Ryan Campeau has lived in Walla Walla her entire life. She and seven other students in the first-year class alone hail from Walla Walla High School (commonly referred to as WaHi). Miguel Martinez, another first-year, is from College Place. Together, they provide an interesting perspective on the intersection of the unique but isolated Whitman culture and the surrounding communities of Walla Walla and College Place.

At first, Campeau wasn’t thrilled by the prospect of attending college in her hometown.

“Originally I had the mindset that I wanted to escape,” she said.

However, after touring Whitman and hearing so much about its superb academic reputation, she eventually enrolled. When comparing it to other colleges, she found the Whitman community most attractive.

“I got the best vibe from the students at Whitman,” said Campeau.

Martinez was also drawn by Whitman’s academic reputation, as well as its location. Unlike Campeau, Martinez knew he was looking for a college near home.

“Everybody in town knows Whitman is a good college . . . and since I wanted to attend a good and near-to-home college, my hope was to get accepted here,” said Martinez.

After a semester at Whitman, Campeau recognizes that Whitman can function as a microcosm of society.

“Whitman has so much going on here. Even on weekends. I’m totally booked. It doesn’t even matter that I’m in Walla Walla and there’s still nothing to do (in Walla Walla).”

Martinez offers a different view of how living in College Place enhances his time at Whitman.

“It makes it easy for me knowing where everything is located . . . like coffee places, parks, stores, etc . . . And also knowing people from Whitman and outside of Whitman makes it even better because I have friends wherever I go,” said Martinez.

For students from the surrounding area, “going home” has a different connotation. Although Campeau lives close by, she tries not to go home very often.

“I don’t go home. I get enough on breaks. I’m trying to have the college experience,” said Campeau.

Martinez, on the other hand, does visit home often, but his family time is restricted by another aspect of college life.

“I live around five miles away from Whitman, in College Place. Every day I see my family but there’s not enough time to spend with them,” said Martinez.

During Whitman’s extended breaks, all students must vacate the dorms, and for many this means staying home in Walla Walla or College Place. This can be a let-down for local students.

“The biggest downside is going home for breaks. I’m still in Walla Walla,” said Campeau.

Campeau does take advantage of her Walla Walla roots, however, as she is already a part of the greater community. She is active at her church, where she teaches Sunday School and she still sees local friends.

“The best thing about the community is the people. Whitman students who get involved in community service get to know people from Walla Walla,” said Campeau.

Campeau explains that this positive relationship works the other way around, as well.

“Also, those in the community who work with Whitman students give rave reviews,” said Campeau.

Although Campeau tries to have an authentic college experience, she still enjoys seeing her family frequently.

“My family lives a 20-minute bike ride away. I do see my family pretty regularly,” said Campeau.

Campeau mentions that one upside to living near her hometown is that she can have coffee dates with friends who are still at WaHi.

Martinez also enjoys staying in touch with friends from College Place. He spends time with friends from College Place every day.

“I don’t really come to Whitman during the weekends, only when I have lots of homework. I have friends outside of Whitman but I wish I had more time to spend on campus to hang around with my college friends,” he said.

Both Campeau and Martinez have a unique view into the relationship between Whitman and Walla Walla. Campeau described the vocabulary associated with Whitman students from Walla Walla.

“The term is twittie (townie and whittie),” she said.

As an alumna of WaHi, Campeau also remembers the stereotypes many high school students in Walla Walla have about Whitman.

“There’s the stereotypical Whitman student. They’re a tree hugger, kinda smelly, don’t shave too often,” she said.

Despite these images, Martinez speaks of the perception of Whitman students as one of respect.

“When I say I go to Whitman, people in Walla Walla always say something like ‘Whitman is hard’ or ‘Wow!’ Whitman is a very good college.”