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Alumni Achievements

Additional Alumni Achievements


Featured Alum
Kristen Hinton, '04
Major: Math with a secondary education endorsement

Career Position: Math teacher at Lynden Christian High School, in Lynden, Wash. Earned a master's degree in math education at Central Washington University in 2007.

Notable Note: Hinton was named the 2003-04 college division Academic All-American of the Year. She and NBA star Emeka Okafor, who played on the University of Connecticut's 2004 national championship basketball team, were honored as the two finest student-athletes in the country, chosen from among 816 Academic All-America student athletes.

Why Whitworth? I was looking for a place where I could excel in the classroom and on the playing field. Whitworth was the ideal fit for me, because it offered a highly regarded education program and the opportunity to be a track athlete.

Whitworth Activities: Track and field; Fellowship of Christian Athletes; President's Cup recipient for maintaining a 4.0 GPA; 2004 NCAA Division III national champion in the 100-meter dash.

Quote: "Competing on the Whitworth Track and Field Team taught me to make the most out of each day and each practice. I also learned that there's always something bigger than my own accomplishments: building relationships with my teammates, practicing leadership skills, and having a positive attitude are the things that have an impact on people's lives and last beyond the glory of winning a race."

Influential Whitworth Experience: I was inspired to excel in academics and athletics by my faculty and coaches who were committed to excellence. I want to pass on to my students the lessons I learned from my role models at Whitworth. They not only taught me the material, they taught me that the most important part of being a teacher is to care about students.

Career Goals: Teach and coach at the college level


Here's what some Whitworth graduates are doing with their education degrees:

• Lauren Thompson, '07, is an academic instructor/coordinator with the Upward Bound Program grades 9-12 at a high school in Tacoma, Wash.

• Tai Bainter, '05, taught environmental education for three years through the Peace Corps in Nicaragua.

• Sheburra Moore, '06, earned a master’s degree in literacy and teaches at a low-income school in Las Vegas, Nev.

• Denni Roberts, '07, teaches at Deep Creek Hutterite School, a two-room school house in Reardan, Wash.

• Kim Allen, '06, is an advanced learning consultant for Seattle Public Schools.

• Josh Dietzel, '06, teaches in Bangkok, Thailand.

• Rebecca Hickok, '06, teaches high-school French in the Puyallup School District.

• Amanda Hitchcock, '06, teaches at Bellevue Christian School.

• Laurel Tanza, '06, is a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic.

• Joseph Andrews, '07, teaches in the Moses Lake School District.

• Amy Mattie, '06, teaches in Panama.

• Jillian Ellingson, '07, is a Title One teacher in the Mary Walker School District.

• Kimmie Read, '02, teaches third and fourth grades at Zeiger Elementary School, in Puyallup, Wash., and was named the 2008 Puyallup School District Teacher of the Year.