Meet Our Whitties: Kylie Nash '20

Meet Our Whitties is an occasional feature produced by the Office of Communications. It features a Q&A with students from across Whitman College.

Kylie Nash ’20
Hometown: Monmouth, Oregon
Major: Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology (BBMB); minor in Mathematics and Statistics 

What brought you to Whitman?
My final decision to attend Whitman was strongly based on the BBMB degree, which is focused on molecular science. I was also drawn to the two neuroscience research teams (Chris Wallace and Ginger Withers and Leena Knight and Thomas Knight). Wallace and Withers are now my thesis advisors, and I have loved using bioinformatic strategies to analyze neurological data.

What do you do for fun?
For fun I cook, read, workout, and hang out with people close to me (my family, boyfriend and tight-knit friend group). Specifically, I love all sort of activity (hiking, riding bikes, rollerblading, lifting, cardio, etc) and anything that is intellectually enticing (watching documentaries, reading, etc).

What is the best class you’ve taken so far?
Man this is a hard question. I have enjoyed so many classes at Whitman, but if I absolutely had to choose one, I would say biochemistry with professor Brit Moss. However, Calculus 1 and 2 with professor Russ Gordon are close second and third candidates.

What do you want to do after Whitman?
After Whitman I plan on earning my Ph.D. in science (bioengineering) or bioinformatics, and then affiliating with a huge corporation to build a career in clinical based research to help medical advances. 

How do you connect to the Walla Walla community?
I have connected to the Walla Walla community through volunteering. I have volunteered at the local middle school (Pioneer) as The Health Clinic student outreach coordinator, where I put on a weekly afterschool club, educational assemblies, and created informational brochures/posters. Most recently, I volunteered and at the local hospital (Providence St. Mary’s) in the cancer center.

What is your favorite thing about being a student here?
I absolutely love the faculty at Whitman. I visit office hours at least a couple times every week, and I truly believe that has optimized my learning and enjoyment of the material I have learned.

What's the best thing about studying BBMB at Whitman?
The best thing about BBMB is the molecular aspect of science. The BBMB major is a great field for someone that doesn’t care for plants/evolutionary science and instead loves molecular science that is easily correlated to the health field and clinical applications. It also has a good amount of math and physics which I strongly enjoyed here at Whitman. The mathematics department is very solid at our college.

What else should prospective students know about Whitman?
The food selection throughout Whitman is also very stellar. Walla Walla has Indian, Vietnamese, Mexican, American, Italian and Asian food (among others that I’m probably forgetting). The food variety also allows for affordable options for college students and fancier restaurants that are perfect when families come to visit. Other events that are special to Whitman are the food trucks (first Monday of every month in the fall, summer and spring), perfect coffee shops for studying, and a car show that is full of old-fashioned cars.