On a cloudy Saturday morning, the Washington Corrections Center for Women in Gig Harbor buzzed with an unusual air of celebration. The atmosphere inside the prison walls was energetic and hopeful as the University of Puget Sound and the Freedom Education Project Puget Sound (FEPPS) hosted an inaugural commencement ceremony, marking a historic moment for 10 incarcerated women who completed their Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies.
Before I get into my speech I just wanted to say that I’m so beyond grateful to be here on this stage. I invited my family here this weekend to participate in commencement activities. One thing they weren’t expecting, however, was to see me up here. For the last month or so, I’ve kept this little secret of being the Commencement Speaker, so little do you all know you were all part of a bit of a surprise today. I just wanted to extend my thanks and graciousness to them.
When finishing high school in 2014, I didn’t know what I wanted to do after I graduated, but I knew I didn’t want to stay in my hometown of Auburn, CA while I figured it out. Because of this, I joined the Army, and JBLM was my first duty station after finishing training. It meant a lot to be stationed here, as my grandfather was also assigned to Fort Lewis many years ago. I just wish he would have mentioned how much time I’d be spending trying to keep my gear dry.
University of Puget Sound student Julia Kaeppel ’24 has always been interested in computer programming. As a kid, she was a member of her elementary school robotics team and got hooked on programming in middle school as a pathway toward making video games. Kaeppel’s lifelong interest in operating systems and programming later led to an exciting research opportunity at Puget Sound.
On a recent Thursday afternoon, students in University of Puget Sound’s Connections 375: The Art & Science of Color class were split into two groups. One group combined various chemicals to produce Prussian blue—the first modern, synthetic blue pigment—while the other group foraged outside to find the ingredients to create ochre—one of the oldest naturally-derived pigments.
From Ancient Myth to Jazz History, Puget Sound provides a wide selection of Summer Term courses available in two sessions between May and July. Enrolled students have the opportunity to stay on campus for in-person or hybrid classes while experiencing summertime in Tacoma. Students can also enjoy the flexibility that fully remote courses have to offer.
Last summer, English major Rowan Baiocchi ’25 skipped the stress of making room in a semester schedule by knocking out their core curriculum requirements in math and science through summer course offerings.
When Logan Day ’15 first set foot at the University of Puget Sound with plans of playing baseball and becoming an English teacher, he had no idea he would find himself working for a renewable energy start-up company. After switching majors a few times, Day graduated with a double major in business and comparative sociology. Employment brought him to Portland, Oregon where he landed a job in the human resources department at Nike thanks to a connection from another Puget Sound alum.
