Big Poet Give 2023

Special thanks to generous alumna Stephanie Wiggins '92. She will match the first $3,000 to the WCBAA Support Fund. THANK YOU!

Supporting this year’s #BigPoetGive and the Whittier College Black Alumni Association (WCBAA) is an excellent opportunity to join an affinity group that is making a difference in the lives of the students identifying as black. Your gift goes towards need-based and merit scholarships and cultural events. For the third consecutive year, we are proud to provide four merit-based scholarships. Please join us in congratulating this year’s awardees: Jamil Charles (So.), Destiny Randle (Sr.), Heaven Taylor (Sr.), and Chahlysia Walker (Sr.) for their academic success! 

In addition to awarding scholarships, this year the WCBAA 

• Supported alum Tony Woods as an inductee into the Whittier College Athletic Hall of Fame
• Hosted students and alumni at the beginning of the semester with an outing to the Tupac Experience plus a soul food meal at Fixins’ in downtown LA
• Hosted a meet and greet social at homecoming at Poet Gardens in Uptown Whittier
• Conducted its first day-long Black History Month event called “100 Black Alumni - Celebrating Us”. The highlight of the day was a presentation by WC President Oubre.
• Launched our WCBAA website. Find us at www.wcbaa.org  
• Our continued partnership with the Black Student Association (BSA) to support the WC Black Graduation for the third year
• In conjunction with WC Admissions, we again will host a recruitment Open House for admitted and recruited black-identifying students
• Begin developing a mentor/mentee program to be implemented in ’23-’24

Since our inception three years ago, our growth has flourished from the support of current members. WCBAA helped improve black student retention rates (students identifying as males 87% and females 93%) for the ’22-‘23 school year. And there is so much more we would like to accomplish in support of the recruitment, retention, and attrition of black students.  We need your support! This is the time to renew your membership or become a first-time member. Membership is $200/yr. or less than $20/month. You are also welcome to donate at any amount.  Please join us in assisting our black students toward graduation and building fond memories of their Whittier College experience.