New Scholarship Helps Inland Northwest Students Get World-Class Education Close to Home

After graduating from Whitman College, Andy Braff ’00 and Marissa Sprank Braff ’00 pursued graduate degrees before settling in the Seattle area and launching successful careers in law and the biotech industry. But when they decided to make a lasting gift to Whitman, they went back to their eastern Washington roots.

Marissa, who is from Spokane, and Andy, who is from Colville, wanted to make sure their gift would open doors to students from rural areas. In 2024, the couple established the Andrew and Marissa Braff Scholarship Endowment to provide need-based scholarship support for Whitman students from eastern Washington and Idaho. 

“The education and experience that Whitman provides are highly impactful and prepare students to make a difference in the world,” says Andy, who now works as Senior Counsel in the Energy and Climate Solutions group at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. “I can think of no better institution to give back to in order to help future generations of students have access to opportunities like we had.”

Increasing Access & Affordability

The Braffs specifically want to support students from rural communities, where going to college, much less a private liberal arts college, may seem out of reach. Andy and Marissa both note that the financial support they received was key to their decision to attend Whitman.

“Whitman oftentimes is not on the radar at a lot of public schools that don’t have dedicated counselors committed to helping students get into college,” Andy says. “We hope this support will help schools in the region get students to take a second look.”

The couple also hopes the scholarship will help enrich the diversity of the college. 

“Many Whitman students come from cities like Seattle, Portland and San Francisco,” says Marissa, who is now Vice President of Oncology Global Regulatory Strategy at Pfizer. “Geographic diversity brings a unique mindset and set of experiences, which contributes to diversity of thought. For us, it’s important to have [students from rural areas] at Whitman as well.”

Gratitude & Generosity

The Braffs have made gifts to the college for more than 20 years in support of the sciences, Phi Delta Theta and other opportunities both inside and outside the classroom. 

They also have generously donated their time. Both are current members of the President’s Advisory Board (Andy is Vice Chair) and have connected with students and alumni at Whitties Helping Whitties networking events.

“There’s no organization that we give back to like we do for Whitman,” Marissa says.

The couple visits campus several times a year and looks forward to coming down in September of this year for their 25th reunion.

“My closest friends are from Whitman, and we’ve gotten together almost every year since we graduated 25 years ago,” Marissa says. “We are so grateful for the connections we made and the friendships we developed there.”