Whitman Professional Hub Program connects alumni and students

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Above: Students, alumni and professionals network in Walla Walla, Portland, San Francisco and Seattle.

This summer, the Whitman College Student Engagement Center launched a new initiative to help create professional development opportunities in several major locations around the country.

Whitman Professional Hubs started this July with a series of six events in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Denver, Washington, D.C., and Walla Walla. These initial locations were chosen because they have a strong community of Whitman students, interns and alumni. Each launch event was designed to create connections between established alumni, recent graduates and current students who may be interning over the summer.

Building and fostering a professional community is key, according to Kimberly Rolfe, director for business engagement at Whitman’s Student Engagement Center.

“It is our hope to build stronger connections that will help students access internships, find recruitment opportunities with Hub-area organizations, and – most importantly – network with alumni working in and around these cities,” Rolfe said. “Focusing our efforts in these initial locations, we can create opportunities for Whitman students to gain experiential learning, valuable work experience, and to build a network of professionals who understand the value of a Whitman education.”

There will be more employer interaction at upcoming events next year, as well as new online resources available to the Whitman community.