With 30 active members, the Alumni Association Board of Directors works to strengthen the bond between Whittier alumni and their alma mater while supporting the College’s mission to provide students with an educational experience of the highest quality. The board has met twice during the 2017-18 academic year. Recent areas of discussion include College marketing initiatives, admission and enrollment efforts, and new academic program, among others. The group was also instrumental in ensuring the success of the Big Poet Give held in March.
In 2017-18, over 1000 alumni have connected with the Poet community through local and regional events, participating as volunteers, speaking to current students, and more. The Alumni Association supports numerous efforts to increase engagement, below are some ways alumni can give back.
Refer a Student
Alumni are among the College’s most dedicated ambassadors and can best speak about the qualities that make a Whittier education special. The Office of Admission invites all alumni to refer prospective students for admission.
To refer a student, complete an Alumni Referral Form found on whittier.edu/referral. An admission counselor will contact the student to introduce themselves and offer assistance during the application process. Students referred via the Alumni Referral Form will have their application fee waived.
While not a guarantee of admission, every student referred to the College will be thoroughly considered. Any questions can be directed to the Office of Admission at 888.200.0369.
Mentor a Student
Whittier’s Weingart Center for Career and Professional Development is seeking Poet alumni interested in mentoring current students. The College is now using Handshake, an online career services platform, to facilitate mentor/mentee connections. Alumni are invited to sign up, create a searchable profile, and indicate how many mentees they wish to work with.
Mentorship matches are made when students search Handshake for mentors and initiate contact with the alumni in the system. Every new mentor strengthens the Poet family’s network. The College encourages student mentees and mentors to take ownership of their mentoring relationships. Activities could include resume reviews, networking advice, mock interviews, shadow opportunities, site visits, and more. Each Poet Alumni Mentor, decides how much involvement they want to have and how. To get started visit whittier.edu/career and click on Handshake. Contact Matthew Aranda at the Career center, 562.907.4230 or maranda@whittier.edu, for more information.
(Pictured above: (l-r) R.J. Tolson ’15, Josh Lorton ’94, Bobbi-Marie Mendoza ’15, Henry Priest ’98, Cody Allman ’16, Emily (Mills) Lamar MA’06, Vincent Vigil ’02, Crystal Zamorano ’06, Brycie Jones ’06, Amanda (Vaughn) Wherritt ’99, Bill Francis ’64, Astrid Bojorge ’07, Robert Duarte ’16)