Thursday, February 26, 2026

By Michael Blanding

When Ryan Garrett ’18 visited Mono Lake in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains with a chemistry club in high school, he was profoundly changed by the experience. 

“I’d never slept under the stars before, and I’d certainly never seen mountains that dramatic,” says Garrett, who grew up in the Central Valley. More than anything, he was bowled over by the lake itself—a 70-square-mile blue saline expanse with salt-encrusted towers and rich species of birds. “It was just mind-blowing, so otherworldly.” 

During the same visit, he heard about the lake’s history for the first time. In 1941, its tributary streams were diverted by the city of Los Angeles for drinking water, cutting off the lake’s water supply and sending it to the verge of environmental collapse. “Seeing this truly gorgeous and special place, I thought, ‘How could anyone want to destroy it?’” he says. “That experience guided the path I’ve been on ever since.”

Now, as Education Director of the Mono Lake Committee, an environmental nonprofit dedicated to the protection and restoration of the Mono Basin, Garrett is able to share that experience with Whitman College students visiting as part of Semester in the West, a unique immersive program that crosses disciplines to explore land conservation and rural life during a three-month, 8,000-mile field research trip. 

“I felt like they were really moved by this place, and by the sense of injustice going on,” he says. “My hope is that they left with a stronger sense of commitment to place and felt a need to come back and advocate.”

Read the full story in the Winter 2026 issue of Whitman Magazine.

Two Whitman seniors and two alumni have progressed to the semifinalist stage for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Three are pursuing English Teaching Assistantship Awards in the Czech Republic, Taiwan and Thailand, while the fourth is pursuing an Independent Research Award in Switzerland. Semifinalists will find out if they have been selected as Finalists between March and June. Students and recent graduates interested in applying to the Fulbright program should reach out to the Fellowships and Grants team. The next Fulbright application cycle will launch in early April.

The Food Justice Project will organize a Backpack Bridge build event on Thursday, Feb. 26, from 4–5:30 p.m. at the Blue Mountain Action Council Food Bank. Volunteers will pack bags with meals for local elementary schoolchildren to use over the weekend. Snacks and transportation will be provided. Meet at 3:50 p.m. outside Reid Campus Center. (Flyer attached.)

In celebration of Black History Month, the Department of Gender Studies  will host a talk by Jaimee Swift titled “Feminist Marronage: Fieldnotes on Abscondence” on Thursday, Feb. 26, at 7 p.m. in Olin Auditorium. Swift is Assistant Professor of Black Politics at James Madison University and Executive Director and Founder of Black Women Radicals, a Black feminist advocacy organization dedicated to uplifting and centering Black women and gender-expansive people’s radical activism in Africa and in the African Diaspora. (Flyer attached.)

In celebration of Black History Month, Whitman Events Board will host an African Diaspora Dance event on Friday, Feb. 27, at 7 p.m. in Reid Campus Center’s Young Ballroom. The event will include dance demonstrations, a DJ, food and a photo booth. No previous dance experience is required. (Flyer attached.) 

Penrose Library and the Walla Walla Public Library will co-host a free screening of the recent documentary “The Librarians” on Saturday, Feb. 28, at 1 p.m. in Hunter Conservatory’s Kimball Theatre. (Watch the trailer.) The screening will be followed by a panel discussion on the topics of censorship and information access and how book challenges have played out in our community. Panelists will include Kim Cassetto, School Technology Coordinator for Walla Walla Public High School, Heather VanTassel, Director of Library Services at Walla Walla Public Library, and Jack Jackson, Associate Professor of Politics at Whitman.

On Valentine’s Day, the Outdoor Program hosted a “Soup and Ski” day trip. See more photos on Instagram. Check out upcoming Outdoor Program trips on Compass.

12:30–1:10 p.m.

Movement That Matters: Yoga

Sherwood Athletic Center, Room 114

4–5:30 p.m.

Food Justice Project: Backpack Bridge Build

Blue Mountain Action Council Food Bank

4:30–5:30 p.m.

ASWC 101 & Elections Town Hall

Reid Campus Center, Coffeehouse

5–6 p.m.

The Making of Myth & Marble: Bringing the Torlonia Sculptures to the U.S.

Maxey Hall, Room 207

7–8:30 p.m.

Feminist Marronage: Fieldnotes on Abscondence

Olin Auditorium

Would you like to share an event with campus? Submit the information to the Events Calendar.

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