Boldly Invest in Change-Makers

Wow! You and 250 other Lutes gave over $130,000 this spring in support of expanding scholarship programs. 

PLU has accepted 19 new change-makers, 12 Act Six and 7 Palmer Scholars, and thanks in part to your generosity each one of them will have the opportunity to bring change to PLU's campus and community. 

Thank you for investing in change-makers through the Act Six and Palmer Scholars programs!

Thank you to all of the donors who have boldly invested in change-makers this spring. Your gifts will allow future students to impact the PLU community and beyond just as Mycal, Quenessa and April Rose did before them. 

Samantha Saucedo's path was shaped from a young age as she witnessed how varying health conditions affected those closest to her.

One set of grandparents was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and suffered from deteriorating health. Another set thrived, living long healthy lives.

Those divergent health paths set 2019 PLU graduate Saucedo on a journey that culminated in her being accepted into the PLU School of Nursing and receiving a degree, with help from Palmer Scholars, a Tacoma-based organization supporting postsecondary success for youth of color in Pierce County, Washington.

Now, she serves as a nurse at the famed Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

A Winding Road

Saucedo grew up a military kid in Lakewood, Washington. She attended Western Washington University and Tacoma Community College, before transferring into PLU’s nursing program. 

“Becoming a nurse has been the most exciting thing I’ve ever done,” She remarked. “I really did not think I would start nursing right before a pandemic, but I’ve learned a lot about adapting to change and being flexible.”

The Curtis High School graduate admits she’s had a lot of change in her life, especially in her academic career. She started off attending college at WWU in Bellingham but wasn’t interested in the schools’ majors. So, she pivoted closer to home to attend TCC for a year to start her nursing program. 

“There was a lot of self-doubt in switching from a four-year university to a community college,” she says. And even her parents who typically support her had their doubts. But Saucedo says she found support in this new path thanks to the mentors at Palmers who encouraged her to rewrite her own future by starting from scratch to becoming a nurse. 

“The people at Palmers were like ‘do what is best for you,’ … having that constant support was just really amazing,” she said. 

Palmer Scholars and PLU

Since the early 2000s, PLU has partnered with Palmer Scholars to bring nearly 30 students to the university. Palmer Scholars Director Jonathan Jackson ‘12 says the organization seeks to identify Scholars who are serious about creating a better life for themselves and their families with post-secondary education. 

“Our Scholars possess the grit and determination to excel in a post-secondary program; what they lack is the necessary information, resources, and a support network to aid them in reaching their goal,” he said. “We aim to provide them with the tools and resources needed to successfully navigate higher education and transition into a family-wage career. This partnership with PLU not only helps to alleviate the financial burden for our Scholars, it provides them with additional support and connection to like-minded peers as they progress through their degree program. Just as Palmer Scholars is more than just a scholarship, this partnership is about much more than financial aid.” 

The scholarship is what enabled Saucedo to be able to attend PLU. She says she didn’t have the financial support she needed to attend but didn’t want to miss out on a chance to study in the prestigious program. 

At PLU, Saucedo says she learned about more than how to be a nurse. She says she thrived in her general education and religious courses and became inspired when she met English Professor Adela Ramos. 

“I am Latina and had never seen a Latina professor before. Walking into her office was like walking into my home it was just so beautiful,” Saucedo says. “Her class kicked my butt! I had never thought that deeply about things before.”

Saucedo may have felt challenged in the classroom, but Ramos says she noticed in Saucedo a tenacity and an open-mindedness for her fellow classmates, attributes that helped her to thrive in college.

“Although she got excellent grades, it was clear to me that she was not in class for just the grade but to learn and seek new connections,” Ramos said. “When she finds herself outside of her comfort zone, she reaches out and asks questions as well as taking advantage of opportunities to receive feedback and think through her ideas. In addition, Samantha was extremely organized and self-aware about what she needed in order to thrive. These are skills Samantha was able to use in order to reach her goals.”

A Stronger Partnership

In January, it was announced that PLU and Palmer Scholars would be growing the partnership. With this new agreement, PLU will provide accepted students a dollar-for-dollar match of scholarships awarded by Palmer Scholars. These students will be guaranteed a $3,000 Palmer Scholars Scholarship and a $3,000 PLU Scholarship on top of any merit or need-based scholarships they qualify for as well as one full-tuition scholarship annually. 

“What is most exciting for me is the community-building aspect of the partnership,” Jackson said. “Finding your place and feeling a sense of community on a college campus is difficult, especially for students of color attending a predominantly white institution. The fact that our Scholars will arrive on campus with a community of similarly situated student leaders is everything.”

