From Whitman College to Global Changemaker
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Anna Taft ’02 didn’t come to Whitman College to follow a set path—she came to forge her own.
She found herself drawn to big questions and broad perspectives. The Ohio native credits her Whitman professors with opening her eyes to a different side of politics, challenging her thinking, broadening her worldview and helping turn her drive for global connection into a calling.
Today, as the founder of an international nonprofit supporting community development initiatives on two continents, she’s putting those lessons into action in big and life-changing ways.
Long before her Whitman days, Taft radiated curiosity about the world.
From attending an Amish farm camp when she was 8 to chatting with international guests at home to hearing stories about her parents’ travels, she was drawn to learning about different places and ways of life.
Then, in high school, a family safari trip sparked a lifelong passion.
“After that trip to Kenya, I decided that I really wanted to spend more time in a community that was very different from my own, but not as a tourist,” she says.
Seeking more of that global connection, she took a gap year before college to teach English in Ecuador.
Read the full story in the Fall 2025 issue of Whitman Magazine.
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Whitman College Technology Services (WCTS)
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WCTS offers a variety of campus services, including computer lab management, maintenance and repair of college-owned computers, and general technical support for students, faculty and staff.
Contact the Help Desk at helpdesk@whitman.edu, 509-527-4976 or visit the Technology Services building during office hours, Monday–Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
If you have technology-related questions, you can also look at the articles in the WCTS Knowledge Base.
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William O. Douglas Lecture Tonight
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Professor Elizabeth Sepper, the Crillon C. Payne II Professor in Health Law at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law, will deliver this year's Justice William O. Douglas Lecture, titled "Sex in Public: The Movement for Equality in Public Accommodations from the 1960s to Today," on Tuesday, Oct. 7, at 6 p.m. in Olin Auditorium. This campus event is approved for the Law, Culture, and Humanities minor and is sponsored by the Robert and Mabel Groseclose Fund. (Flyer attached.)
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October Break Starts Thursday
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As a reminder, classes will not be in session on Thursday, Oct. 9, and Friday, Oct. 10, for October Break. However, most campus offices will still operate on standard hours.
Reid Campus Center will have reduced hours:
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- Wednesday, Oct. 8, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (closing early)
- Thursday, Oct. 9, and Friday, Oct. 10, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Saturday, Oct. 11, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Sunday, Oct. 12, from 10 a.m. to midnight
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The Whitman College Bookstore will have reduced hours:
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- Thursday, Oct. 9, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Friday, Oct. 10, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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Jewett Café and Reid Market will be closed during the break. Reid Market will reopen on Sunday, Oct. 12, at 4 p.m.
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The Outdoor Program organizes a variety of trips throughout the year to match different interests and experience levels. Opportunities last month included a car camping overnight trip at Jubilee Lake in Oregon where students hiked trails and swam in the lake. See more photos (by Quinn Skinner ’29) on Instagram.
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Sherwood Athletic Center, Room 106
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Welty Health and Counseling Center
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Cordiner Hall [community event]
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Would you like to share an event with campus? Submit the information to the Events Calendar.
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Whitman Today is emailed to Whitman College staff, faculty and students each weekday during the academic year and twice a week during breaks. An archive of previous issues is available online.
All submissions are welcome! If you have accomplishments to celebrate, an event to publicize or other Whitman content to share, email whitmantoday@whitman.edu. Submissions of 125 words or less are due by noon on the business day prior to publication. Submissions may be edited and/or held for a later date according to space and editorial needs. Your submission also authorizes use on Whitman's social media unless otherwise specified.
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Find us on social media: @whitmancollege
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