It’s been yet another incredible year at the University of Puget Sound. From launching innovative new programs to celebrating the accomplishments of our students, faculty, staff, and alumni, there are so many Logger stories that highlight the power of a liberal arts education to transform lives. Here are 10 stories from 2025 that you may have missed.
Sophie Billadeau ’29, a first-year student from Minnetonka, Minnesota, is quickly building a memorable college experience at the University of Puget Sound. A graduate of a small charter school where she was involved in theater and served as president of the National Honor Society, she’s wasted no time in immersing herself in campus life as a member of the university's Honors Program in Consciousness, Creativity, and Meaning.
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.
The University of Puget Sound’s Taiko drumming club was not just an extracurricular activity for Lev Jersan '26 — it was a primary reason he chose to apply.
His journey from Missouri to Washington is a great example of the Puget Sound experience. It’s the opportunity to find a deep sense of community and fully invest in a passion. The Taiko club, known as Yume Daiko, serves as a home for students of all backgrounds, from those like Jersan who sought it out for years, to those who simply walk in curious, never having heard about it at all before.
The University of Puget Sound is proud to announce the launch of its new Hybrid Master of Education (MEd) Counseling Program, strategically designed to fill a widening gap in regional clinical mental health and school counseling education and provide aspiring counseling professionals with the flexibility and accessibility to advance their careers while balancing work and personal commitments.
