to Drive.” “I remember thinking how extraordinary it would be if I found such a job in the Northwest, as my entire family lives in Portland,” Wallace says. “When I

forced to take a deeper, nuanced view of humanity. Nothing embodies this truth more than the family who lived down the path from my apartment in Arjun Negar, one of New Delhi’s numerous poor, densely packed communities. It is a fairly typical Delhi neighborhood. The narrow, dirt roads bustle with motorcycle and foot traffic about 20 hours a day and you can find just about anything you need at its countless little family-run shops. This family would have me over for chai whenever I was willing to stop

the university by Karen Hille Phillips ’55, PLU’s single largest benefactor. Her lifetime giving and bequest to PLU totaled $25 million. A $2 million gift from Kaare and Sigrunn Ness, Arne Ness ’69, Shane Ness ’99 and Cindy Ness, will fund the Ness Family Chapel renovations, which will include a new entrance to the chapel and an elevator to all floors. Last summer, the Studio Theater was competed as part of phase I. Along with the Ness Family Chapel renovations, phase II will include a renovation

really appealed to me.” Gutierrez says her family was shocked when she finally announced her decision to attend PLU. “They were surprised honestly that I was going to a smaller school,” she said. “I think they thought I would want more hustle and bustle. They were happy of course —most of my friends went to WSU —so my family was happy.” Making the decision to attend PLU was easy. The difficult part came when it was time to leave her close-knit family. Gutierrez found Western Washington a major change

May 24, becoming the first in her family to earn a college degree— in her case, Hispanic Studies—she will be grateful for all the support that made her journey possible: from the Bensons, her Minds Matter tutors, the Karl Stumo family, her PLU professors and her parents, who arrived in the U.S. as undocumented workers 15 years ago. “They worked very hard and supported me,” Jimenez said of her parents. The Jimenezes also worked and saved to raise enough money—$6,000 each—to get the visas necessary

people,” Franklin said. “It’s more of a family and you know each other.” Her formal education began as a nurse in her home state of South Carolina. She then moved to a military base in Germany with her husband and started a family. Eventually, her husband’s military career relocated the family to Tacoma where Franklin has remained ever since. “My first job was in New Jersey, and then New York, then overseas. I made it around the world and ended up here,” she said, laughing. Rosa Franklin '74 is shown

May 18, 2009 The finish line The call came from Japan as Masahide Nishimura was finishing up his degree in Chinese Studies at Pacific Lutheran University a decade ago. His grandfather, Jisaburo Nishimura, 92, had had a stroke. Masahide felt he needed to come home and support his grandfather, who had raised him, and help with the family business – Kobe Toyopet Corp. – which distributes Lexus, Toyota and Volkswagen cars. This was a company started by his grandfather some 50 years earlier. “I

Brett. Rondi is Jana Olson’s daughter. Got all this? If you don’t, that’s fine, the cousins say. They are accustomed to the confusion as they explain the lineage over a series of interviews. Despite the family connections to PLU, Aaron, 21, said that coming to PLU wasn’t a slam dunk. He grew up in Washington state, but moved to Minnesota. Ultimately, he wanted to return to the Northwest. So he came by himself to PLU four years ago and quickly grew to love the campus. Although there seems to be an

. Quiet and reserved, he answers questions politely and concisely—and the fact that he understands every word of every question impresses his teacher greatly. Denner and his family came to Tacoma two years ago from Mexico, and he spoke no English, Constantine says. So Constantine, who taught Denner in fourth grade, too, translated his lessons into Spanish. But only for a while. “This year he said, ‘You don’t need to translate anymore,’” Constantine says. In addition to his quick English skills, Denner