Stories to be featured on the Future Undergraduate Students audience page
When Emily Mitchell ’23 arrived in Kyoto, Japan, for 12 months of intensive language study, she carried more than a suitcase. As the University of Puget Sound’s Miki Memorial Scholar, she represented the university in a program designed to strengthen cultural understanding and friendship between Japan and the United States.
It wasn't a fictional plot twist but a real-life 19th-century cold case that had Mia Steiner ’27 and her classmates huddled around a whiteboard, mapping out suspects and motives. The students were investigating the infamous 1880 Donnelly family murders — an unsolved case that took place in Canada more than a century ago. Their work was part of a Puget Sound class, Murder and Mayhem Under the Microscope, taught by Amy Fisher, professor of Science, Technology, Health, and Society.
Everywhere Anna Dery ’27 looks, she sees stories waiting to be told. As a student at the University of Puget Sound double majoring in art history and economics and minoring in Spanish, Dery has spent her college career seeking out new opportunities to learn and grow. Whether studying abroad in Denmark, telling stories on her radio show, or starting a club for runners, Dery continues to find creative ways to express herself while building community.
University of Puget Sound has been recognized for its strong commitment to environmental responsibility and sustainability in The Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges: 2026 Edition.
The University of Puget Sound will host a powerful residency with New York’s Reentry Theater of Harlem (RTH), bringing its innovative, arts-based approach to justice and rehabilitation to campus from Oct. 20 to Nov. 17. The visit, featuring RTH founder Alex Anderson and assistant art director Rory Anderson and Arts educator Charanya Ramakrishnan, is a major initiative of the university’s Mellon Foundation-funded project to reimagine justice through the humanities.
For Tdohasan Chastang Sunray ’27, the summer wasn't about rest — it was about giving back. The University of Puget Sound English major spent his summer in the realm of creative writing, embarking on a mission to inspire the next generation of storytellers throughout the state of Oklahoma. Funded by a Matelich Summer Challenge Grant, the project was his way of serving a part of his community often overlooked.
The University of Puget Sound is one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduates, according to The Princeton Review. The education services company featured Puget Sound in the 2026 edition of its annual college guide, The Best 391 Colleges.
As a Fulbright scholar at Western Sydney University, Kyra Lee ’24 spends her days developing brain-inspired technologies that could one day reshape healthcare and robotics.
At the university’s International Centre for Neuromorphic Systems, Lee is part of a research team designing neuromorphic systems — computing technologies modeled after the human brain. These bio-inspired tools could improve machine learning, enhance robotic responsiveness, and expand how artificial intelligence supports patient care.
