This week, let’s hear from Heidi Pitts, assistant director of digital marketing and media at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington.
Q: What’s the most unexpected place you’ve found a great story on campus?
Technically, the story wasn’t on campus at all — it was on the way to campus. A flight cancellation in Seattle stranded 15 new international students who were traveling to Whitman for the very first time, and what could have been a stressful, isolating experience turned into an unforgettable overnight road trip with the help of Whitman’s baseball coach and a religion professor (who were also supposed to be on the cancelled flight) and staff back on campus coordinating support from afar. Along the way, the students found each other, discovered the quirks of the great American road trip, and arrived in Walla Walla not just safely, but already feeling part of a community.
What made the story so delightful was that it began before these students ever set foot at Whitman, and yet it embodied so many of the values we talk about as an institution: care, connection, initiative, and belonging. I didn’t have to work hard to demonstrate those themes; they were simply there, lived out in real time. Even more meaningfully, the idea came to me through the director of International Student & Scholar Services, which reflected the trust I had built over time and reinforced how strong relationships often lead to the most authentic, compelling stories.
What I love about this answer:
There are so many good things here from Heidi, but what I really love is the last thing she said. Building relationships internally is so important, beyond the obvious reason of just being a nice person :) When people trust you, yes they are more open with you, but they also tend to think about you more. That director could have easily kept the story to themselves, but they didn’t. That’s because they trusted Heidi, and they knew she could do something powerful with the story.
They were right.
Heidi’s example is also a great reminder that sometimes, the best stories can be found in the unlikeliest of places.
Here’s the full article Heidi wrote about the international students if you want to check it out: https://www.whitman.edu/whitman-stories/whitman-magazine/magazine-archives/winter-2022/the-long-road-home)
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PLUS … whenever you’re ready, here are three ways I can help you bring storytelling to life in your own work:
- Download my free higher ed guides
– 5 formats to make your alumni stories stand out
– 9 clever ways to create fresh content from your events
- Work with me on a writing project
I’ve supported schools across the country with website overhauls, prospect communications, and advancement content. Email me with “Storytelling” in the subject line to learn more.
- Collaborate on a custom content strategy project
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