So in 2011—one year after his retirement from General Electric—the longtime clarinetist founded the Seattle Wind Symphony, an all-volunteer group of mostly professional musicians whose concerts feature top musical guests from around the country.
More than a decade later, Kern, 83, who served as symphony president until 2018 and is now president emeritus, is proud the symphony has found the dedicated audience he believed would embrace it.
Whether he was working with legislators on key educational issues as part of the U.S. National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) or helping University of Puget Sound students just beginning their collegiate journey, Pietenpol’s desire to help others has been unyielding.
And to think, it all started with a food and safety committee.
Vincent Maurer, who felt drained due to a demanding career in healthcare and the death of his sister, hadn’t ridden since he was a teenager, but as soon as he was back on the bike, he felt his burdens disappear. “It was just this therapeutic thing that was incredibly freeing,” he recalls. “It made me feel like I was a kid all over again.”
She volunteered at a local zoo in her hometown of San Jose, Calif., thinking she was interested in being a veterinarian, but later shifted her focus to human health. As a second-year Matelich Scholar at Puget Sound, Jiang was accepted to a prestigious medical school through an accelerated pathway with support from staff in Puget Sound’s Health Professions Advising program. But it was an internship with the Neighborhood Clinic in Tacoma that solidified her passion for helping patients navigate the complex world of healthcare.
When Maddie Hanses ’20 was visiting Germany in 2019 as part of the Connections 330 course—Finding Germany: Memory, History, and Identity in Berlin—she was intrigued by the Stolpersteine, or Stumbling Stones, that she had learned about in class from Associate Professor Kris Imbrigotta. These four-inch concrete cubes, which are inscribed with the name and life dates of victims of Nazi extermination or persecution, commemorate the last place a person chose freely to live, work, or learn. Hanses said she looked for them wherever they travelled.
Good afternoon, Class of 2025, faculty, family, and friends.
Today, we celebrate not just an achievement but a transition, a moment where we take everything we’ve learned at Puget Sound and step into the world beyond. Over the years, we’ve challenged ourselves, expanded our perspectives, and grown into the people we are today. As we look to new opportunities and uncertainties, I want to remind each of you: we are ready.
Ryan Payton’s career path is a lot like the acclaimed video games he’s spent the last 20 years developing. It’s been a long and winding journey with plenty of obstacles, but Payton has never been one to play on easy mode. Through it all, he’s demonstrated grit, adaptability, and perseverance to get where he wants to go.
Long before he stood onstage at The Game Awards, Payton found his voice as a storyteller in a high school Honors English class.
