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Alumni Achievements

Additional Alumni Achievements


Featured Alum
Jordan Sand, '06
Majors: Biochemistry and Spanish

Current Position: Pursuing an M.D. at the University of Washington School of Medicine; will then earn a master's degree in public health. Awarded a highly competitive 2008-09 Sarnoff Cardiovascular Research Foundation Fellowship to conduct cardiovascular research in Boston for a year.

Notable Note: In 2006, Sand received a $300,000 Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Graduate Scholarship. The award provides $50,000 per year for up to six years of graduate study.

Why Whitworth? I knew from the beginning that I would be able to make close and lasting relationships with Whitworth's personable faculty and staff. Whitworth's strong Christian tradition was also a very enticing factor; at Whitworth, my faith would continue to grow and I would be encouraged by friends and faculty to integrate my faith into my learning. The student atmosphere was spectacular and I really enjoyed the beautiful campus. Whitworth's competitive financial-aid package was also a deciding factor in my choice.

Whitworth Activities: Chief emergency medical technician for the Whitworth Health Center, volunteer at Deaconess Hospital, mentor with Mentors and Students Together. Taught life skills to Cuban refugees through World Relief. During the summers of Sand's sophomore and junior years, he took part in competitive research programs at the University of Idaho and the University of North Texas. Recipient of the 2006 Outstanding Senior Chemistry Major Award and the Whitworth Alumni Ideals Award.

Quote: "Whitworth's high standard of education prepared me for the rigors of the medical school curriculum. The educational foundation I received at Whitworth has helped me to understand fully the complexities of human health and disease. Whitworth's education of the mind and heart encouraged me to take into account both the physical and spiritual aspects of medical treatment to the body."

Influential Whitworth Experience: The director of the health center, Jan Murray, had an extremely positive influence on my career choice. She helped to develop my desire to practice medicine, as well as focus my interest in helping the underserved through medicine. Working closely with Jan in the medic program directly demonstrated the intellectual stimulation that medicine offers, as well as provided me an opportunity to serve the Whitworth campus.

• Katie Mackie, '08, is working at Advanced Science Labs as a computational chemist.
  
  
• John Rudolph, '08, is enrolled in the Washington State University neuroscience program.
  
  
• Amy Schlilaty, '08, is enrolled in the University of Washington School of Dentistry.
  
  
• Sean Thrush, '08, is a phlebotomist and nurse's aide at Ketchikan General Hospital, in Alaska.
  
  
• Ashley Gibbs, '07 (chemistry and physics double major), is pursuing a Ph.D. in biophysics at Harvard University, with a full scholarship and stipend.
  
  
• Krystal Newman, '07, is a physician's assistant at the Heart Institute, in Spokane.
  
  
• Elizabeth Helen Pempe, '07, is doing AIDS relief work in Uganda through Student Partnership Worldwide and is enrolled in a Ph.D. program in medical chemistry at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
  
  
• Cory Siebe, '06, is a medical student at the Medical School of Wisconsin after previously working as a lab assistant for the Allen Institute for Brain Science, in Seattle.
  
  
• Aaron Forbes, '05 (chemistry and physics double major), is pursuing a doctorate in organic chemistry, focusing on drug design at the University of Notre Dame.
  
  
• Lacie Hearst, '05, is a white tiger keeper/trainer for Siegfried and Roy at the Mirage, in Las Vegas.
  
  
• Sarah Coefield, '03, is enrolled in Michigan State University's dual Ph.D. program in environmental toxicology and veterinary science.
  
  
• Summer Gibbs, '03, is earning a doctorate in chemical engineering at the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College.