PLU Alumni Peace Corps Panel

Shella Biallas ‘04 graduated from Pacific Lutheran University with degrees in sociology and psychology and a minor in Norwegian language. After graduating, she served as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer in St. Paul, MN working with immigrants and refugees at a non-profit law center. Shella attended the Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington in Seattle through the Peace Corps Master’s International program. Her Peace Corps assignment in Belize (2006-2008) focused on ecotourism and she completed her MPA with a focus on environmental management in 2009. Shella then joined the U.S. Department of the Interior as a Presidential Management Fellow, where she focused on Arctic policy and sustainable land management. After being accepted into the U.S. Foreign Service, she was assigned as the environment and science officer at the U.S. Embassy in Oslo, followed by assignments in Tijuana, Mexico and Mogadishu, Somalia. Shella currently works in the Office of Global Change at the U.S. Department of State headquarters in Washington, DC, leading international climate negotiations related to climate adaptation.

Haley Ehlers ‘16 (she/her) served as a community economic development Peace Corps Volunteer in Timor-Leste (2016-2018). During her service, she worked with a rural savings and loans cooperative on financial and technology literacy, bookkeeping, grant writing, and entrepreneurship. Haley studied Business Administration and Nonprofit Leadership at PLU. She received a master’s in Political Science, Applied Community and Economic Development as a Peace Corps/Coverdell Fellow at Illinois State University. Haley is currently the Director of Climate First: Replacing Oil & Gas (CFROG) a grassroots nonprofit dedicated to the transition to a fossil fuel free future in Ventura County, California.

Lucas Gillespie ’16 received his BA in Environmental Studies with minors in Global Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies. He served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Senegal (2016-2018), working in the Agriculture sector as a Sustainable Agriculture Extension Agent. He worked with rural farmers, families, and agriculture groups to develop and implement improved agricultural practices to increase the yield of vegetables, fruits, and field crops. He also worked with women’s organizations to develop economic opportunities and plans to stimulate the local economy and fund their projects.

Lucas is a Social Scientific Assistant for IREACH (Institute for Research and Education to Advance Community Health), a division of Washington State University, where he coordinates two research studies focused on eliminating health disparities in Native American communities. He is also in his second (and final) year of a Master’s in Public Health (MPH) degree from the University of Washington, in the Global Health track. His thesis’ focus is conceptualizing pathways and barriers to building community-based climate resilience in Washington.

Sam Rise ‘11, School of Ed Masters ‘12 graduated from PLU with a degree in Mathematics and a master’s in education. Right after finishing his master’s degree, he served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Namibia (2012-2014), teaching mathematics and computer classes in a rural secondary school. During his service, Sam established the Namibian Ornithological Volunteers Association, which promoted environmentalism and an appreciation of native birds. Sam has spent the last nine years as a teacher in the Federal Way School District. He currently teaches middle and high school Robotics. When he’s not teaching, Sam enjoys playing trains with his two-year-old son.