Whitman Stories

Psychology major Al-Rahim Merali '13 thought he knew what he needed to be successful. Today, the User Experience Researcher at Google knows that success is more about flexibility and critical thinking then what kind of degree you have.

Meet Our Whitties is an occasional feature produced by the Office of Communications. It features a Q&A with students from across Whitman College. The February feature is with senior BBMB major Kylie Nash.

Johanna Stoberock has always been a writer. Her storytelling started young: “I guess growing up I always wrote. It was something that I really loved doing. I was a huge reader and kept a journal for years and years” said Stoberock, a senior adjunct assistant professor of Composition and General Studies at Whitman College.

Alma Meisnest Chair of Humanities and Professor of Film and Media Studies Robert Sickels spoke to a reporter about this year's Academy Award nominees and concerns over the lack of diversity.

"The Making of a Global Writer" opens February 1 at the University of Texas at Austin's Harry Ransom Center. Comprising approximately 300 items, including numerous never-before-seen documents, it charts the Nobel Prize-winning author's path toward becoming a literary star.

Hosted by the Student Engagement Center (SEC), the 2020 Sophomore Summit brought together more than two dozen students with alumni and community leaders to explore careers and gain professional skills.

At six, Kirkley suffered a seizure that left him unable to read, write and speak for years. Doctors warned he would never be a regular student, but Kirkley, now a geology-environmental studies major at Whitman in addition to a standout on the basketball court, has overcome obstacles with the support of his professors and coaches.

The Walla Walla community is invited to join Whitman College in creating positive social change during its inaugural Unity Week events, Jan. 20-24, 2020. It’s a week that brings together community members, leaders in social justice, and college students from Whitman College, Walla Walla Community College (WWCC) and Walla Walla University (WWU) with speakers and workshops aimed at transforming a passion for equality into action.

Associate Professor of Psychology Erin Pahlk, who co-authored a study last year about kids' reactions to the 2016 U.S. presidential election, said that right now children need some help "thinking through the different politicians’ perspectives and the different policies."

The new decade is being ushered in at Sheehan Gallery with a trio of nature photography shows, which open at Whitman College’s art gallery on Jan. 31. The larger gallery space will feature “Fire Stories,” an exhibit displaying the photography of John Marshall and the Osborne Panorama Project

Carl Ye ’21, a junior from Qingdao, China, will spend spring semester studying abroad in Hungary through the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics.

Native American beadwork artists Marcus Amerman ’81 pushes the envelope on traditional beadwork by creating realistic pieces based on historic photographs. A member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Amerman earned a degree in art from Whitman College and often infuses his work with sociopolitical messages.