Intent on venturing abroad during break while still helping out the less fortunate, first-year Brian Saunders selflessly spent his Spring Break painting doors throughout rural southeastern Guatemala.
Having...
By the time they move their tassels, many Whitman seniors-turned-graduates will have already determined what they will be doing once they leave Walla Walla. The Pioneer spoke with three students about their future plans and where life after Whitman will take them.
Every summer Whitman Direct Action (WDA) travels to Guatemala to research economic development and humanitarian aid, but this tradition may soon come to an end. Ambivalence from members of the ASWC Finance Committee left WDA questioning whether they can count on any support and wondering how to fund this year’s trip to Guatemala without it.
Descending to Guatemala’s Pacific coast feels like stepping slowly into a sauna. As the air heats up and becomes heavy with moisture, the land flattens and the crops grow tall until the only perspective available is directly down the road you travel. Our bus, spewing diesel exhaust and splashing through puddles, turns onto a dirt road.
We should reflect on our experiences with privilege here at Whitman, and in the wider community. Rather than try to fix the problem at Whitman, we should accept our situation and use it to help those around us.
Chance to travel to Guatemala for a summer reminds these Whittes of the incredible opportunities afforded to all students to advance their professional interests and passions.
Two Whitman alumni, Curt Bowen and Joseph Bornstein, graduated Whitman in 2008, and in three short years built from the ground up a successful non-profit organization based in Guatemala called Semilla Nueva.
This summer, Whitman Direct Action (WDA) sent five students to Willywood, Guatemala to assess problems and needs in the community in hopes of returning to the same community next summer.
