Alumni

Once a Coug, always a Coug

Transfer student Carrie Colbert earned her bachelor’s degree in women’s studies at WSU, graduating in 2009, and then earning an MBA at Grand Canyon University. She currently works for ALSCO, a linen company. One of her tips for current students: ask for help when [you need] help and remember “that you become part of a […]

Inaugural class of distinguished alumni

Washington State University Global Campus inducted the first five members of its Society of Distinguished Alumni, all of whom earned degrees in the College of Arts & Sciences. “Over the past 30 years, WSU Global Campus has been a part of the educational and career journeys for many accomplished and influential people,” said Dave Cillay, […]

Q&A with alumnus Edward Felt

A biology and organizational communication double major, Edward Felt (’09) is the north American sales manager for VMRD, Inc., a Pullman-based company that develops and manufactures veterinary diagnostic test kits and reagents for distribution in more than 77 countries, as well as performing specialized testing for the global serum, veterinary, and pharmaceutical industries.

Q&A with alumna Michelle McArthur Allman

A high school teacher earlier in her career, Michelle McArthur Allman (’98 English & Secondary Education) currently is the Director of Special Education for the Laurel School District in Laurel, Delaware. Her department serves students from preschool through 12th grade and ages 3 through 21 who have an IEP or a 504 plan, as well […]

Pilots for the presidents

Their brotherhood took off from the Sigma Nu chapter house in Pullman to careers as Marine Corps helicopter pilots flying two presidents of the United States. Alumni Jeff “Cliffy” Tontini (’89 History) and Dan “Dano” Ircink (’89 English) were pledge brothers to Sigma Nu fraternity as freshmen at Washington State University in 1985, but they […]

Standing by for testing surge

Inside the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (WADDL) on the WSU Pullman campus, three recent Coug alumae—Victoria Fitzpatrick (biology), Sylena Harper (chemistry and biochemistry), and Hannah Wilson (genetics and cell biology)—are busy providing laboratory results that could save lives. Since last July, the three have been working in shifts to process COVID-19 tests from throughout […]

History first-gen grad honored for excellence

Washington educator Jordan Frost received the University’s inaugural First-Generation Alumni Excellence Award, presented by the Office of Academic Engagement (OAE). Frost earned two degrees at WSU—a BA in history in 2018, and a master’s in teaching in 2019. While an undergraduate in Pullman, he was elected and served as head of the Associated Students of […]

History alumnus leads virtual vacations from Bolivia

Derren Patterson (’07 History) wanted to see the world. After stops in China and Korea, he landed in Bolivia—and made the landlocked South American country his home. The ecotourism adventurer has been sharing his passion for the place—part mountain range, part desert, part rainforest—for twelve years now. “I’ve guided Hollywood movie stars, princes and princesses, […]

Using photography to help combat racial, social injustice

Sharing the complete picture of humanity, especially the hard topics, so that one day she can affect positive change. That’s the reason photographer and WSU Tri-Cities alumna Madison Rosenbaum first picked up a camera. Shedding light on difficult social issues and providing a voice for the unheard is also what led her to document local […]