Whitman Stories

Kirsten Adams Gable ’01 and Cecilia Kang ’94 are the newest members of the Whitman College Board of Trustees, joining July 1, 2024.

Breadmaking in America changed dramatically during the industrial revolution. Aaron Strain, Professor of Politics and author of "White Bread: A Social History of the Store-Bought Loaf," discusses that history with The Wall Street Journal.

This summer, four Whitman students will travel to Washington’s coast to participate in two respected summer research programs: one focused on marine biology and one on cancer research.

A gift from Matt Osborne ’93 and the late George Osborne ’66, along with an investment from Whitman College, will fund $900,000 in fraternity housing upgrades this summer.

Award-winning technology journalist, Cecilia Kang ’94, urges Whitman College graduates to “be human.”

Kate Greenberg’s path to becoming Colorado’s Commissioner of Agriculture has been one of exploration and service. Her Whitman College experience gave her a love for the West and informs how she thinks of her work.

In the fall of 2022, Professor Julia Ireland ’90 was facing a health crisis. She found not only a supporter and friend in fellow Whitman colleague Joanie Lucarelli but the gift of a lifetime—and a new joy and lease on life.

English Professor Sharon Alker shares her love of literature with her Whitman College students—and her academic interests have taken her around the world to research. She writes academic text with her sister, who is also an English professor. Alker is also an inaugural faculty member for Whitman's innovative Human-Centered Design program.

Mwamba Muntanga ’25, a Sociology major from Zambia, is driven by personal experience. Using that experience and a desire to be of service to others, he relentlessly advocates for accessible education for all with his nonprofit Education24. During his first year at Whitman, Muntanga’s efforts secured more than $2 million in student scholarships for his nonprofit by winning the prestigious Mwape Peer Education Excellence Award.

Professor Frank Dunnivant shares why he has spent his career focusing on environmentalism, conducting research with students, and why he isn’t retiring anytime soon.

As a student, recent graduate Quinn Miller ’24 created a biology course, Campus Landscape: A Living Laboratory that was offered to fellow students in Spring 2024. The course and lab focused on developing projects that helped reintroduce native plants and Indigenous culture into the Whitman College campus.

In the last 15 years, more than 500 Whitman students have earned prestigious fellowships and grants. This year was no different, with over a dozen successful applicants who excelled in the areas of academic achievement, leadership and community engagement/service.