Saucedo says she found that connection with professors, students and Palmer mentors. While reflecting on her journey to become a nurse, she expressed gratitude toward the program donors for helping her realize this dream.   

“They are not investing in an organization, they are investing in the lives of students and they are investing in futures,” Saucedo says. “They are investing in giving students an opportunity to be encouraged and supported in more ways than just financial. I think that’s one big difference between Palmers and other scholarship opportunities that they provide that mentorship and that consistency throughout the years.”

Today, Saucedo keeps busy with her work at the Mayo Clinic. She also has big dreams to one day start her own wellness coaching company specifically for healthcare workers. 

“I really love mindfulness, and journaling, and meditation,” Saucedo said. “So, I’m really hoping to start a business where I can specifically work with new nurses to really formulate a practice that is encompassing to self-care and promoting health not only with their patients but also with themselves.” 

This business includes helping create a curriculum breaking down barriers for diversity, equity and inclusion between healthcare workers and their patients.

“I think there’s a lot of history that hasn’t really been touched, unfortunately, and a lot of the biases that we are seeing in healthcare today kind of relate to that history,” she said, “… so I’m just hoping to be a mentor and teacher to new nurses so they can start their practice off on the right foot.”

Because if anyone understands the importance of finding your footing when starting down a new path, it’s this PLU alum. 

This article originally appeared on May 3, 2021, on the PLU news site. The original article can be accessed here.

Thank you to all those who gave BOLDLY within the last week in support of students! 

You and over 115 other Lutes unlocked almost $60,000 in matching gifts, and you got us that much closer to our student scholarship goal! Your gift will provide new change-makers with the scholarships they need. 

If you haven’t given yet, you can still support student scholarships and have your impact TRIPLED while the match lasts! We’ll be extending what’s left of the generous $2-for$1 matching gift through May 31 but don’t expect it to last that long. 

Thank you for giving, if you haven’t already! 

Great news! Lutes have fully completed the Kittilsby’s dollar-for-dollar match. Because of this, a last FINAL match from a generous anonymous donor has just been unlocked. And this last match is matching $2 for every $1 given up to $50,000. Your gift of $10 will become $30 for scholarships, $100 will become $300, $1,000 will become $3,000. 

Your gift of any size will make a difference for students and be TRIPLED right now while this final match lasts! If you haven’t had a chance to invest in students yet this spring, now’s the time. GiveBOLDLY and have TRIPLE the impact!  

Thank you to all of the Lutes who have already Boldly Invested in Change-Makers this spring! You are supporting the thoughtful, well-positioned, well-educated leaders that our world needs. 

Today, we’re releasing a special match for this fundraiser — and we’d like your help to spread the word! 

Will you invite others to invest in change-makers like you have? You can use the Share and Tweet buttons on the giving page.

Right now, gifts of ANY size will be matched dollar for dollar up to $10,000 thanks to a generous gift from alumni Lisa ’84 and Tim Kittilsby ’84. 

You’ve already generously supported students. Don’t miss this opportunity to invite others to do the same and have their gift matched. We can do more for students and our world when we all come together. 

Thank you for already giving — and thank you for spreading the word for even greater impact!

A native of Yemen, Abdulghani Mosa ‘23 had no idea what his future would hold when he moved to Tacoma in 2012.

“Moving here, everything changed,” said Mosa, who was 12 years old when he and his family joined his father who was already living in the states. “The culture was different, school, religion ... even the houses and trees. It’s like a different world.”

Early on, Mosa struggled at Foss High School in Tacoma and didn’t think college would be an option for him, so he set his sights on applying to be a seaman with the coast guard. Even with this plan, Mosa applied for college scholarships, at the encouragement of his high school counselors. Days before he enlisted into the Marines, Mosa learned he was the recipient of an Act Six Scholarship, a leadership program that connects local students with faith- and social justice-based colleges to equip 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 because it helps us get educated and helps us to reach our dreams and to be leaders in our community.” 

Today Mosa is a business administration major with a concentration in accounting. He plans to pursue a career in law enforcement. He credits Act Six with helping him get through his first year in college.

“I came from a family where no one attended college, I’m the first generation,” Mosa said. “I struggled a lot —I struggled due to my English. I used my mentor, Miss Melanie… I turned to her and she helped me a lot. She connected me to all the resources on campus, all the things that make me be successful. I was about to quit, but Act Six believed in me.”

An initiative of a Tacoma-based nonprofit called Degrees of Change, PLU is one of just five Act Six affiliated universities. PLU has partnered with the program since 2007 and enrolled and graduated more than 90 scholars. Director of Multicultural Outreach and Engagement Melannie Cunningham oversees the program on the PLU campus. Students, like Mosa, are able to attend PLU and receive leadership training, academic preparation and mentorship. They are also required to give back to the community through acts of service. 

