Whitman Stories
![Students sit in chairs and talk to alumni during sophomore summit.](/images/whitman-stories/stories/2020/January/sophomore-summit-2020-thumbnail.jpg)
January 24, 2020
Sophomore Summit Helps Second-Year Students Find Direction
Hosted by the Student Engagement Center (SEC), the 2020 Sophomore Summit brought together more than two dozen students with alumni and community leaders to explore careers and gain professional skills.
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January 21, 2020
Politics Professor Jack Jackson Discusses Impeachment Case
Assistant Professor of Politics Jack Jackson describes the impeachment case against President Trump as "new territory" for the U.S. but adds that the proceedings "may reveal more consensus in the country about the president’s behavior than people imagine ... The partisan spectacle in Congress may, in fact, be obscuring this reality.”
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January 21, 2020
Basketball Player Jaron Kirkley '20 Perseveres as Student-Athlete
At six, Kirkley suffered a seizure that left him unable to read, write and speak for years. Doctors warned he would never be a regular student, but Kirkley, now a geology-environmental studies major at Whitman in addition to a standout on the basketball court, has overcome obstacles with the support of his professors and coaches.
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![Activist and speaker Mariah Parker.](/images/whitman-stories/stories/2020/January/Mariah-Parker-Thumbnail.jpg)
January 16, 2020
Unity Week Brings Community Together to Focus on Social Justice
The Walla Walla community is invited to join Whitman College in creating positive social change during its inaugural Unity Week events, Jan. 20-24, 2020. It’s a week that brings together community members, leaders in social justice, and college students from Whitman College, Walla Walla Community College (WWCC) and Walla Walla University (WWU) with speakers and workshops aimed at transforming a passion for equality into action.
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![Graphic](/images/magazine/2020%20Winter/tech-tn.jpg)
January 14, 2020
Critical Thinking and Analytical Skills Make Liberal Arts Grads Ready for Tech Industry
Technical skills are increasingly important in this digital age, but that doesn’t mean the skills emphasized in a liberal arts education — often considered “soft skills” — are any less valuable. The high-tech industry has long valued the versatile, creative mindset and soft skills that are hardwired in those who study in the liberal arts tradition.
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![KC Cook '20 and Kieran Lenssen '20 discuss a project.](/images/magazine/2020%20Winter/engineer-tn.jpg)
January 14, 2020
3-2 Engineering Program Allows Students to Build Technical Career on Liberal Arts Foundation
In the nearly 70 years Whitman’s 3-2 Engineering program has been in place, more than 200 students have completed the program, which includes three full years at Whitman College, and then an additional two years at a partner engineering school. The student finishes with two complete bachelor degrees — one from each institution.
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![Whitman College orchestra conductor Paul Luongo](/images/magazine/2020%20Winter/luongo-tn-new.jpg)
January 14, 2020
Music and History Blend Together for Conductor Paul Luongo
For Whitman College orchestra conductor Paul Luongo, it makes no difference what his students study, as long as they love the music. One year, the lead violinist in the Whitman Orchestra might be a music performance major preparing to compete for a place in a major conservatory. The next, it might be a student majoring in English literature, biology or anthropology.
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![Camden Ellis](/images/magazine/2020%20Winter/passion-tn.jpg)
January 14, 2020
Crystal Ellis ’01 Fights to Make Furniture Safer for Children
After losing her toddler in a furniture tip-over accident, Crystal Ellis has dedicated herself to campaigning for laws that demand furniture manufacturers meet a higher safety standard.
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![Whitman College student Jordon Crawford](/images/magazine/2020%20Winter/crawford-tn-new.jpg)
January 14, 2020
Jordon Crawford ’21 Works to Improve the World Around Him
Since coming to Whitman from Jamaica as a Davis United World College (UWC) Scholar in 2017, Jordon Crawford ’21 has partnered with others to improve the experience for international and underrepresented students, particularly other men of color.
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![Whitman College student Jessica Boyers discuss a subject with her peers](/images/magazine/2020%20Winter/community-tn.jpg)
January 14, 2020
Sociology Course Builds Bridges Between Students and Disability Community
Though books and lectures are the foundations of traditional academic learning, some lessons require hands-on experience.
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January 14, 2020
Psychology Professor Erin Pahlke Discusses Children's Reactions to Elections
Associate Professor of Psychology Erin Pahlk, who co-authored a study last year about kids' reactions to the 2016 U.S. presidential election, said that right now children need some help "thinking through the different politicians’ perspectives and the different policies."
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![A photo of flowers blooming among burnt snags.](/images/whitman-stories/stories/2020/January/John-Marshall-Thumbnail.jpg)
January 10, 2020
Sheehan Gallery Opens 2020 with Trio of Nature Photography Shows
The new decade is being ushered in at Sheehan Gallery with a trio of nature photography shows, which open at Whitman College’s art gallery on Jan. 31. The larger gallery space will feature “Fire Stories,” an exhibit displaying the photography of John Marshall and the Osborne Panorama Project
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