CE Student Leaders
Meet Your Community Engagement Student Team!
Hello everyone my name is Tessa Kliever-Kerr, I am a senior this year majoring in Psychology and minoring in Politics! I have been volunteering for various programs apart from the CCEC for the past two years and love being engaged with the Walla Walla community. This year I am leading the Adopt-a-Grandparent program. Adopt-a-Grandparent works with the Oddfellow retirement home which is within walking distance of the campus on Boyer Ave. The program works to pair students with an elderly at the retirement center. The paired elder and student can work on fun activities together and bond! Furthermore, the program puts on events with the entire Oddfellows community and the volunteers. The events are another fun way for all the volunteers and those at Oddfellows to bond through creative activities, such as game nights and arts and crafts!
I am incredibly excited to be leading this program and putting on fun events! If you would like to contact me about questions about the program or ideas for events. Feel free to reach me via email: grandparent@whitman.edu
Hello! My name is Adam (he/him), and I am a sophomore from Portland, OR. I will likely be majoring in Psychology with a minor in Hispanic Studies, though I’m still officially undecided. I got involved with the various programs that the CCEC offers last year, and became really passionate about being a part of the Buddy Program right after going to the first event. We partner with the Walla Walla Disability Network to put on events that connect individuals with developmental or intellectual disabilities from the Walla Walla area with Whitman students, in order to bridge barriers and build meaningful relationships amongst ourselves. I am so excited to step up my involvement with the program this coming year as the program leader!
Please feel free to email me with any questions you have about the program, or if you just want to learn more about what we do, at buddyprogram@whitman.edu.
Hey everyone! My name is Logan Spinelli (she/her), a senior sociology major, and I am really excited to be joining the CCEC team as a leader for the Food Justice Project this year! FJP volunteers with local organizations to generate greater food accessibility and security for the Walla Walla community. Volunteering with FJP and our partners was a really valuable part of my previous year, and it means a lot to continue working on the efforts towards food equity in this role. There is so much to learn, lots we can do, and amazing connections to build—so come volunteer with us!
If you’re interested in learning more about the program or have any questions, reach out to us at foodjustice@whitman.edu!
Hi, my name is Sofie (she/her/hers) and I am a current sophomore. I am so excited to be the Storytime Program Leader for the 2023-2024 school year. Through volunteering with Storytime, you will go to a local grade school in the Walla Walla area once a week and read to a class for up to an hour. It’s a great way to connect with the local community and get to know the place where you will be living and learning for the next four years. I started reading for Storytime my first semester at Whitman and immediately looked forward to volunteering every week. I got to know my fellow volunteers, became more acquainted with Walla Walla, and felt accomplished while still making time for my other priorities. It’s a fun and easy way to get more involved on and off campus if you like reading to kids or the gratification of volunteer work. I highly recommend signing up to read with Storytime, please feel free to contact me with any questions on how to get involved at storytime@whitman.edu.
My name is Jonathan Becker and I use he/him pronouns. I am a Sophomore and have not yet declared my major. I am so excited to be leading the Stream Team program this year! Through the program, volunteers will work on habitat restoration projects in the Walla Walla community. If you are passionate about environmental justice and making a positive impact on the natural world, this program is perfect for you!
If you would like to join us or receive more information, do not hesitate to email streamteam@whitman.edu. I look forward to meeting you!
Hi! My name is Alanna, a senior sociology major from Portland, Oregon! I first became involved with the Career and Community Engagement Center through co-leading the Food Justice Project, a program connecting Whitman students to local initiatives to reduce food insecurity in the Walla Walla Valley. Co-leading this program and working with the amazing Community Engagement team has given me so many valuable tools, and I am excited to continue growing with this beautiful group of inspiring people. This year, I am taking on the role as the Executive Leader of Community Projects, which focuses on listening and responding to emerging needs in the Walla Walla communities we have the privilege of sharing space with. I am excited to use this role as an opportunity to build more connections and relationships with all of the amazing community partners and organizers in the area!
If you're interested in learning more about upcoming community engagement opportunities, email me at communityprojects@whitman.edu.
Greetings! My name is Eleshaday Abraha (She/Her/Hers). I am a senior BBMB major. My first time getting involved in the Walla Walla community was during my first year; I interned and volunteered at Providence St. Mary's hospital. As an international student, this experience exposed me to a new understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). This year, I will be working as the executive student leader for diversity, equity, inclusion, and recruitment. Some of my roles include improving programming accessibility through the Career and Community Engagement Center, facilitating volunteer recruitment, and working with campus offices doing DEI work.
I look forward to collaborating with student volunteers and community partners. If you want to learn more about my position, don't hesitate to contact me at cedei@whitman.edu.
Hello everyone!! My name is Kylie Casper and I am a Senior (WOW!) here at Whitman and am majoring in Economics and minoring in Religion and Art. I am the Student Leader for K-12 Partnerships this school year as well as being the Student Leader for Data and Research in the Fall. In my K-12 Partnership Leader role, I work closely with the leaders of our school-based programs, Storytime, Friends Mentor Program, Friends Rock Program, and with the Walla Walla Public Schools. For my Data and Research role, I collect and track the volunteer engagement data to show all the amazing work Whitman Students and Walla Walla community members are doing!
I am so excited to continue my involvement with the Walla Walla community, and I hope to spread that excitement among volunteers here at Whitman and the Community Engagement team! If you have any questions for me or want to chat about our educational partnerships or community data and research, please don’t hesitate to email me at stuleadk-12@whitman.edu or cedandr@whitman.edu.
My name is Nishtha Rajbhandari. I am a Senior majoring in Economics. I am very excited to work as the Data and Research Community Engagement Leader and be a part of the Career and Community Engagement Center. I am looking forward to connecting with people on campus and offering guidance to help navigate their ways into Community Engagement. I previously served as the Program Leader for the Buddy Program. Please feel free to contact me at cedandr@whitman.edu.
Margaret Kanyoko
she/her/hers
I am a third year student from Kirkland, WA, majoring in economics and Chinese. I am honored to serve as the Community Engagement Leader for Non-Profit and Community Partnerships at Whitman College. I joined the Food Justice Project as a volunteer during my first year at Whitman and co-led the program last year. I’ve had a formative and fulfilling experience with this program. Now, as Leader for project leader for Non-Profit and Community Partnerships, I plan to continue connecting local organizations with student volunteers in support of the larger effort for equitable resource access in Walla Walla.
Hi! My name is Clarisse, a senior majoring in BBMB with an interest in bio-law and biotech. I first got involved with the Career and Community Engagement Center through the Adopt-a-Grandparent program. After falling in love with this amazing program, I wanted to be a part of this wonderful community of passionate leaders. This year, I will once again be the Community Engagement Student Leader of Professional Development, a role that allows me to showcase the behind-the-scenes work that occurs between our student programs and non-profit organizations in the Walla Walla Community. I’m super excited for what’s in store this upcoming year and I look forward to getting more people to be a part of this wonderful opportunity. Outside of the CE team I love to spend my time being a Zumba(Z-Fit) instructor and jamming out to dance choreography in Whitman’s dance group Drip Drop.
If you’d like to talk about how you could get more involved with the community or about what I do in my position, email me at ceprodev@whitman.edu.