The Foundation for WWU & Alumni

10/16/2026

WWU grad student Finley Bell is paving his own path! 🥾🌲

Bell alongside two undergraduate students, is surveying 44 forest plots in Whatcom County that are scheduled for timber sales over the next decade. His goal is to identify which stands are most suitable for logging and which should be prioritized for conservation.

Read more about Bell’s research and how it affects Western Washington’s forests through the link in our bio.

Image Description: WWU grad student Finley Bell with undergraduate student Aaron Dubbels hike a trail in Olsen Creek State Forest

Image Description: Finley Bell in the forest surveying a tree

Image Description: Close up shot of Finley Bell holding a sample from a Douglas fir

Image Description: Finley Bell measures the circumference of a tree, Aaron Dubbels in the background is recording the data in a phone app

10/15/2026

Do you remember WWU's first national sports title? 🥎

In 1998, WWU's Softball team became Western's very first national champions, winning the NAIA national title. Since then, WWU has won 14 more national titles across all sports, but we will surely never forget the first! Go Viks! 🤘



Image 1: 1998 NAIA National Champion trophy.
Image 2: 1998 WWU Champion Softball Team (coaches cropped out. Sorry!)
Image 3: Jen Brandolini sliding for base.
Image 4: Alison Haukaas winding up to pitch.

10/14/2026

What question would you like to ask your alumni? Answer in the comments below!

Link for Ask a Viking here: https://wwu.protopia.co/

10/13/2026

WWU’s Kylea Assayag-Nodine was just named one of the nations top Industrial Design students! Kylea was one of just five students across the country to be awarded the IDSA Student Merit Award.

Kylea's portfolio included three designs, one of which being a prenatal watch and patch monitor that track vitals via machine learning that can be seen in the second image.

Check out Kylea's other amazing designs in the article by Mikayla King: https://news.wwu.edu/wwu-s-kylea-assayag-nodine-named-one-of-the-top-industrial-design-students-in-the-nation

10/13/2026

10/12/2026

Have you got your Teacher Swag Bag yet?! There’s only a few left!

Click the link below to get your very own Teacher Swag Bag and show your pride! 💙🤘

https://foundation.wwu.edu/event/free-teacher-swag

10/09/2026

14,564+ students. 100,000+ alumni. 114,564+ stories to tell.

Exam season is coming soon, Vikings. Take breaks and remember the time at WWU will past by, so soak it all in! 💙🍂

10/08/2026

Who remembers the old Miller Hall?

Despite the first image being from 1980, Miller Hall didn't get it's facelift until 2011, with the $51.5 million 2-year project concluding in November, just in time for the cold Bellingham winter! Now it's filled with tons of studying students who never knew the old Miller Hall.

10/07/2026

Miss your college student already? We get it! Block out your calendars and come to campus for Fall Family Weekend! 🍂

Join us on October 16-18 for a weekend of fun events, and experience the cozy Bellingham fall in full swing. Hope to see you there!

Check out the list of events, and register here!
https://foundation.wwu.edu/event/fall-family-weekend

10/06/2026

WWU Nursing graduate student Abby Ames is putting in the work to create a better future for aging adults in Washington State!

"Originally from Kenya, Ames says she was dedicated to nursing even as a child. When she was 9, her mother was bitten by a snake. Ames said the wound was gruesome, and she was the only one of her siblings who could tolerate the tasks required to nurse her mother back to health." - Allie Spikes

Check out the whole article by Allie Spikes here: https://news.wwu.edu/nursing-graduate-student-abby-ames-is-working-toward-a-better-future-for-aging-adults-in-washington

Photo caption: WWU graduate student of nursing Abby Ames. Photo courtesy of Ames.