Works in Progress

At Whittier College, education has always been personal. Whittier Works takes that tradition a step further, weaving hands-on experiences into the fabric of a liberal arts degree. Launched as a presidential initiative, Whittier Works extends the College’s trademark academic rigor and mentorship into every corner of the academic experience.

“Whittier Works connects the intellectual spark of classroom learning with preparation for lives of purpose, whether that’s preparing for meaningful careers, graduate-level study, or community engagement,” said President Kristine E. Dillon ’73, Ph.D. “It reflects our belief that education is most powerful in action. Our students already learn to think critically, write clearly, and collaborate effectively. Whittier Works is about applying those skills and conceptualizing what comes next.”

A Culture of Applied Learning

The spirit of Whittier Works is simple yet ambitious: Students don’t just study new concepts and materials in the classroom, they also apply them in the real world. Faculty design coursework that integrates research projects and partnerships, turning classes into launchpads for professional growth and development.

At its core, Whittier Works aligns three pillars – community engagement, professional development, and paid internship opportunities – with the College’s liberal arts lineage, capitalizing on Whittier’s long-established legacy of experiential learning.

“It’s about creating career pathways and career awareness for our students,” said Environmental Science Professor Cinzia Fissore, who is also the faculty director of Whittier Works. “Exposure to environments like on-campus jobs, internships, and fellowships gives them a glimpse into the real world, but it also allows for self-reflection to understand their strengths.”

That integrative approach is already visible across campus. From the coffee orchard where students explore sustainable agriculture, supply chains, branding, and market principles to STEM fieldwork and capstones that double as consulting engagements, Whittier Works is already threading practical application into the student experience. Now, the opportunities for more examples are multiplying.

Flexing New Muscles

In Kinesiology and Sport Management, learning is a contact sport. Students stretch their minds to consider the links between scientific principles and human movement. Students conduct fitness assessments, design community health initiatives, and team up with sports organizations to meet real-world challenges that match the rhythm and rigor of real-world industries.

“What happens in the classroom is a series of high-impact practices geared toward developing skills,” Fissore said. “The faculty realized that a lot of us were already incorporating these high-impact practices. Whittier Works relies on these ongoing activities and teaching practices that are already happening and formalizes them in such a way that there is campuswide support.”

Through Whittier Works, these experiences form part of a four year training arc. Students warm up with early exposure, then build momentum through mentored research, project leadership, and internships. By the time they enter the professional arena, they’ve developed the fortitude to go the distance.

“Elective upper division courses are really where our students learn more about the specific discipline they have a passion for and see themselves pursuing,” Fissore added. “From the STEM standpoint, our seniors are highly competitive as they apply for graduate programs. Equally, those who take jobs with nonprofits, consulting companies or corporations continue onto successful careers. That underscores the social mobility and individualized attention to students.”

Forces in Flight

The Physics department uplifts practices that are already in motion at Whittier, bridging theory and practice through industry partnerships and immersive learning.

“Our department has long been engaged in the kind of work that Whittier Works seeks to promote,” said Professor of Physics Serkan Zorba. “Placing our students in internship programs with organizations such as the Aerospace Corporation or Navy research labs is valuable precisely because it highlights the centrality of physics and its applied dimension. Our alumni serve as key contacts within these institutions, helping us establish new pipelines or maintain existing internship opportunities.”

That ethos has taken flight in a groundbreaking collaboration with the U.S. Navy. Through a public-private partnership with the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Corona Division, in Norco, part of a network of government laboratories that serve national security, infrastructure, and cybersecurity, students obtain security clearances from the Department of Defense to work on classified projects, using machine learning and engineering techniques.

Drawing Connections

Often referred to as the poster child for Whittier Works, Art and Design enjoys deep ties to galleries, museums, curators, creative agencies and community organizations that give students a window into the art world.

“Designers learn so much their first couple years on the job, from reconciling client needs with personal creative vision, to letting go of the concept of creative ownership through teamwork,” said Associate Professor of Art Jenny Herrick. “They also learn things as straightforward as print production techniques. I wanted to expose students to these challenges before they graduate, and collaborating with local businesses seemed the logical first step.”

In Herrick’s Advanced Art Seminar, the classroom transforms into a fully functioning design studio. For the last four years, students have taken the lead on branding projects for local organizations, guiding every stage of the creative process from client consultation to the final logo rollout. A recent partnership with the Women and Children’s Crisis Shelter provided students with firsthand experience in community impact through design.

This semester, students collaborated with Excellence Through Exercise, an organization dedicated to supporting physical education programs in public schools. Students brainstormed dozens of potential names and produced more than 40 logo concepts, turning a blank canvas into a brand identity through teamwork, iteration, and imagination.

Put simply, students aren’t just creating portfolios, but rather experimenting, revising, and refining their craft, bringing bold ideas to life on a real canvas.

The Whittier Way

At Whittier, the true measure of education is in its reach and in the relationships that sustain it. Whittier Works accelerates both, widening students’ horizons while keeping the College firmly rooted in the region’s economic and civic life. The first-year writing program is true to that mission, ensuring that all Poets begin their Whittier journey grounded in communication and critical thinking, while introducing the first experiential projects to this class.

“We can do this type of personalized programming here because we are small, we have nurturing relationships, and we tailor to our students,” Fissore said.

Learn more about Whittier Works

To support the continued expansion of the initiative, whether through a gift to the Whittier Fund or to learn how your company can partner
with a paid internships, visit our Giving page.