Nola Thury ’22 is an advocate for immigrant rights and incarcerated people
Nola Thury ’22 was a first-year student when they attended their first event at the Northwest Detention Center. Surprised to learn that there was a detention facility holding immigrants only a few miles from University of Puget Sound’s campus in Tacoma, Wash., Thury was determined to raise awareness of the plight of detainees and undocumented immigrants among fellow students. They became involved with the student group Advocates for Detained Voices, which works on immigrant rights issues, eventually taking on a leadership position, effectively channeling their passion into action.
“My sophomore year, the Tacoma City Council was debating new regulations around the detention center, so we worked with Puget Sound Outdoors to organize a bike ride down to the city council meeting,” Thury recalls. “It was powerful to have the floor for two minutes to speak up as students and make an impact.”