If you wander through the city of Tacoma, you’ll likely come across a small garden tucked into the corner of a neighborhood, on the edge of a park, or behind a church, overflowing with tomatoes, peas, and zucchini. These community gardens, tended by volunteers, aren’t just for show. They’re a critical piece of Pierce County’s food network and could be a powerful tool in reducing food insecurity.

This summer, a small group of University of Puget Sound students spent a week backpacking across the Olympic Peninsula, challenging themselves physically and mentally—and learning about the ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest in the process.

It’s a warm summer day alongside Fryingpan Creek as Paige Shinall ’25 climbs into a pair of waders and prepares to step into the water. Moving carefully to avoid being swept away with the current, she places a flow meter into the water at set points across the width of the creek and shouts back measurements to Gwen Lindberg ’25, who is perched on a rock at the water’s edge with a pencil and notebook, recording the stream’s velocity, depth, and width.

Once every two years, a small group of Puget Sound students studying geology spend one to two weeks immersed in rigorous experiential learning on trips known as Georneys—pronounced “journeys” with a nod to the geological sciences. On these trips, students get to do hands-on science, learn from experts, and experience some of the most stunning geology on the planet. Since 2007, students have visited Ecuador, Hawai`i, Iceland, New Zealand, and Tanzania.

For nearly 30 years, Repertory Dance Group (RDG) has provided students at University of Puget Sound the opportunity to express themselves through dance. Unlike other college dance programs, RDG is noncompetitive—any student can audition and everyone is offered a chance to perform regardless of skill level. RDG is also the largest student group on campus, drawing participants from across the campus community. Each year's programming culminates in a show during the spring semester that features all 140 student dancers.

Megan Mooney ’23 stepped onto campus in 2019 a declared biology major—unusual, since students usually take the first year to decide—and high expectations for her college career. The valedictorian of her high school in Arvada, Colo., Mooney was determined to do just as well, if not better, at Puget Sound. “I just hit the ground running,” says Mooney on a bright April afternoon, sitting in the courtyard outside Oppenheimer Café.

Growing up in Portland, Ore., Bella Rodriguez ’24 was struck by the absence of Latino stories in the narrative of the city’s history. It wasn’t until she started studying history, environmental policy and decision making, and Latina/o studies at University of Puget Sound that she started to ask questions about the history of Latinos in her hometown. That curiosity led her to dig deep into the city’s complicated racial history and uncover the story of the Cuban refugee community that sprang up almost overnight in the 1960s.

Brett Kolb’s breakout freshman swim season came with an odd aftermath: He couldn’t keep hydrated.

Kolb ’23 would go to the Diner on campus and drink a 64-ounce cup of water. Then another. And another. He didn’t think much of it, or of the numerous nightly bathroom trips, figuring he was recovering from a hard season. Weeks later, he mentioned it to his roommate’s mother—a nurse—who urged him to get checked for diabetes.

Every year, University of Puget Sound students are selected to receive highly competitive grants, awards, scholarships, and fellowships which enable them to continue their educations and dive deeper into their fields of expertise. This year is no different, with nine Loggers being named semi-finalists for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, including four finalists for the award and one alternate.

Long before she had heard the term “sustainability,” Kaylynn O’Curran ’23 was obsessed with recycling. She wanted to live a lifestyle as close to zero-waste as possible, so she did her research on products to minimize her impact on the planet and try to be a conscious consumer. She felt good about her choices, but when she started studying at University of Puget Sound, she quickly learned that addressing climate change requires more than individuals making sustainable choices—it demands wide-ranging changes on a collective scale.