Whitman Magazine

Whitman College has a force in chemistry computing. Associate Professor of Chemistry Dalia Biswas is changing how science is taught and explored at Whitman—through her research and as part of an elite national faculty network. See how Biswas and Whitman are helping students and faculty harness the power of computational tools across disciplines to keep up with rapid changes in the sciences.

The world needs to Whitties! In the fall of 2023, during the Upward Together campaign launch weekend, Whitman College President Sarah R. Bolton moderated a panel of inspiring alumni who spoke about “Finding Success and Purpose in a Changing World” in front of a large crowd, including many students, at Chism Recital Hall in Whitman’s Hall of Music. 

Pavel Blagov, Professor of Psychology and Director of Whitman’s Personality Lab, mentors students as they make connections between memory and personality while making meaningful connections in the Whitman and Walla Walla communities.

Whitman College alums provide a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the Personality Lab, where they gained valuable skills, self awareness and leadership experience while carrying out fascinating research with Psychology professors.

Cat Posey ’05 leans on her love of history and storytelling—nurtured at Whitman—to inform her work in technology. As a corporate leader and the founder of Tech by Superwomen, Posey is a trailblazer. Currently, Posey is focused on using her knowledge and influence to help create both tech and support systems, particularly for women, to have a positive and thoughtful impact.

Whitman College alum and global leader Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg ’01 establishes Black Women in Executive Leadership, or B-WEL, an initiative to create a connected global community of Black women leaders.

Madeline Senter ’25 has channeled new passions into their studies at Whitman College. As a double major in French and Francophone Studies and Gender Studies, Senter has been a key player and gained skills and understanding on a one-of-a-kind Métis Family Photo Archive project.

Professor of French and Francophone Studies Sarah Hurlburt ’91 worked with local families and Whitman archivists to digitize and catalog nearly 2,000 photographers of Métis (“mixed race” in French) people of French and Indigenous descent taken in the mid-1800s through the mid-1900s.

Baker Weilert-Pekar shares insights on his role as Whitman’s Director of Debate and Forensics—including what makes Whitman students special to coach and mentor.