By Clint Kelly (ckelly@spu.edu) and Hannah Notess (hnotess@spu.edu)| Photos by Sarah and Chris Rhoads
Scores of Seattle Pacific University alumni, students, staff, and faculty live and work in the city, an urban world from which they draw energy, connection, and opportunity.
To them, it is much more than a place to shop, seek entertainment, or conduct busiÂness. It is a lifestyle choice to be within walking distance of the grocer, the restaurant, or the pharmacy. Invigorating them is the cityâs diversity of humanity, its ever Âchanging panorama of interests, its vibrant âhum.â Seattle has the added dimension of being a place where the city meets the sea. It is a place where art abounds and music is born, a place where innovation and technology lead the nations.
And what of the cityâs homelessness and brokenness? In great numbers, the people of Seattle Pacific help those in pain and poverty through a wide range of involvements that includes medicine, education, legislation, science, and the arts.
Meet nine individuals who hold °”ÍűTV and the city of Seattle in common. They impact the city from every corner of a metropolitan area that is home to more than 3.5 million people. They pursue their jobs with purpose and a range of gifts and talents as varied as the city they serve. Each embodies the truth of Shakespeareâs timeless question: âWhat is the city but the people?â

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Fashion in a Changing Neighborhood
Stephanie Kaldestad â05, Owner of Ketch Boutique, Ballard
Growing up, Stephanie Kaldestad never saw Ballard as a fashion mecca. It was just the neighborhood where her grandparents lived and her dad worked at the shipyard. But when she wanted to open her clothing boutique, the mix of old and new shops and restaurants on Ballard Avenue âjust felt right.â The store also carries a line of T-shirts designed by Kaldestadâs °”ÍűTV roommate, Kelsie Moe McGee â05.
Helping Students Succeed
Emma Hong M.Ed. â08, School Counselor, Broadview-Thomson Kâ8 School, Seattle School District, Bitter Lake
There are 20 different languages spoken among the families of Broadview-Thomsonâs 780 students.
Emma Hongâs job? Be a link between school and family, and help engage family members in their studentsâ academic success. With a high number of students who have limited resources, she looks for all the allies she can find. âMy work helps to level the playing field,â she says.

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Daisy Hien Nguyen
Tweets From the Needle
Daisy Hien Nguyen, °”ÍűTV Senior and Social Media Intern, Seattle Center Foundation, Queen Anne
The 1962 Seattle Worldâs Fair showcased the latest technology, from the monorail to the personal gyrocopter. As Seattle Center prepares to celebrate the Fairâs 50th, theyâll be using 21st-century social media technology, thanks to communication major Daisy Hien Nguyen. Last fall, as part of her internship, Nguyen trained Seattle Center staff to use Facebook and Twitter to connect with the public. Now, Nguyen volunteers at the Center.

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Sandra Hartje
Design for All Ages and Abilities
Sandra Hartje, °”ÍűTV Professor of Interior Design and Housing, Home Site, Green Lake
When Sandra Hartje asks the students in her âUniversal Designâ course for whom they want to design homes, they say, âEverybody.â Then she takes them on a field trip to the house of an architect who serves with her on the Northwest Universal Design Council.
Following guidelines developed from Hartjeâs research, the home has a stepless entrance, wide doorways, and built-in elevator shafts. The house was designed for people of varying ages and abilities. âIt changes studentsâ perception of âeverybody,ââ she says.

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Garrick Pang
Mentoring Future Footballers
Garrick Pang â86, Executive Director of Kingdom Hope, Magnuson Park
Garrick Pang knows people. Because of his passion for soccer, and because he has coached and played soccer in 25 countries, it just makes sense that he should be the executive director of Kingdom Hope. Started by Seattle Sounders FC striker Steve Zakuani âto inspire greatness through soccer,â Kingdom Hope works with underserved populations through soccer clinics and camps to help kids âachieve their God-given potential.â

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Steve Paulsen
Police Work: âA People Businessâ
Steve Paulsen â83, Police Captain, Seattle Police Department, Southwest Precinct, West Seattle
In 26 years, Steve Paulsen has served all five Seattle precincts. The 90 officers now in his command keep the peace in West Seattle, a precinct of 95,000 people. The psychology alumnus joined law enforcement two years after graduation. â°”ÍűTV taught me the importance of relationships,â he says. âItâs not how strong you are or how good a shot; itâs how you talk to people.â

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Donna Tucker
A Source of Good Judgment
Donna Tucker â80, King County District Court Judge, King County Courthouse, Downtown
An experienced lawyer, public defender, and judge pro tem, Donna Tucker was elected in 2010. She says her °”ÍűTV education taught her to have an open mind and to think critically. âWhen a defendant in drug court knows the judge cares, they take hope,â she says. âIâm not there simply to inflict punishment. I know they can get it right.â

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Tanisha Hanson
A Place of Hope for Families
Tanisha Hanson, °”ÍűTV Junior and Urban Involvement Coordinator, Hope Place, Rainier Valley
âThe city shows me that homeless people are regular people,â says sociology major Tanisha Hanson.
She volunteers at Hope Place, transitional housing provided by Seattleâs Union Gospel Mission. There, children leave the streets with their mothers to sleep in a real bed â sometimes their first. Hanson also coordinates Urban Involvement, where °”ÍűTV students serve others through various city ministries.

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Tim Nelson
Making a Stink °”ÍűTV Algae
Tim Nelson, °”ÍűTV Professor of Biology, Alki Point, West Seattle
Excessive algal blooms in urban Puget Sound send Tim Nelson diving for answers. Along the urban shoreline, he has sampled the algae and recorded factors such as nutrient source, topography, and light exposure. He regularly uses Alki Point as a comparison site, since it doesnât have substantial algal blooms.
Why is Nelson so vigilant? Severe algal concentrations are messy and smelly â and have released sufficient toxic hydrogen sulfide to kill animals and perhaps even humans.

