Donor Impact
Your selfless giving allows students to connect with Whitworth’s caring community, grow in their faith, and gain a transformative mind-and-heart education. Thank you.
Institutional Advancement
Dakota Bair ’28
Through your generosity, students like Dakota can test ideas, refine convictions, discover their calling and prepare for meaningful careers.
Dakota dreams of becoming a worship pastor and high school band director. With you, Whitworth is helping make these dreams come true.
“I am making connections with professors and professionals in the career I am pursuing," Dakota says. "Through classes and ensembles, I am growing my skill set immensely. Whitworth’s resources are well-suited for developing young professionals.”
When recent cuts to the Washington College Grant left Dakota and 137 other students facing an unexpected tuition gap, donors stepped in to help.
“Thank you so much for your generosity. Your giving provides me the ability to pursue the education and career I have dreamed of.”
Your gift supports a Christ-centered university where students belong, believe and become. Because of generous donors like you, Whitworth helps students like Dakota connect knowledge with action, preparing them to meet humanity's greatest needs.
Zach Engelson ’27
Because of your generosity, students like Zach can say yes to opportunities that shape their futures – and the world.
During Jan Term 2025, Zach participated in the Ecology & the Bible study program at Tall Timber Ranch in the North Cascades. Under the guidance of Professor of Theology Jonathan Moo, Zach and his classmates learned, worked, worshiped, explored and developed a Scripture‑rooted understanding of creation care.
They also lived in cabins – no technology allowed.
“It was a life-changing experience,” Zach says. “I formed strong relationships with others in the program. We sang hymns together and learned how the Bible relates to the natural world around us. This is just one example of so many Whitworth experiences that have helped me grow personally, in my faith, and as a scientist.”
Your support truly changes students’ lives. Through generous donors like you, Whitworth is equipping Zach to achieve his dream career as a wildlife biologist and sustain the natural world for future generations.
Ashley Crawford ’27
(Ashley (right) celebrates middle school graduation with a student involved in the youth program at the Presbyterian Church of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where Ashley served as a Whitworth Summer Ministry Fellow.)
Because of your support, students like Ashley have the freedom to say yes to life-shaping opportunities. As a Whitworth Summer Fellow, Ashley worked in youth and young adult outreach at Presbyterian Church of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Here, she shares an excerpt from her journal:
"My fellowship has taught me so much about being slower and more thoughtful in ministry and with my faith. I am learning to be more open to God’s timing versus my schedule and to be intentional with the present moment and the fellowship with others that God is guiding me to. With ministry, we have this incredible opportunity to join God in what he is doing, being able to share our gifts and talents. With that, we also have to surrender our ideas of 'being successful' and instead remain faithful to Christ and our community."
Thanks to generous donors like you, Ashley is well on her way to a meaningful career as an educator and youth minister. You make all the difference.
Elena Calderón ’26
In May 2026, Elena Calderón will be the 10th sibling to graduate from Whitworth. Thanks to generous donors like you, the Calderón siblings are living out Whitworth’s mission in the U.S. and abroad.
(Elena Calderón ’26 (right) and Jin Yue Trousil ’26 (left) spent summer 2025 working on research projects and connecting with engineers and scientists at the Los Alamos Dynamics/Engineering Summer School.)
Calderón Family Goes 10 for 10
Since 2008, there has never been a time when a Calderón sibling wasn’t attending Whitworth. That incredible streak will end when Elena Calderón, the youngest of 10, graduates in 2026. All but one of the siblings majored in at least one STEM discipline.
All of the children plan to or have pursued graduate education and all are focused on serving God and humanity through their vocations. Take these three: Monica Calderón Madrigal '12 is a trauma and marriage counselor in Istanbul, Turkey; Briana Calderón Parker '15 is a flight surgeon for the U.S. Air Force; and Adriana Calderón '16 is a resident doctor for CHRISTUS Health.
The siblings’ parents, Carlos and Lorena, say Whitworth has been a testament to God’s faithfulness.
“We are most grateful to Whitworth and to the many professors, parents, foundations, donors, supporters and people who pray that make Whitworth possible, of which we are beneficiaries,” Carlos says. “We take Whitworth as God’s provision for us.”