Spending the Summer in Walla Walla

You may have heard that spending the summer in Walla Walla is an interesting and unforgettable time. Believe me, they are.

The first summer I stayed in Walla Walla, I was offered a Senior Admission Intern position and was slated to start June 1st. At that point, I hadn’t seen my family in months. I had no idea where I would be living. I didn’t have my car to explore outside the city–and the scariest part for me was not knowing which of my friends would also be staying in Walla Walla.

I ended up securing a summer resident advisor (RA) position and flew home to hang out with my family before driving my car back to Walla Walla. Then there was the question of who did I know who was also staying this summer?

Luckily for me, two of my best friends are Walla Wallans and one of them was actually interning and working as a summer RA with me! Before you wonder if the three of us got tired of seeing one another, the answer is no–we didn’t! We ended up spending a ton of time together at their parents’ houses, largely for the AC. We would binge watch Game of Thrones, play video games, eat an obscene amount of pizza rolls and ice cream, and take drives to the wheat fields to stare at the stars.

As the summer went on, I’d connect with more people I hadn’t previously gotten to know–largely due to running into people as I walked aimlessly downtown. My social trio soon grew into a social group, all connected by the simple fact that we were all in town for the summer.

Pretty soon we were all going to baseball games together or driving 30 minutes to an “Adventure Pool” just for the novelty of the tiniest road-trip. There were weekly live music events at local wineries, dogs and cats to be pet at the humane society, and quite a few stamp cards to fill out at coffee shops, the boba tea store, and pizza parlor. I even went on weekly walks to get to know my fellow Whitties better and attended spontaneous weekend cookouts that transitioned into themed get-togethers and even took a trip to the Oregon coast.

So sure, you might think there’s not a whole lot to do when “everyone is gone,” but as it turns out summers in Walla Walla is incredibly fun and fulfilling. It will forever be one of my most memorable and the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had at Whitman College.

Alyssa Ortiz is a graduating senior from Denver, Colorado. Her degree is in psychology and plans to work with young children and their families.