International Students

This academic year, the Whittier College campus is home to 33 students from 16 countries who, in the classroom, on the playing field, in the arts, and in the residence halls, contribute to the greater diversity of Whittier's campus, enriching it with cosmopolitan thought and activity.

Hailing from Bulgaria, Nepal, Latin America, the U.K., Canada, Armenia, and Korea, to name a few, each international student brings to our community a distinct background and diverse experiences. While undergraduates, these students contribute to the cultural and intellectual life of Whittier College—but they also serve as tutors and resident advisors, take leadership roles in student government and societies, play for the Poet sports teams, and establish student clubs to further enhance campus opportunities in their fields of study and interest.

For example, three-sport athlete Ulli Wermuth, from Germany, started the College's first table tennis club. Russian Tatiana Miranova became a resident advisor, was an integral member of the Consulting Club, and represented Whittier in two internships: one with Edward Jones, one with Wall Street's Oppenheimer & Co. Bulgarian Plamen Ganev ran and won a seat first as treasurer, then as ASWC president. Enrique Salas, a native of Guadalajara, served as an assistant in the Department of Modern Languages, and arranged/produced a full concert of tango nuevo music—a cultural first among his fellow music majors. These are just a few examples of the talented and energetic international students who help shape the intellectual and extracurricular climate of our campus.

Founded on Quaker values that encouraged internationalism, Whittier College has a long history of educating students from around the globe, starting with the first Russian national enrolled at Whittier College in the 1920s. Since that time, international students have been a vital part of Whittier's community of learners and scholars.