Whitman Stories

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.

Assistant Professor of Politics Jack Jackson describes the impeachment case against President Trump as "new territory" for the U.S. but adds that the proceedings "may reveal more consensus in the country about the president’s behavior than people imagine ... The partisan spectacle in Congress may, in fact, be obscuring this reality.”

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.

Technical skills are increasingly important in this digital age, but that doesn’t mean the skills emphasized in a liberal arts education — often considered “soft skills” — are any less valuable. The high-tech industry has long valued the versatile, creative mindset and soft skills that are hardwired in those who study in the liberal arts tradition.

In the nearly 70 years Whitman’s 3-2 Engineering program has been in place, more than 200 students have completed the program, which includes three full years at Whitman College, and then an additional two years at a partner engineering school. The student finishes with two complete bachelor degrees — one from each institution.

For Whitman College orchestra conductor Paul Luongo, it makes no difference what his students study, as long as they love the music. One year, the lead violinist in the Whitman Orchestra might be a music performance major preparing to compete for a place in a major conservatory. The next, it might be a student majoring in English literature, biology or anthropology.

After losing her toddler in a furniture tip-over accident, Crystal Ellis has dedicated herself to campaigning for laws that demand furniture manufacturers meet a higher safety standard.