Before Thanksgiving, the CCEC opened the opportunity for students to compete in a thrilling Internship and Research Competition. While every entry was truly incredible in its own right and we were amazed to see all that Whitman students get up to outside of school, we did have to pick only one for each category in the end. Today we are happy to announce to you all our top selections and tell you a bit about their amazing experiences!
Picture Perfect: Emily Mowry ’24 is a Biology Major who worked for San Diego State University’s Biology Department Research Lab. During this in person experience, Emily focused on epigenetic regulation, the regulatory pathway for the regulatory gene interacting with the MSL complex, and how the Mtor affects transcription and chromatin repression in Drosophila (flies). Emily worked closely with professors to perform original research in the field of epigenetic regulation. Here is one of the amazing photographs submitted from their work that blew us away for “Picture Perfect.”
Furthest Traveled: Maryanne Ndung’u ’26 traveled roughly 8,992 miles from Walla Walla to work in Nairobi Kenya. As an Economics and Mathematics major, it was a finance internship with Platinum Credit Ltd that led to this amazing distance being covered and allowed them to take the “Furthest Traveled” crowning title!
Social Engagement/Problem Solver: Sueli Bruni Gwiazdowski ’24, a RWPD major, tackled some major issues working as a legislative intern in Washington D.C. for Congresswoman Debbie Dingell and as a summer intern of the LGBT Victory Institute Congressional Internship Program. Sueli wrote over 30 original letters on diverse policy issues to address constituent concerns reaching over 500 households. Additionally, they prepared memos on policy briefs, committee hearings, and lobbyist meetings to inform legislative staffers and advisors. They also arbitrated with the Center for Medical Services on coverage of powered wheelchairs for Medicaid beneficiaries by way of co-sponsoring a request letter. All this and more made them a prime candidate for this internship category!
Environmentally Conscious: Henry Anderson ’27 worked right here in Walla Walla with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation as a CTUIR Aquatic Propagation Laboratory Intern. Henry cared for rainbow trout, freshwater mussels, sculpin, and Pacific lamprey in a laboratory environment. They performed daily system checks, did filter changes, engaged in water quality monitoring, and cleaning procedures in order to maintain the health of animals to restore native freshwater species and contribute to the CTUIR’s mission of restoration. This valuable restoration work was dedicated to improving the environment in a way that made Henry the perfect choice for the “Environmentally Conscious” category!
Destination Walla Walla: Dante Morelli ’24 exemplified the “Destination Walla Walla” category in their internship working for the city of Walla Walla. Dante served as a development services intern, helping conduct historical reviews, business licensing, master plan edits, and census data collection and compilation in order to keep our wonderful city running smoothly. Without people willing to do this kind of work, the destination of Walla Walla wouldn’t be what it is today!
Scholarly Pursuits: Chase Schubert ’26 is a biology major who worked at Varani Labs, Department of Chemistry at the University of Washington. Chase said “As observed in the recent Covid-19 global pandemic, infectious diseases can catastrophically affect our species. While vaccine research is unequivocally a crucial aspect of combating the effects of infectious diseases, the development of antivirals and antibiotics is highly important as well.” Chase spent time mapping the structure of pathogen RNA which is a vital process in developing drugs that are capable of specifically targeting specific physical makeups. This research demonstrates a clear scholarly drive and the real world enactment of the skills learned in their major here at Whitman making Chase our top pick for the “Scholarly Pursuits” category!
This is so awesome to see students getting these types of experiences!