Pacific University

Derek Brown '98, MAT '99, says leadership "was a powerful idea for me." His career as an educator, policy setter, officer and musician illustrates that.

Samantha Trulock ’14, known professionally as Sam Tru, has attracted attention for Cycle, her 2020 debut. The album made it to the second round of selection for the 2020 Grammys in the categories for Album of the Year, Best New Artist, Best Pop Solo Performance and Song of the Year, for “Let Me Down Easy.”

When he attended Pacific, Jeremie Murfin didn’t necessarily see himself as an entrepreneur. First he was a teacher, but as opportunities emerged, he seized them, and then persevered through various business challenges and setbacks. He now finds himself as part owner of a Hillsboro, Ore.,-based music business that has thrived even during a pandemic.

Joshua Pearl' 19 learned about the therapeutics of music in the hardest possible way: He was afflicted with an autoimmune disease that caused him severe pain. He turned to the piano as a form of treatment, and it helped lessen the need for painkillers he had been prescribed. Recognizing that music could do for others what it did for him, Pearl became a music therapist.

From playing in Sarajevo as bombs fell to conducting in Forest Grove, Dijana Ihas's journey as a musician has been remarkable.

Dijana Ihas, an associate professor in the Pacific University Music Department, was honored as Oregon Music Educator of the Year by the Oregon Music Education Association at its annual meeting in January. 

A 1942 headline in The Campus, the undergraduate newspaper of City College of New York, set the tone: “First Female Invades Tech School Faculty,” it blared. Cecilie Froehlich led Pacific's math department until 1970 and was an outspoken advocate for recruiting women into the fields of math and engineering.

Writing music gives youth opportunity to create and connect.

Music therapy major Andrea Eitner '17 explores the uses of music therapy in the NICU — and finds a career aspiration.

Computer science and music offer the best of both worlds.

Jeffrey Williams '93 came to Pacific on a music scholarship. The "Pacific experience," however, gave him the tools to pursue his dream career in law enforcement.

Amber Patton '14 finds new talent, new perspectives while studying abroad in Ireland.