Whitman College Magazine Winter 2022

to the Alaska Airlines customer service counter. Menchu
Tuy left her home in Guatemala at 3 a.m. and ended up
not eating anything until after 5 p.m. due to concerns
about removing her face mask and possibly contracting
COVID-19, so she was not feeling very well. But as she
arrived at customer service, she saw someone wearing a
United World Colleges (UWC) sweatshirt. Menchu Tuy,
a UWC alum also wearing a school hoodie, went up to
the person and discovered they were a Whitman student.
Suddenly being with others in this difficult situation was
very reassuring.
Comfort in Numbers
Now numbering 15, the stranded students were split, with
some waiting in the gate area and others joining the very
long line at customer service. Some were texting with
Greg Lecki, associate director for international student
support services, who had been monitoring the flight
delays all evening. Suddenly one student said, “It looks
like there is a teacher from Whitman in line at customer
service.” It was Head Baseball Coach Brian Kitamura,
who was also supposed to be on the canceled flight.
At the same time, Associate Professor of Religion
Lauren Osborne, also stranded by the canceled flight,
was in the gate area deciding what she would do when
she noticed two young women and started chatting with
them. Discovering they were international students
coming to Whitman, Osborne thought perhaps she could
arrange hotel rooms for herself and the two of them. The
surprise of learning that there was an entire group of
stranded students led Osborne to get in touch with Lecki,
who told her about Kitamura connecting with other
students at customer service.
Now that Kitamura, Lecki and Osborne were in touch
with each other and all the students, they kicked into
high gear trying to find a solution for the exhausted
students, calling customer service, waiting in line to talk
to an airport representative, calling hotels in the area, all
to frustrating results. There were no hotels with available
rooms anywhere. Customer service could not rebook the
students onto any flights for several days.
Remembering the energy of this time, Pham
appreciates how Osborne and Kitamura handled the
situation. “Lauren and Brian were calm even though they
had lost the flight too, and that helped us a lot. They were
worried but they helped us to not feel lost and sad.”
Hitting the Road
After several hours of standing in line and waiting on
hold, Kitamura, Lecki and Osborne decided that the best
option would be to drive to Walla Walla. However, it was
now well past midnight, only one car rental company at
the airport was open and, with Kitamura and Osborne
the only licensed drivers, they needed two very large
vehicles. After talking with the rental company staff, they
discovered that there was a large SUV and a 15-passenger
van available, which would provide enough seating for 17
people—but would it offer enough storage space?
The task of fitting 17 people and more than 50 pieces
of luggage into two vehicles took an hour and some
clever organization. Most of the students had two large
suitcases, plus a carry-on or two. And because of the late
hour, all those checked bags were locked in the airport’s
baggage claim area. While Kitamura went to ensure that
the vehicles promised were actually available, Osborne
and the students pleaded with airport staff, who opened
a warehouse-like room where the students searched
through piles and stacks of suitcases and boxes for their
items. Eventually, all except one suitcase were found
and the group made their way out to the curb to begin
the hour-long process of figuring out how to fit 33 very
big suitcases, more than 20 carry-ons and 17 people into
two vehicles.
Eliacy remembers how crowded it was. “Some people
had to sit with their legs up on the seats.” Still, Pham
recalls the moment all the people and luggage were in the
vehicles as the happiest moment of the trip. Sometime
around 3 a.m. they left SeaTac, finally starting the last leg
of their journey to Whitman.
Within minutes of leaving the airport, most of the
exhausted students were asleep in whatever cramped
position they could manage. Some of the students were
extremely hungry, but their attempts to find a nearby
fast-food restaurant that was serving were unsuccessful,
so Kitamura and Osborne drove on to Cle Elum, stopping
around 5 a.m. at a gas station. Watching the students
enter an American convenience store for the first time,
Kitamura enjoyed seeing their snack selections. “They
were trying things they’d always wanted to try: Oreos,
hot chocolate from a machine. It was a deep dive into
America.”
Leaving the gas station, spirits lifted as students
observed the unfamiliar landscape of the Yakima Valley.
“Lauren and
Brian were
calm even
though they
had lost
the flight
too, and
that helped
us a lot.
They were
worried but
they helped
us to not
feel lost
and sad.”
—Mavie Pham,
first-year from
Hanoi, Vietnam
PHOTO BY CALLAY BOIRE-SHEDD, SENIOR FROM PORT TOWNSEND, WASHINGTON
34 / WHITMAN MAGAZINE