Alicia Yan
Whitman College
Alicia Yan has been committed to making a positive impact in the world since the moment she arrived on campus. She thrives organizing student service trips during spring breaks, helping her peers learn, reflect and make a difference in communities surrounding campus. She also leads pre-orientation service trips passing along her passion for service to incoming students.
Alicia is able to inspire a house full of committed volunteers as a Resident Advisor of Whitman's Community Service Interest House, where all residents agree to complete at least thirty hours of volunteer time each semester. She also served as a co-president of Challah for Hunger, recruiting students to bake and sell the loaves, using the proceeds to support local and national anti-hunger organizations.
Classes in clinical psychology and her internship working with kids from poor and marginalized families in South Africa fueled her desire to pursue a career in mental health work. Her goal- to provide therapy for those who cannot access it because of cost or other barriers.
With her unending commitment to service and empowering leadership style, there is no limit to the positive impact Alicia will make in any community that is lucky enough to have her.
Personal Statement
Since the beginning of my college career, I have been invested in creating change for the communities surrounding myself through direct service, thought-provoking conversations, and philanthropy. I served in a large scale on the Spring Break Service Trips in 2016 that connected Whitman to the local Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, which has a tangled and long history with Whitman. This year, as a co-intern for the Spring Break Service Trip Program, I have organized the trips to connect Whitman students to a different sphere of influence. I also traveled to Cape Town, South Africa in 2016 to teach educational arts to children living in the townships that surround the city. My work and effort has allowed me to turn a more critical eye towards my actions and efforts. I strive to create programs on campus that push everyone to think more deeply about what it is that they do and how they can best serve others. I am aware of my power and privilege as a student at Whitman and I hope to utilize it to the best of my ability to both learn from and educate my current and future communities.
