Whitman Stories

On Sunday, May 19, 2019, the Class of 2019 will move on from life as students at Whitman College. But senior class speakers Dorothy Mukasa ’19 and Esther Ra ’19 hope their classmates won’t move on from a life devoted to learning. That’s the focus of the speech the two seniors will give during the ceremony, which begins at 11 a.m.

The notable alumna returns to Whitman May 19 to deliver remarks on her worldwide journey as an artist and activist as the college's 2019 commencement speaker. "An image came to my mind of a cycle, of 10 years, and returning full circle," Fukushima said of being asked to address the graduating class. "I’m excited, I’m curious. I’m coming in with an interest in their goals. I hopefully have a message that the next generation of leaders need to hear."

Nadyieli Gonzalez Ortiz '21 is in her second year at Whitman. After taking a class with Aaron Bobrow-Strain she realized she wanted to study politics because it would put her on the career path she wants to take. Although the Whitman community keeps her busy, Nadyeili enjoys the town of Walla Walla and feels there are people all around the community that contribute to her Whitman experience in "really cool ways."

Olivia Hagmann ’19 applied her experience as an intern at the People’s Organization for Community Acupuncture (POCA) in Seattle to organize a pop-up acupuncture clinic in downtown Walla Walla. A double major in anthropology and film and media studies at Whitman College, Hagmann was awarded a Mellon Community Engagement Grant to fund the Walla Walla Acupuncture Project, which served as her senior capstone integrative experience.

In the driest desert in North America, Lyman Persico became a geologist. He was an undergraduate researcher working alongside doctoral students and professors on a project through the University of Vermont. In a remote part of the Mojave Desert, they were measuring erosion rates of hillslopes.

Maegen Martin is a member of the Class of 2019. After visiting Whitman for the first time, she realized how close-knit the community was and knew she wanted to attend. As a member of the women's basketball team, Meagen has seen her role at Whitman change both on and off the court.

The founder of RAPtivism, Aisha Fukushima '09, will deliver this year’s commencement address at 11 a.m. Sunday, May 19, 2019.

Halfway around the world in Madagascar, subsistence farmers are harvesting silk from silkworms and weaving them into burial shrouds. But it's a student from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, who is helping turn that fabric into a marketable industry.

Each semester, students at Whitman College get the chance to be exposed to ideas from around the globe, thanks to the O’Donnell Visiting Educator program. Managed by the Center for Global Studies, the O’Donnell program funds visitors from around the world, who bring their expertise and perspective to Walla Walla.

In his new book, "The Death and Life of Aida Hernandez," Professor of Politics Aaron Bobrow-Strain weaves "a rich, novelistic tale of a young woman whose life spans both sides of the United States-Mexican border."

Two alumni will meet in legal action on Whitman's campus this week, when trial lawyer Andrea Burkhart '00 argues a case in front of Chief Judge Robert Lawrence-Berrey '86 of the Washington State Court of Appeals (Division III). The oral arguments will be held in Maxey Auditorium at 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Thursday, May 2, and are open to the public.

Best-selling author Sarah Kendzior came to Whitman on April 24, 2019, to encourage students from the Whitman Wire to continue their pursuit of journalism.