After getting over the hurdle of being accepted and paying for college, Mosa now faced a new obstacle. Since English was his second language, he was finding the coursework difficult and was failing a required writing course. He credits the support of Cunningham and fellow Act Six peers for helping him during those early days. He reached out to Cunningham and told her he was failing and was considering dropping out. Mosa says she told him he would not be dropping out. “She said ‘No, no you are not. You are not the first one or the last one to fail that class.’ ”  

Instead, she connected him with his academic advisor Austin Beiermann, who encouraged him to retake the class with a different professor. 

“My job is to train them up so they can fiercely advocate for themselves in these spaces where they don’t find people who look like them,” Cunningham said of Mosa and the Act Six students she oversees. “I just try to keep them centered and remind them of their purpose.” 

Mosa’s Act Six cadre, a group of PLU students who enter the program together in their first-years, also encouraged him to retake the class and shared their own struggles in the classroom. Eventually, he did retake that course.

“I get an A-minus,” he says proudly. “It was harder, but I tried. I learned that if you work hard you will get it. I’m really thankful I’m in Act Six. They help me a lot.”

With the support of Act Six, Mosa made the Dean’s List and found the confidence to believe in himself. He has plans of pursuing law enforcement after graduation. For now, he spends his time studying, participating in campus clubs, and volunteering at the PLU Food Pantry. 

“I am really grateful for all that Act Six has provided,” Mosa said. “It helped me connect to professional leaders … and helped to train me and provide me with strategies to help me succeed in my college career and in my future career.”

This article originally appeared on April 27, 2021, on the PLU news site. The original article can be accessed here. 

PARKLAND, Wash.— Students representing the Yakima and Grandview area were chosen as Pacific Lutheran University Act Six Scholars. The students were named after completing a rigorous selection process to find the region’s most promising urban and community leaders. 

The students selected include:

Yakima School District
o Yanelly Gurrola Anaya (A.C. Davis High School)
o Marillyn Diaz (Eisenhower High School)
o Cori Birrueta (Toppenish High School)
o Britney Pinon (Toppenish High School)

Grandview School District
o Alondra Mendoza (Grandview High School)

As Act Six Scholars, these students will receive a full-tuition, full-need scholarship and join a diverse, multicultural cadre of fellow leaders who receive training and mentorship before and throughout their time at PLU. Act Six Scholars bring their talents and experience to lead and serve in all facets of campus life, and after graduation, these graduates lead with excellence and inclusion to make a difference in their communities.

PARKLAND, Wash.— Students representing various parts of the Seattle and Tacoma area were chosen as Pacific Lutheran University Act Six Scholars. The students were named after completing a rigorous selection process to find the region’s most promising urban and community leaders. 

The students selected include:

Clover Park School District
o Elvis Ndungu (Clover Park High School)
o Yajaira Gonzalez-Aparicio (Clover Park High School)
o Jaylyn Kerley (Harrison Preparatory School)

Tacoma School District
o Ana Collazo (Lincoln High School) 
o Anthony Angel (Mt. Tahoma High School) 
o Joshua Jimenez (Bellarmine Preparatory School).

Fife Public School District
o Lilybeth Esau (Fife High School)

As Act Six Scholars, these students will receive a full-tuition, full-need scholarship and join a diverse, multicultural cadre of fellow leaders who receive training and mentorship before and throughout their time at PLU. Act Six Scholars bring their talents and experience to lead and serve in all facets of campus life, and after graduation, these graduates lead with excellence and inclusion to make a difference in their communities. 

When it came time to find a college, Andre Jones ‘22 had options. He considered attending a historically black college or university, like Howard University or Morehouse College. Fortunately for PLU, the Tukwila, Washington native found himself pulled closer to home. His choice of schools narrowed after he was awarded an Act Six Scholarship. PLU is one of five universities affiliated with the program that offers leadership training and scholarships for emerging urban and community leaders.

“One of my mentors in high school was an Act Six recipient,” Jones said. “But they left my freshman year, so I was never introduced to  PLU or Act Six until my senior year.” 

After learning more about the university located just 30 miles south of him, he decided it was the school for him. Aside from having the major he wanted to pursue, it was far enough away from Tukwila to feel like he was going off to college, but close enough to home that he could easily return for visits. 

Founded and run by the Tacoma-based nonprofit Degrees of Change, the Act Six program identifies and rewards scholars who are passionate about learning, eager to foster intercultural relationships, willing to step out of their comfort zones, committed to serving those around them, and want to use their college education to make a difference on campus and in their communities at home.

