Whitman Magazine

When the pandemic upended the world, it capsized college sports too, but years later, many student-athletes got a second chance to compete—in graduate school. Meet five former Blues who are using the lessons they learned at Whitman to advance and thrive in their graduate studies, sports and life.

This year, five Blues student-athletes who started college in 2020 opted to use their extra year of NCAA eligibility to stay on at Whitman College and pursue unique opportunities—on the court, on the field and in the classroom.

When he’s not teaching a class, Associate Professor of Computer Science John Stratton can be found collaborating on research with colleagues, directing the Whitman College Software Optimization Lab, advising pre-engineering students or helping lead the global software consultancy MulticoreWare.

Deep curiosity and determination have taken Eyleen Menchú Tuy ’25 around the world—from her roots in Guatemala to boarding school in Costa Rica to studying in Walla Walla. As she prepares to graduate, she reflects on the value of finding community wherever she goes.

In the summer of 2024, Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies Carlos Vargas-Salgado and two student researchers staged the theater production “Camasca” in the heart of Peru’s most Indigenous region, interviewing cast, crew and audience members about its political impact on the Hispanic world.

Successful journalist, podcaster and Culture Study author Anne Helen Petersen ’03 revisited campus, friends and fond memories at Whitman’s Reunion Weekend 2024.