GEAR UP and Whitman Club Latino present Whitman College Shadow Day

GEAR UP and Whitman Club Latino helped give a group of Walla Walla High School students get a taste of college life on April 19th.

Shadow Day organizers from Whitman Club Latino assigned twenty-five Wa-Hi sophomores to individual college students. Wa-Hi students then followed their hosts to a diverse range of classes, such as 20th Century Physics, Beginning Microeconomics, and the Chemistry of Art.

Shadowing a Whitman student allowed the sophomores a glimpse into specific majors and the demands of college level coursework.

Students also toured the Whitman campus, ate lunch with faculty, and attended afternoon college readiness presentations. Club Latino members elaborated on the advantages of going to a small liberal arts school, which often allows for more flexibility and interdisciplinary study than a large university. For instance, students at Whitman can follow the pre-med track and also major in something else, like art or sociology.

The presentations also highlighted for the need for taking Honors and A.P. classes. Whitman students explained that a rigorous course load in high school prepared them better for the challenges of college-level work and made their applications more competitive.

The field trip motivated many students to challenge themselves in high school. Says one Wa-Hi student, “I wish I was already in college, right now.”