Whitworth University Philosophy Department

Alumni Achievements

Heather Wallace, '11

Majors: Philosophy and English

Career Path: Enrolled in the Ph.D. program in philosophy at Duke University, where she received a full-tuition scholarship and a fellowship for living expenses. Her areas of interest include philosophy of the mind and cognitive science, and philosophy of language.

Why Whitworth? "I couldn't find any other community where commitment to Christ and a serious, fearless pursuit of truth (even when it leads far and wide to uncomfortable questions) are compatible. I love Whitworth's genuine ability to be vibrantly faithful and thoughtfully self-critical. The students of Whitworth make it a place where this tension is incarnate and alive."

Whitworth Activities: Participated in Ethics Bowl, Whitworth's ethical-debate team; Westminster Round English Club; one-act theatre productions; and the Shalom Intentional Living Community.

Quote: "At Whitworth I went through the most important spiritual growth of my life, confronting my beliefs with critical, intellectual, practical and personal challenges. I found a community of friends, professors, RAs and pastors who supported me as I walked through a crucible of faith. Without that foundational experience, there is no way my faith would stand up to the rigor of life in professional philosophy -- where argument rules, criticism is standard, and religion is often dismissed as an invalid way of knowing the world."

Influential Whitworth Experiences: "My study-abroad trip to Europe for Core 250 during Jan Term 2010 was incredibly influential. Led by the fearless Forrest Baird, we traveled from Tuscany hilltops to the halls of stone monasteries to London pubs, all the while contemplating Plato, Kierkegaard and other thoughtful friends. Forrest's attention to my interests, my academic work, and my leadership personality encouraged me to pursue a career as a professional philosopher -- a path I wouldn't have considered without his wise advice."

Career Goals: "To be a philosophy professor -- if I'm lucky, at a school as great as Whitworth!"

Here's what some other recent Whitworth graduates are doing with their philosophy degrees:

Cody Allen, '11, is pursuing his master's in philosophy at the University of Colorado. He joins Kelly Vincent, '09, and Shane Gronholz, '06, who are there in the Ph.D in philosophy program.

Logan Gage, '04, is a policy analyst for the Discovery Institute, in Washington, D.C.

Amy Bernard, '08, received a master's degree in philosophy from the University of Melbourne. She currently is pursuing a J.D. at the University of Washington School of Law.

Chris Atwood, '03 (philosophy and theology double-major), earned an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary and has completed a year of New Testament study in systematic theology at the University of Tübingen, in Germany. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in New Testament at Wheaton College.

Andrew Bower, '05, is earning a master's degree in child development at the University of California–Davis.

Amy Whisenand, '09, is pursuing her M.Div. at Princeton Theological Seminary.

Lars Katz Gaarde, '06, is a Seattle-based indie-emo musician who released his first album, The Veil, in 2009.

Brittany Hoback, '05, is studying cultural anthropology at the University of Central Florida.