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Forensics

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Benefits

Through Whitworth Forensics, students gain valuable skills and self-confidence that will serve them throughout their lives, both personally and professionally. Whitworth's forensics alumni have gone on to successful careers in law, business, ministry, teaching, nonprofit fields and a variety of other professions. Students enjoy the thrill of competition, the fulfillment of reaching personal and team goals, and the lasting friendships among teammates.

Forensics serves students in several tangible ways:

  • It refines skills in critical thinking and communicating complex ideas.
  • It sharpens the ability to think quickly and respond well in conversation and debate settings.
  • It teaches advanced research skills useful inside and outside the tournament context.
  • It teaches confidence in developing ideas and fosters respect for other people and their ideas.
  • It fosters inquiry and enhances how people search for answers to meaningful questions.
  • It provides opportunity for effective teamwork in group settings.

Some recent alumni are pursuing graduate studies:

  • Evan Barnes '16 is in medical school at Oregon Health & Science University.
  • Jacob Farrell '19 is completing a law degree at Ohio State University.
  • Alex Hoffmann '16 completed medical school at the University of Washington and is now in residency at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School in Boston, Mass.  
  • Rebecca Korf '15 is completing a Ph.D. in the philosophy of science at the University of California-Irvine.
  • Tucker Wilson ’20 is completing a M.A. in communication at the University of Montana.

Some recent alumni who completed their graduate studies:

  • Rylee Walter ’19 completed a M.A. in communication at the University of Montana.
  • Stephanie Saracco Gibbons '15 completed a Ph.D. in political communication from Washington State University.

Some alumni are using their education in diverse ways:

  • Kat Duarte '17 is a technical program manager at Google in Mountain View, Calif.
  • Reylene Abbott '17 is the executive director of Voices Against Violence in Twin Falls, Idaho.
  • Sarah Streyder ’15 is the executive director of Secure Families Initiative in Alexandria, Va.
  • Tami Nida Arntzen '97 is an immigration lawyer in Richland, Wash.
  • Kevin Benson '00 is the director of development at World Relief in Spokane.
  • Molly Griffith Burger '92 is the middle school principal at Saigon South International School, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
  • Laura Walker Chess '97 is an administrative law judge for the Social Security Administration, in Mount Pleasant, Mich.
  • James Eccles '17 earned a master's degree in political philosophy at the University of Chicago and now works for the Department of Elections for the State of Illinois.
  • Rev. Cindy Kohlman '95 is the Resource Presbyter for the Presbyteries of Boston and Northern New England, and the current Co-Moderator of the Presbyterian Church USA.
  • Michael Lawlor '99 is a tax attorney in private practice in Missoula, Mont.
  • Melissa McCabe Gombosky '93 is the principal owner and lobbyist for Gombosky Public Affairs in Olympia, Wash.
  • Rachel Busick Morrison '12 is a judicial clerk for Judge Victor J. Wolski on the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, in Washington, D.C.
  • Tracy Sims '91 is a senior advisor for global corporate affairs at Eli Lilly and Company, in Indianapolis.
  • Julie Underwood '93 works in disability/accommodation management for Blue Shield in California.