Choosing Whitman

At the end of every Whitman College tour, after they’ve finished stuffing your brain with information, every tour guide tells the story of why they chose Whitman. Some of the stories are a bit frivolous—who chooses a college because they really liked the pancakes?—while others are deeply moving, like that of Mariel Amador. Whatever the story is, I believe it’s the most important part of the whole tour. So, I’ve decided to skip straight to the storytelling today. Here’s why I chose Whitman.

At the end of my junior year—the typical time to tour colleges—was rudely interrupted by a global pandemic. I’m sure you all know the rest of that particular story. I spent the next year adrift in my own broken expectations. I was depressed and I couldn’t seem to get excited about college even though I knew that I really wanted to go. 

At the time I was invited to attend an Admitted Student Day at Whitman, I was still pretty unsure about where I wanted to go. Nowhere really seemed to call out to me but I was determined to try to find my place. My mom and I drove out to Walla Walla the day before my admitted student day—a.k.a. Spring into Whitman Day. That first night, we visited First Avenue Plaza and grabbed food at Sweet Basil Pizzeria across the street. The atmosphere of the plaza was warm and bright. At a nearby table, a group of college students were laughing and I felt more alive than I had in quite a while.

The next morning it was finally time for Spring into Whitman Day and my tour guide was phenomenal. Her name was Liv and she’s now a recent grad. She was obviously super excited to be at Whitman and to be sharing it with all of us. Her energy was infectious! Pretty soon, I was asking all sorts of questions—the kind you ask when you’ve already fallen in love with the school but don’t know it yet. I asked about student traditions and swimming holes near campus and if I was allowed to pet the ducks. For the first time in a year, I was excited for the future.

I chose Whitman because it became clear to me that Whitman students are intensely passionate, friendly, and earnest people. After a very lonely year completely lost in the drag of quarantine, Whitman was the light at the end of the tunnel.

Zoe Perkins ‘25 is a Rhetoric, Writing and Public Discourse major from Hillsboro, Oregon. Zoe is also a tour guide because she wants to give students the same opportunity to experience the wonders of Whitman College that Liv gave her.