FALL SUPPLEMENT 2025
CLASS NOTES LET US KNOW WHAT YOU’RE UP TO!
Update us online at whitworth.edu/alumni-update, email us at alumni@whitworth.edu, or write us at Strategic Engagement Team, Whitworth University, 300 W. Hawthorne Road, Spokane, WA 99251. Submissions received March 1-Sept. 30, 2025, appear in the fall supplement of Whitworth Today. All cities listed are located in Washington state unless otherwise noted.
2020s-10s
2025
Arona (Vashon) Dotson and John Rocco Dotson were married on May 31 in Colbert. The couple enjoyed a two-week honeymoon in Greece and Bulgaria. Meg Fairborn was awarded a prestigious Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation and is earning her Ph.D. in plasma physics from Columbia University in New York. Heather Hamlin is the director of the Office of Neighborhood Services for the City of Spokane. She served previously as executive director for the Women Helping Women Fund in Spokane. Ella Jimenez is a business development representative at F5 in Spokane. Erica Peacock M.Ed. in school counseling is a career specialist at Gonzaga University School of Law in Spokane. Josh Rosen is the lead groundskeeper for Rockwood at Whitworth in Spokane.
2023
Adam Cassidy, of Mount Vernon, is a software engineer at Sedron Technologies and a track & field coach at his alma mater, Sedro-Woolley High School.
2022
Annika Bjornson and Aaron Slape were married on July 12 in Ontario. The couple lives in Seattle. Justyce Brant is the urban forestry program director for The Lands Council in Spokane. Maggie (Ruffcorn) Haley, of Spokane,
was promoted to content specialist for American Specialty Health. Lydia Kramer and her partner, Ethan Shapiro, launched ArtFair Apparel, a small business that promotes the work of local artists in their hometown of Boulder, Colo. Their business was featured in People magazine in April.
2020
Kamryn Laurence is a naturopathic doctor at Full Circle Natural Medicine in Seattle. Julie Lilienkamp is a licensed mental health counselor at Advanced Behavioral Health, LLC in Spokane Valley. Chelsea Shearer and Jackson Hope were married on April 5 in Maple Valley. Katriel (Sahlstrom) Smit DPT ’25 is a physical therapist at Core Pelvic Physical Therapy in Spokane Valley. Cole Stockton is a business development representative at F5 in Spokane.
2019
Arielle (Van Peursem) McClain is an account manager at BlueAlly in Castle Rock, Colo. Sarah (James) Ben Olson is a co-founder and executive director of Village Cohousing Works, a nonprofit that connects families and individuals at high risk of becoming homeless with homes in north Spokane. Emma Jo Wiley, of Fort Collins, Colo., published a children’s book, Carlos Earns His Arms, a story inspired by the cacti in Mexico.
2018
Kate Kostenkova is a research fellow at Harvard Medical School in Boston. Liz Richardson is the capacity support
manager at Better Health Together in Spokane. Heidi Thom is a legislative assistant for U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy in Washington, D.C.
2017
Greg Naker is a career & technical education teacher at On Track Academy in Spokane. He teaches photography, computer science and career choices. Tricia (Saylor) Porter and Ben Porter were married on July 1, 2023. The couple lives in Antioch, Tenn. Shannon Wessel MIT ’18 is transitioning this fall from teaching biology and chemistry to teaching sports medicine at Mt. Spokane High School in Mead.
2016
Jonathan Barta teaches math and physics and coaches volleyball and soccer at Tianjin International School in Tianjin, China. Justin Botejue MBA ’22 is a clinic manager at Joya Child & Family Development. Kellen Drake is the head boys basketball coach at Wenatchee High School and the director for membership in the Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association. He recently received the John Wooden Legacy Award, which recognizes service and impact in Washington high school basketball. Madison Garner, of Portland, Ore., used the skills she gained as a communication major and forensics team member at Whitworth to work her way into the indie film industry. She recently landed her first feature film job with The Grove, which filmed in summer 2025 in Hood River, Ore. Elizabeth Porter is the diversity & 1