“Just their presence in the classroom brings a diverse perspective,” Melannie Cunningham, director of multicultural outreach and engagement at PLU, said of Act Six Scholars at PLU. “I look at the group of students we have and every one of them is unique in their own way — they have some amazing qualities.”

A graduate of Foster High School in Tukwila, Jones is majoring in Global Studies with a minor in Hispanic studies. During his time at PLU, he has studied abroad in Mexico and has been involved in a number of clubs, including the Black Student Union and the Lute Nation step team.

Jones is an advocate for the Act Six program and says he appreciates how it brings students like him into spaces on campus that typically lack representation.  

“We take up space and we normalize (students of color) presence on campus,” he said. 

Through Act Six, Jones is building his leadership skills by engaging with the local community. Jones says he saw his leadership skills grow while participating in the Big Buddies program with local kids. 

“I grew up with my grandparents and they ran a daycare so I was always around kids and babysat,” Jones said. “I always really enjoyed working with kids, so the buddy program is where I felt comfortable. That’s where I felt my leadership was at the best.”

PLU has certainly benefited from his presence, but Jones says he has gained a lot from interacting with his fellow Act Six recipients. He credits them for snuffing his fears of studying abroad.  

“I was really scared to go study abroad, but one of the benefits of being an Act Six student is we have a cadre or cohorts,” Jones said. “Your cadre is a group of other Act Six students who support you — it’s like a family. A lot of them studied abroad and said, ‘no bro, it’s not scary, go you will have fun’ so that gave me a lot of confidence.” 

Now he’s ready to offer advice to students who are making their own decisions about college. He encourages them to not be afraid. 

“You guys aren’t alone,” he said. “A lot of my fellow cadre members, who came to college were leaving home for the first time. Everyone you meet is most likely scared as well. You’re not going to be alone when you are going through this. Whether you go to PLU, Morehouse, Howard, or whatever, it’s OK, you’re not alone.”

This article originally appeared on Feb. 2, 2021, on the PLU news site. The original article can be accessed here. 

Georjina Soliai ‘23 of Lakewood, Washington grew up less than a 15-minute drive from Pacific Lutheran University. The Clover Park High School graduate was always aware of the university, but she never really considered it an option for herself.

Soliai’s family moved to the United States in 1998 from Samoa. Her parents instilled in her and her siblings a hard work ethic, so she always knew she would go to college. Many of Soliai’s teachers at Clover Park were PLU alums and often talked to her about the school. At the same time, Soliai was growing interested in pursuing a social work degree so she could be a mentor to kids in her hometown.

“I heard about their social work program from one of my mentors from elementary school and she talked about the different classes and the different workshops and I knew that was something I was really interested in —in becoming a social worker later on,” Soliai said. “ And academics wise PLU was the best choice for the major I wanted.”

Still, as a first-generation college student, Soliai wasn’t certain how she would be able to afford college. While going through the college admissions process she learned of the Act Six Scholarship. Act Six is a leadership program that connects local community affiliates with faith- and social justice-based colleges to equip emerging urban and community leaders to engage the college campus and their communities at home. PLU is one of just five Act Six affiliated universities. Melannie Cunningham, director of multicultural outreach & engagement, helps support the Act Six students who come through PLU. 

“The Act Six students are already leaders when they come, they already have that in them,” Cunningham said. “To have them come with that energy, with that spirit and that perspective on campus mixes things up.”

After hearing about Act Six, Soliai decided to apply and was accepted into the program. This helped pave the way for her to go to PLU. 

“A lot of my friends who are in Act Six, like me, they wouldn’t be able to afford a private university like PLU,” Soliai said. “Private schools are dream schools for some kids.”

Before her freshman year began in 2019, Soliai was able to meet with other Act Six Scholars for training. Soliai credits this time in helping her cement her decision in pursuing social work. She was hesitant to choose that as her major because of the workload. But other Act Six students stepped in and encouraged her by sharing their own stories of being part of the program. The support offered by Act Six helped Soliai navigate those first months of school.

“I think it definitely had a really big impact on my transition,” Soliai said. “Coming into college, unless you have friends going with you, you don’t really know much. Coming in new and having the Act Six group take you under their wing —they were like your big buddy and It was nice to have a set community that you automatically belonged to.”

Founded and run by the Tacoma-based nonprofit Degrees of Change, the Act Six program identifies and rewards scholars who are passionate about learning, eager to foster intercultural relationships, willing to step out of their comfort zones, committed to serving those around them, and want to use their college education to make a difference on campus and in their communities at home.

