Colin Dunlap ’26: Cellist, Runner & Future Scientist

Colin Dunlap ’26 is a Chemistry major from Seattle. Colin has spent the past four years at Whitman College pursuing everything he’s passionate about—playing cello in the Whitman Orchestra, competing on Whitman’s cross country and distance track team and gaining hands-on experience that prepared him for a future in chemistry research.

Colin’s Whitman Highlights:

• Runner on Whitman’s cross country and distance track team
• Music minor and cellist in the Whitman Orchestra
• Chemistry Tutor and Lab Teaching Assistant

Colin stayed connected to his lifelong passions for athletics and music as a student-athlete, Music minor and four-year cellist in Whitman Orchestra. The friendships he built with teammates became one of the most meaningful parts of his Whitman experience.

He built close relationships with professors and lab mates in the Chemistry department while spending two summers conducting research in Associate Professor of Chemistry Nate Boland’s lab, studying metal-binding hydrogels and their role in nutrient bioavailability. This work became the foundation of his senior thesis and sparked his interest in chemistry research.

Colin’s Whitman experiences pushed him to develop strong persistence and problem-solving skills. Working through challenges in the lab or complex concepts in class, he learned how to stay engaged and push forward, one of the most valuable skills he’ll take into his next chapter.

What’s next? Colin plans to continue his education and pursue a graduate degree in chemistry while staying involved in meaningful research.