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his MBA from the Vancouver campus of Washington State University while working full time. He was in the banking industry for a decade before deciding to go back to school. Maxwell said PLU inspired him to live a life of continued learning. “PLU prepared me to enter the workforce, but it also motivated me to continue in my education,” he said. Maxwell’s hometown is Beaverton, Ore. and he spent the last decade of his career in the Portland area. Having been back for the last 13 months, Maxwell

, Baghirov was accepted into the Peace Corps and assigned to work in Azerbaijan. “You don’t get to pick where you’re going, but you get to put your regional preferences. The country requests you, not the other way around,” said Baghirov. “I was very open to going anywhere I was needed.”   She was assigned to work at the Ganja Education Information Center on a pilot youth development and study abroad program for two years. “My first year was incredibly difficult,” said Baghirov. “It was a pilot program

children’s theatre has in the world of theatre? I think children’s theatre has a very important place in the world of theatre. It gets children interested in theatre at an early age and allows them to be captivated and inspired and maybe one day influence them to be involved in theatre. Do you expect that children’s theatre and theatre education to be a central part of your life’s work? I hope so! I’d love to end up being an Artistic Director at a children’s theatre company. There are quite a few. There

for at-risk kids.     Director of Multicultural Recruitment Melannie Denise Cunningham received the administrator award for her relentless advocacy for higher education and commitment to helping young people access college. Other nominees were Nicole Jordan, Jonathan Adams, Joanne Lisosky, Ginger Peck, JoDee Keller and Marianne Taylor.The Ron Pierre Vignec Community Partner Award, named in honor of “Pastor Ron,” a campus pastor in the 1980s who also ministered in the Salishan community on Tacoma’s

late 1800s.  Education was a priority for these immigrants. Starting with very little, they first built their farmhouses, then their church, and then a school. Over the decades, this university has grown to become a proud and acclaimed institution— noted for its commitment to diversity, justice and sustainability, in addition to academic excellence.  Dear students, you are all a part of this inspiring history. The PLU of today is a testament to the hard work and core values of these first Norwegian

toddlers, and she can donate time to creative jobs for nonprofits. She also told the Business Examiner she’s already learned a profound, Lute-like life lesson: “Go with your gut. It’s often a lot more helpful than your brain.” Zach Powers ’10, Media & Content Manager, PLU. The Business Examiner cited Powers’ passions for communication, outreach and creative programming, along with his “all-in” engagement with local politics and government, arts and culture, athletics and education. Plus, he coaches

and two high schools, Yaden said — and one of the certificated Tacoma teachers is a coach in PLU’s program this year. Additionally, the Chinese language coach is a graduate of PLU’s STARTALK program. “There’s built-in leadership,” Yaden said. STARTALK is offered through PLU’s School of Education. The curriculum is designated for teaching so-called “critical languages,” non-Western European languages that are taught less frequently but are critical for federal government purposes, such as national

emerging urban and community leaders to engage the college campus and their communities at home. Having already been awarded the Palmer’s Scholarship —an award that supports Pierce County students of color access to a higher education —Mosa now had all the funding he needed to attend college. “Scholarships are really important to me and people like me,” Mosa said. “Being a person of color, it’s really hard to attend college. Most of us end up going to the workforce, so a scholarship is really important

dive into difficult conversations about race relations in the United States.“The consciousness of this country is shifting,” says Cunningham, who works in the PLU Campus Ministry office and partners with the university’s Center for Graduate and Continuing Education to produce People’s Gathering events. “Where we are right now in our nation’s history and our national rhetoric, we need to learn how to talk about race. Most of us learn about race on our own, and that can be really difficult.” Each

after completing his Master’s in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Western Washington University. He also works as a master resilience trainer and performance expert at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Willis spoke with us about how he incorporates his education into helping students succeed on and off the field.What goals did you have in mind when you returned to the PLU football program? My initial goal was to come and serve the players and coaching staff in whatever capacity I could. PLU and PLU football