Since coming to PLU, Soliai has been active in many clubs and even played for the Lutes Softball team. She says PLU has given her a stronger sense of who she is and what she believes in.

“PLU has changed me,” she said. “I wasn’t the kind of person who advocated for what I believed in, but at PLU they really emphasize vocation or finding your voice … I’ve become more aware of my values and the community that I want to represent.”

That community is her neighborhood in Lakewood, Washington. She understands the needs of the area and hopes she can return to give back.

“I’m from the Woodbrook area outside of Ft. Lewis,” she said. “I want to come back to Woodbrook, to show these kids that you can get out. You can branch out and succeed.”

This article originally appeared on Dec. 14, 2020, on the PLU news site. The original article can be accessed here. 

Pacific Lutheran University and Palmer Scholars are expanding their partnership to better serve students of color in Pierce County. For many years, Palmer Scholars have chosen PLU as their top private school choice. Since 2016, PLU has accepted 19 Scholars and has nine currently enrolled.

To continue to support these students PLU and Palmer Scholars will begin offering qualified students financial assistance, on-campus support and leadership development to assist them as they work toward graduation. 

“I am beyond excited to enter this incredible new partnership with PLU, enabling us to provide our Scholars with stronger financial assistance packages as well as intentional on-campus support and leadership development,” Jonathan Jackson, Palmer Scholars executive director, said. “Having earned both my BA and MBA from PLU myself, I know the value of a PLU education and where it can take you professionally. I couldn’t be more proud of my alma mater for investing in these future leaders!”

With this new agreement, PLU will provide accepted students a dollar-for-dollar match of scholarships awarded by Palmer Scholars. These students will be guaranteed a $3,000 Palmer Scholars Scholarship and a $3,000 PLU Scholarship on top of any merit or need-based scholarships they qualify for. 

“We are pleased and honored to partner with Palmer Scholars,” PLU President Allan Belton said. “We share the organization’s vision for breaking down barriers for students and equipping them to become change-makers in the community.” 

Palmer Scholars’ mission to assist local students of color to pursue a higher education aligns with PLU’s own goal to educate students for lives of thoughtful inquiry, service, leadership and care. Initially launched in 1983, Palmer Scholars has served more than 600 young adults throughout Pierce County. 

This article originally appeared on Jan. 11, 2021, on the PLU news site. The original article can be accessed here. 

The deadline to be considered for the Palmer Scholars opportunity for the 2021-2022 academic year has passed, but students who are interested in attending PLU can still reach out to PLU Admissions. 

Pacific Lutheran University has announced the expansion of the Act Six Scholarship to Yakima Valley students, broadening the reach of this highly successful full-tuition, full-need scholarship partnership.
 
Act Six, a leadership and scholarship program that connects local community affiliates with faith- and social justice-based colleges, is making $240,000 available to Yakima area students to attend PLU. 
 
“As someone who grew up in the Yakima Valley, I know firsthand that community is full of young people who are passionate about learning, justice, and equity, and who are eager to make a positive difference,” said PLU President Allan Belton, himself a first-generation college student. “The expansion of the Act Six Scholarship to that region represents an invaluable financial and organizational support system to help students from Yakima attend and succeed at PLU.”
 
PLU has partnered with Act Six since 2007 and enrolled and graduated more than 90 scholars. The expansion into the Yakima Valley means students will have an opportunity to attend PLU and receive leadership training, academic preparation, mentorship, and give back to the community through acts of service. 
 
“I truly believe that students in the Yakima Valley have the drive and passion for higher education and that with the right opportunity they will thrive,” said Amber Ortiz-Diaz, Yakima Valley Community Foundation program director. “This partnership allows for Act Six Yakima to be able to extend our services to students who are interested in venturing out to receive their college education in hopes to return to Yakima to create positive change. I am so grateful that we have college partners who believe in this mission as well and believe that our next generation of leaders are here in the Yakima Valley.”
 
Act Six scholars who attend PLU have a graduation rate of 87 percent, and 67 percent of students are first-generation college students. Founded and run by a Tacoma-based nonprofit Degrees of Change, the Act Six program identifies and rewards scholars who are passionate about learning, eager to foster intercultural relationships, willing to step out of their comfort zones, committed to serving those around them, and want to use their college education to make a difference on campus and in their communities at home. 

This article originally appeared on Nov. 10, 2020, on the PLU news site. The original article can be accessed here. 

The deadline for Yakima students to apply for the Act Six opportunity for the 2021-2022 academic year has passed, but students from Yakima who are interested in attending PLU can still reach out to PLU Admissions.