Reimagining Life, Work & Family on the Water
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When adventure calls, Janna Cawrse Esarey ’94 (left) and Graeme Esarey ’92 (right), have built a life that allows them to answer.
From a honeymoon sailing the Pacific to an epic Arctic journey with their young daughters to moving onto an old wooden boat with teenagers, the couple has embraced upending their lives and careers on land to pursue new adventures.
For Janna and Graeme, navigating big changes in location or vocation is exciting. They call themselves “sabbaticalists.”
“We believe in working hard and, when the time is right, shifting focus and doing something different,” Janna says.
This approach has allowed them to pursue their creative and entrepreneurial passions while bonding with their family and the planet. Currently, Janna is a writer whose day job driving a school bus gives her time for her craft. Graeme is the Founder and CEO of Ignik Outdoors, which makes sustainable outdoor gear.
Their courage to do things differently is rooted in their experiences at Whitman, where they met in 1990. The two were involved in athletics and the Outdoor Program, and especially loved the pre-semester experiences then known as Scrambles: Janna and a friend once led a group of seven first-year men on a backpacking trip on Mount Hood, and Graeme was a river rafting guide.
“Whitman put us in pretty interesting places as young adults—quite literally a sink-or-swim moment or two in there,” Graeme says. “Not every college gives you that sort of opportunity.”
Read the full story in the Spring 2026 issue of Whitman Magazine.
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Internship opportunity! Graeme Esarey would love to have Whitman students join the team at Ignik Outdoors: “If there are any outdoor-oriented product geeks who need internships, feel free to reach out.” He welcomes emails at graeme@ignik.com.
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Emeriti Professors Receive Book Awards
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A book translation by Mary Anne O’Neil, Professor of Foreign Languages and Literatures (French), Emeritus, and Pat Henry, the Cushing Eells Professor of Philosophy and Literature and Foreign Languages and Literatures (French), Emeritus, has garnered two awards. “The Memoirs of Andre Trocme: The Pastor Who Rescued Jews” (Plough Books, 2025) received a Gold Medal (Autobiography/Memoir) from the Independent Publisher Book Awards and a Silver Award (Biography/Autobiography) from the Independent Book Publishers Association.
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Tomorrow Is a Half Day on Campus
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Most college offices will close at noon on Friday, June 26, as one of several discretionary staff half days scheduled throughout the summer.
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Last week, Whitman men’s basketball hosted its first session of Youth Camp with nearly 130 campers across grades K–8 in attendance. A second session will be held Aug. 3–6. Other upcoming camp opportunities include baseball, men’s soccer and women’s soccer.
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Stanton Hall and Cleveland Commons
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Indoor Soccer: Futsal Game
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Sherwood Athletic Center, Multipurpose Gym
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Stanton Sports: Sand Volleyball
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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.
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