Stacy Vance '03 Touches the Sky

Some 520 feet in the air the view of downtown Seattle blossoms to perfection.

After climbing the 832 steps — 98 flights — of the Space Needle, it was a view Stacy Vance ’03 couldn’t help but enjoy.

Vance participated in the Base2Space climb, an annual cancer research fundraising event hosted by the Space Needle Foundation and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

“Fred Hutch is really close to my heart,” Vance said. “My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer a little more than a year ago and her journey has been threaded with Fred Hutch and all the work they do.

“In addition, right before the race in early October we found that my dad had been diagnosed with lung cancer. There was a personal connection, having it be a cause that I really wanted to participate in, and it was also a really unique opportunity.”

Vance has always been an active member of her community. As a Pacific student, she majored in journalism, played volleyball, worked as an editor for The Index and in the university’s Marketing & Communications Office, studied abroad, and was a member of Delta Chi Delta and president of the French Club president.

“I tried to take as much advantage of everything that was offered to me that I could while I was at Pacific,” she said. “I have always felt that I made the right decision by attending Pacific,” Vance said. “It was where I was meant to be.”

Since Pacific, she has worked for a variety of nonprofits before “finding her place” in the financial services industry. Exploring options and taking chances was something she learned at Pacific.

“One of the best lessons I ever learned was that ‘things that matter get messy.’ It’s kind of nice to embrace the mess and to get to something better on the other side in my opinion,” she said. “For the students who might feel discouraged or who are on the fence about doing something, I would encourage them to jump in and give it a try. Things get messy, you won’t know how messy until you give it a go.”

Vance continues to “jump in.” She’s served as a member of the Pacific University Alumni Board for six years, and she still puts her all into those things that matter — like the Base2Space climb.

Though the minimum contribution to participate was $250, Vance raised more than $3,000 for the cause, earning her a place as one of the top fundraisers and a prize of a walk around the Space Needle halo this spring.

“It means everything and nothing,” Vance said of the achievement. “It’s not about me. It was really an opportunity for me to honor my mom and dad and everyone else who is dealing with or has dealt with cancer.”