Community Starts Here: Whitman Welcomes the Class of 2030

There’s nothing like Move-In Day! Campus was buzzing with activity on Wednesday, Aug. 26, as Whitman College welcomed new students to campus. This fall, more than 420 first-year students and 40-plus transfer students joined the Whitman community.

They are impressive people and students, says Vice President of Admission and Financial Aid Adam Miller.

According to Miller, they come from the top of their high school classes and from near and far—from Walla Walla to Mozambique. They hail from 36 states and 40 countries and tribal nations. And more than 120 of them will be in the first generation of their family to attend a four-year college.  

‘A Collective Labor of Love’

At a Convocation ceremony in Cordiner Hall on Thursday, Aug. 27, students, families, faculty and staff gathered to officially launch the academic year and celebrate the newest arrivals on campus. They shared messages of congratulations and invited new students to embrace their role in shaping Whitman’s unique community. 

President Sarah Bolton encouraged students to take full advantage of the opportunities to learn from each other at Whitman. 

“This lived community … and the learning you do by living and studying with extraordinary people from across the United States and around the world—this is some of the most powerful learning you will ever do,” she said.

Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Kazi Joshua echoed the call to create a supportive and collaborative community.

“The work of creating a community in which we belong, and others belong too, is necessarily a collective labor of love,” he said. “In this project, nobody is a stranger or a visitor or a tourist. Everyone is part of the community and contributes to the making of an inclusive community.”

President of the Associated Students of Whitman College and Davis United World College Scholar, Deo Rubangakene ’28, reminded incoming students that, at Whitman, they are never truly alone, and urged them to share their stories with each other. “They have the single most important ability to melt boundaries and shatter differences,” he said.

Professor of Psychology Erin Pahlke delivered this year’s keynote address, challenging students to stretch themselves and explore new areas of interest during their time at Whitman. She invited them to lean on faculty, staff and each other—and asked them to be intentional about the community they create. 

“The good news is that people who are drawn to this institution tend to be kind, thoughtful, engaged individuals,” she said. “They’re the kind of people you want on your team. Join the club, go to the event on Ankeny, say yes to the study group.” 

And when struggles come up, she encouraged students to take advantage of the resources and supports that are here to help them.