Whitman Stories

"Attacking Apathy" was the theme of this year's Power and Privilege Symposium, held Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019, in classrooms and lecture halls across Whitman College's campus.

Three Whitman College alumni shared their stories of failure and defeat - and ultimately, success - at a panel hosted by the Student Engagement Center on Feb. 14, 2019. The event was put on to encourage students to think about how their decisions at Whitman will influence their futures, but each speaker emphasized that the path to a successful and fulfilling career is anything but linear.

First-graders at Edison Elementary School in Walla Walla, Washington, learned about equality and the civil rights movement through the lens of the story of Ruby Bridges during the annual Whitman Teaches the Movement.

Danielle Garbe Reser '97 knows the value of the Whitman College network. It was, after all, a Whitman alumnus who helped set her on a career path that took her overseas and to the White House, twice. Now Garbe Reser is back in Walla Walla, giving back to the community that gave her so much, and serving current students at Whitman.

At the second Fridays at Four concert of the semester on Feb. 15, four of John David Earnest’s compositions will be performed by fellow Whitman faculty members, vocalist and senior lecturer Diane Gray-Chamberlain and pianist and senior lecturer Jackie Wood.

In February 2019, Whitman College held its first Community Processing Day, celebrating the software that allows anyone to create three-dimensional art using programming language.

Whitman alumna Bella Zarate '14 is using her psychology degree from Whitman College to help connect prospective employees with career at Facebook in San Francisco, California.

Each February, many people are focused on hearts - from the palpitations of love on Valentine's Day to concerns over health for American Heart Month. Whitman alumna DeLisa Fairweather '87 will share her expertise on heart health and the impact of gender at "Gender, Skin, Bodies: A Gender Studies Research Roundtable" at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019, at the Kimball Theatre.

Education and advocacy are two principles Jessica Matthews upholds as Whitman's new Sexual Assault Victim's Advocate (SAVA). Hailey Powers was Whitman's first SAVA, holding the position for two years prior to Matthews assuming the role.

A professional singer, speaker and educator, Fukushima is the founder of RAPtivism (rap activism), a hip-hop project spanning 20 countries and four continents. As a public speaker, she combines the art of performance and lecture, linking themes such as global citizenship, empowerment and feminism with live musical performance.

Sam Cleary '22 is a first-year student at Whitman College from Seattle, Washington.

Stage and screen actor Bryan Terrell Clark auditioned seven times before landing the coveted role of George Washington in "Hamilton," the acclaimed Broadway production of Lin Manuel Miranda's hip-hop musical about the Founding Fathers.