College Service Programs

This is a community where involvement doesn’t stop at the campus gates. Here, students embrace values of service, civic responsibility and engagement, as they go out into the surrounding community and the world, ready to contribute their talents and abilities.

With a grant from the B.C. McCabe Foundation, our College & Community Program works with faculty, staff, and students from a range of disciplines to create partnerships with non-profit organizations and local government in Whittier and neighboring communities. This translates into from 150 to 200 students a year working in the local communities through internships, off-campus classwork, and other volunteer service. This year, approximately 70 organizations were involved as partners in some way with Whittier College.

From tutoring local elementary and high school students, to working with the Boys & Girls Club of Whittier through the Fifth Dimension and Club Tech programs, and serving as docents and instructors at local museums, Whittier College students embrace community-based learning within the Los Angeles neighborhoods which make up our home.

At the same time, Whittier students engage in service on a national and international level as well. Some participate in programs working for the U.S. State Department, the Department of Business Administration, and the United Nations. Whether across the street, or across the world, our students explore how they can contribute to the wider community, in the process learning about the world and widening their future career options as well.