Daniel Hernried, ‘17, attends Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, where he is double majoring in psychology and art. He finished the spring semester on May 9.
Q: What classes did you take second semester?
A: Psychology Statistics, Intro to Art History, Sculpture, and Encounters (the freshmen orientation class).
Q: How big were your classes?
A: My biggest class this semester was 37 (students) while my smallest class was six. The size is perfect. The professors really (got) to know me. In fact, they (knew) me so well one of them offered me a job here next semester in the art room.
Q: What was your favorite class?
A: My sculpture class was fantastic, and I really enjoyed the professor. I also loved Psych Stats because I learned so much about how to do experiments. I look forward to taking the knowledge into the real world!
Q: What was your least favorite class?
A: I don’t have one. I was fortunate enough to head into college having a sound idea of (what I wanted to do), and it turns out I really enjoy psychology and (find) excitement in art.
Daniel Hernried, ’17 (left) with his ski teammates and coach Mitch (right) after a University of Washington ski team fundraiser. “We raced dual giant slalom, which was super fun, and I made it pretty far,” Hernried said. “I almost beat Mitch!”
Q: Have you made any freshman mistakes?
A: I made the mistake of going up to (Ski) Bluewood (in Dayton, Washington, on) a day that it was snowing. My friends and I actually got into a car crash, and I fractured my neck and got a concussion.
My mistake was going to class with a concussion. I still don’t remember anything that went on in that class.
I also passed out in the middle of Intro to Psych the first semester. I also got mono that semester.
Going to class with a concussion is not fun. Also, try not to get mono and (become) sensitive to the point where if you see Ben Carson performing brain surgery on a girl who gets seizures, you pass out because of a vasovagal reaction.
Q: Have you participated in any traditions?
A: I ran naked through the streets the last day of classes. So, yeah, I partook in traditions. It’s called the annual naked mile/beer mile. Yes, people are intoxicated; however, I thought that would be pretty clear considering we are running naked through the streets while others watch. I don’t know how one could do it sober.
I also bathed in the fountain. Bathing in the fountain closest to Reid Campus Center is just something people do all year round, even when it snows. It’s actually really refreshing in the spring or early fall.
Q: You were team captain of the SCDS ski and snowboard team. Do you continue to ski?
A: Yeah! I am actually going to be a (team) captain next year. I was the second seed on the (club) team, and I averaged about 17th of 60 (racers) at the end of the season. I thought I would do worse. It’s funny; the first seed and I were very close. I beat him in GS (giant slalom), and he beats me in slalom.
The backcountry ski club gets a hefty amount of emails every weekend (in) winter and spring. “It’s not over till the snow’s all gone!” is the saying.
Q: What other clubs or extracurriculars did you do?
A: I enjoy climbing! I climbed mainly in the climbing gym on campus. I have only taken one class, Beginning Rock Climbing, but I am taking (another) one next semester.
Q: What was your housing like?
A: Anderson (Hall) was really nice! It was a good mix of studying and socializing. (The) rooms are big enough, (so) I didn’t get claustrophobic, and it was never really that hot – probably because I lived on the first floor.
Next year I’ll be living in the new sophomore dorm, which will have full-size beds, which is probably the best thing since sliced bread.
Q: What’s your favorite part of Whitman College?
A: The arts at Whitman are very popular and respected. The theater, studio arts, music and dance programs here are very rigorous.
“This was me on my scramble!” Daniel Hernried, ’17 (right), said. “This is in the Northern Cascades, and we had finally reached the peak. Overall it was a 16-mile hike that day, and you can literally see Canada from there. Hi, Justin Trudeau!”
Q: What’s your least favorite part?
A: The size is small. I feel like I have seen all 1,500 faces here at Whitman. However, it’s not that bad of (a) problem.
That and the fact that (the) freshman orientation class is a year long, which is more than most Pacific Northwest schools like Puget Sound, Willamette and Reed.
Q: What is unique about Whitman?
A: The community here thrives off the outdoors. It’s a competition to find a spot to put up my hammock. We have a great outdoors program. Forty-nine percent of students go on the pre-orientation week-long trip, which we call Scrambles.
Q: How do you get around campus?
A: It takes me five minutes to walk from my dorm to the farthest class, Olin Hall. People bring skateboards, but walking is usually the best means.
Q: What is the town like?
A: Ashland mixed with Davis. It’s really cute, but eventually, you’re going to get a little tired of seeing the same restaurants and trees.
Q: What is the weather like?
A: Walla Walla is a rural setting with a woodland-like town in the center. It’s very similar to central California in that the temperature varies dramatically by day – cold mornings to hot afternoons. The only difference is it’s about 10 degrees less than Sacramento. It snows for about three weeks, too.
Q: How was your transition from high school to college?
Surprisingly easier than I expected. SCDS prepared me well in both academics and in arts. The ceramics class at SCDS was very similar (to) the structure of the class here at Whitman, from the critiques to the free-flowing nature of the course.
Q: Do you have any college advice for the class of 2018?
A: A lot of the time people stress out about what they’re majoring in. They don’t have it figured out by their first semester, and that’s the point of your first semester.
Take a bunch of classes that you usually wouldn’t. Don’t limit yourself to just what Country Day offers, and don’t be overwhelmed by how much your college offers.
Good luck, enjoy college, and have fun (in the) four years of the most growing you’ll go through!
Five-star or subpar?
Food: ☆☆☆☆
School spirit: ☆☆☆☆
Location: ☆☆☆
Clubs: ☆☆☆☆☆
Student-teacher interaction: ☆☆☆☆☆
—By Larkin Barnard-Bahn
