President Kathleen M. Murray writes about how COVID-19 has reshaped Whitman College, and how students, faculty and staff rose to support our community.

As an advisor and historian, Associate Professor Jacqueline Woodfork works
to build relationships and see connections with her students and subject.

Graduating senior Andy Burnstein ’20 has advice for Whitman College students coming behind him: Get involved in the community. Register to vote in Walla Walla. Give back through local organizations. Be part of the city and culture. “Many Whitman students feel separate from the community, which is really unfortunate,” Burnstein said.

Associate Professor Erin Pahlke joins psychology researchers to ask how much children really understand about politics — and how we can help make the rhetoric less frightening

A collaboration between Whitman College and the Washington State Penitentiary brings students from both institutions together to discuss relevant ethical issues in philosophy course.

Sam Perkins ’17 is an Idaho-based smokejumper for the U.S. Forest Service. But he also has a more global perspective to fire management. After graduating from Whitman College with his degree in sociology-environmental studies, Perkins received a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship and spent a year traveling the globe exploring how other cultures approach the environmental uncertainty of natural disaster.

Cross country star Whitney Rich ’20 finds room to explore a career in medical translation and passions for the environment and running at Whitman

Heather Wright ’99 is a research geologist with the Volcano Disaster Assistance Program, a partnership between the U.S. Geological Survey and USAID’s Office for Foreign Disaster Assistance. Based in Vancouver, Washington, the program works to prevent volcano-related tragedies by collaborating with scientists and public officials around the world.

Native American beadwork artists Marcus Amerman ’81 pushes the envelope on traditional beadwork by creating realistic pieces based on historic photographs. A member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Amerman earned a degree in art from Whitman College and often infuses his work with sociopolitical messages.