Recently, junior David Friedman and his mother bought a house in Walla Walla in order to rent it out. This summer, he plans to live in the house and oversee some remodeling, while working as a research assistant to Chair of History David Schmitz.
“Most of this has been my project. I’ve really wanted to do this since I was a freshman, and I’ve been bugging my parents,” he said.
Friedman is one of many Whitman students who will be staying in Walla Walla over the summer for various reasons, most related to research or work.
Another student who plans to stay in Walla Walla over the summer is first-year Shanglun Wang, who also has a job as a research assistant. He will be researching ways to make companies more likely to buy end-pipe technologies that reduce waste output in factories.
Not all students who are staying in Walla Walla made the decision to stay because of a job, however. Senior Joanna Jungerman plans to do AmeriCorps in the fall. Since she’s already paying for her house in Walla Walla, she feels that she might as well use it.
“My job situation for the summer is kind of up in the air right now; I am waiting on interviews and such,” said Jungerman in an e-mail.
If a summer job doesn’t work out, she plans to volunteer regularly.
Of course, not all the time these students spend in Walla Walla will be spent working, and some students have more planned than others. Many students are concerned about finding activities to occupy their free time, worrying that a long, hot summer in Walla Walla could be stifling.
“I’ll be trying to keep myself from going insane. I hear it gets pretty desolate. Either I’ll find some other job, keep myself busy with research, or I’ll use some of the facilities here that are going to be active,” said Wang.
Mobility is also a concern for Wang, as he does not have a car and his bike was stolen recently.
To fill his free time, Friedman plans to explore the mountains and other natural areas around Walla Walla, as well as socialize with other Whitman students.
“What I’ve heard from people who’ve stayed here over the summer is that there’s usually a small group of Whitman students who stay, and because it’s so small, everybody just wants to get together . . . even if you don’t know people, there’s going to be a community of people who didn’t know each other necessarily, but really want to hang out, because they’re out in Eastern Washington for the entire summer,” he said.
For Jungerman, staying in Walla Walla is not a new experience. She agrees that spending a summer in Walla Walla is not as bad as many students expect.
“I stayed in Walla Walla two summers ago and I actually like it here, although in the summer is really hot,” she said.
