Whitman Stories

Whitman College sophomore Lindsey Pasena-Littlesky will be honored at the 2023 Indigenous Leadership Awards in Portland, Oregon in recognition of her significant contributions as a member of the CTUIR Youth Council.

Whitman College faculty and CTUIR partnered to provide STEM education to local Tribal youth in special summer school. During four weeks of immersion, students were very active in their science, technology, engineering and mathematics education. Classes took place in Pendleton, Oregon near the Umatilla Indian Reservation where the students could attend in their own school district.

Amber Ebarb ’03 addressed the Class of 2023 during the 137th Whitman College Commencement Ceremony. Ebarb is the Staff Director for the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and spoke of the positive changes on campus since she graduated 20 years ago.

Whitman College recently appointed Jeanine Gordon to be the first First Special Assistant to the President for Native American Outreach

Amber Ebarb, Class of 2003, Minority Staff Director for the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, will deliver Whitman College’s 2023 Commencement address on Sunday, May 21.

Aiden Wolf ’26 and Lindsey Pasena-Littlesky ’26 are the first recipients of the Šináata Scholarship, created in recognition of the special relationship between the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and Whitman College.

Whitman College is partnering with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation to bring this important element of Plateau culture and architecture to Ankeny Field.

Before Whitman College announced the move to online teaching in March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sams and Thayne had already made the decision to shift the course to an online format out of concern for the safety of students and the CTUIR community.

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.