Thursday, December 18, 2025

According to Elly Rectenwald ’26, a highlight of her Whitman experience has been exploring Yellowstone National Park while doing real geology research—the kind of hands-on research that many students don’t experience until graduate school. With expert professors and supportive peers, she gained new skills, discovered her passions, was challenged to think like a scientist and began preparing for graduate school.

“Through Whitman’s Geology department, I had the opportunity to join a student-faculty research team studying historical flooding, hazards and surficial processes in Yellowstone National Park! I’ve been lucky to participate in this project for two summers.

“Last summer, I flew out to Yellowstone for a quick week of field research. When I returned, I was eager to take on more responsibility. I wanted to learn more about how to collect field data and how to prepare, analyze and interpret the data that makes fieldwork so meaningful. This led to a second, more in-depth eight-week summer research project this year, both on campus and at Yellowstone.”

Read more about Rectenwald’s experiences and see more photos from Yellowstone.

Whitties are sharing it all in our multimedia blog, Student Voices. Experience Whitman and Walla Walla through our students’ eyes! Read their personal stories, passions and perspectives—from navigating campus life to mentoring and career prep, learning a new language, sharing fun club activities, living in the Interest House Community and more.

All students are welcome to share their Whitman experiences. Staff and faculty are also invited to nominate students. We’d love to partner with various offices across campus to support more student stories. Nominations can be submitted using the Whittie Wisdom Nomination Form.

Whitman students are invited to complete The Princeton Review survey to share their unique perspective and experiences about academics, social activities, residence life, food and more. These anonymous insights help guide future college-bound students and will be featured in The Princeton Review’s resources. Everyone who completes the survey will be entered for a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card!

Sherwood Athletic Center will be closed for recreation on Saturday, Dec. 20, to accommodate the men’s basketball home game against Northwest Indian College, which starts at 4 p.m.

The Outdoor Program will host several wilderness first aid courses in the spring semester. (Flyer attached.)

Courses are open to students, staff, faculty and community members. Students should sign up through the normal course enrollment process. Community folks should contact Lish Gutierrez at rileyab@whitman.edu to register. More information is available online.

The Testostertones a cappella group sings “The 12 Days of Christmas” during the recent Feast of Carols concert in Cordiner Hall. See more photos on Instagram.

9–11 a.m.
2–4 p.m.

Final Exams

Various Locations

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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.

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