Our Future Is Waiting

Sports have always been a core part of Kaila Bonawitz’s identity. Growing up in an athletic family first in Hawai`i and later in Washington, she played soccer and volleyball, but an ACL and meniscus injury threw her plans of pursuing college athletics in doubt. She recovered, but had to switch gears to a new sport — golf. It was a decision that would ultimately lead her to the University of Puget Sound.

It all started with a work-study job during Iliana Barnes Diaz’s first semester at the University of Puget Sound. She was tasked with raising voter engagement on campus — a daunting challenge for a first-year student who had only just become eligible to vote.

During his internship in an acute psychiatric care facility, University of Puget Sound Occupational Therapy student Conner Kankelborg OTD’25 noticed Indigenous patients falling through the cracks of the healthcare system.

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.