News, Media and Stories

Public health major Sara Davidson '16 seeks to make healthy foods more available, and more useful, to those in need.
An environmental studies: policy, culture and society major, Isabella Barcellona '16 researched the factors that make sustainable, affordable housing possible in the Portland area. "I want to continue with the advocacy," she said.
Young children walking out front of the school house.
A deeply involved member of Pacific University’s Student Religious Council, Fran O’Brien '65 had a fundamental belief in social justice. It was that belief that led her to become the only Pacific University student to participate in the Freedom Summer of 1964.
Tiny House with Owners
Jeremy Parkinson ’16 suspects that his senior project may have been one of Pacific University’s most expensive. At nearly $8,000, the tiny house that he built as his sustainable design capstone came in under budget — but still well above what most students invest in their projects.
Malea Johnson DHS '14
Oral health affects the whole body — which is why Malea Johnson DHS ‘14 is integrating dental care with medical care for Colorado’s rural residents.
Janelle Jones '08, OT '11
Janelle Jones ’11, OT ’14 spends her days helping people find the way to a new life. As an occupational therapist at Oregon State Hospital, Jones works in the state-run psychiatric hospital’s Bridges program. That means she works primarily with individuals who have been found guilty-except-for-insanity in a criminal case and who are now preparing to transition out of a hospital setting.
Rachel Seibert smiling working.
Rachel Seibert BSW '12 was called to medical social work — and to Randall Children’s Hospital — by personal experience. At 18, she was in an accident that nearly claimed her life. She was treated at Randall for more than two years by some of the same people who are, today, her colleagues.
Today, though, Pacific’s School of Professional Psychology partners with other health professions programs at Pacific, such as occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech-language pathology, as well as the nearby National College of Natural Medicine, whose students and faculty provide comprehensive healthcare services.
Jada and Jordan Smiling together
Zoey Mendoza Zimmerman '95 lived through the worst a parent can imagine. In 2010, her husband shot and killed their two children and then himself. In the past five years, she has struggled to live with grief and open her heart to the future— while holding on to her children's memories and helping other grieving parents do the same.
Diane smiling into camera
Diane Lebowitz '16 is an education major who is minoring in Japanese and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). At Pacific, she has found opportunities to live her passion while learning for the future.

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