Despite the busy lives of many Whitman graduates, a few times every year alumni like Yasmeen Abutaleb (‘07) send their regards.

“450-500 people graduate Whitman every year, and they don’t always write back, so it’s nice to hear from somebody who feels like their school is a good place to be,” Principal Alan Goodwin said.

Recently, Abutaleb sent a letter to Dr. Goodwin noting that Whitman had a large impact on her life because it had always been a pleasing and safe learning environment for her.

“I’m Muslim and there was a lot of Islamophobia going around, and I remembered that I didn’t really have to deal with that at Whitman,” Abutaleb said. “Also, my career was going well, and a lot of it had to do with what I’d done at Whitman, so I just felt that Dr. Goodwin should know that.”

At Whitman, Abutaleb took difficult classes, was an arts writer/editor for the Black & White and participated in band and Crew.

“She’s organized and she’s a worker,” history teacher Kirk Shipley said. “Nothing seemed to bother her, and her work ethic was great.”

After graduating from UMD with degrees in Microbiology and Journalism, where she held the position of senior editor of UMD’s esteemed newspaper, the Diamondback, Yasmeen became a technology writer for Reuters—an international news agency in San Francisco.

Abutaleb’s main job is to write about technology, specifically social media. However, because she is on the West Coast, she also gets to cover many stories of national importance, such as the San Bernardino shooting, she said.

Whitman’s rigorous courses helped prepare Abutaleb for the demands of later years so that she could adapt to time constraints, schoolwork and difficult exams.

“I just felt generally better-prepared than my classmates, especially when it came to writing, so I could get onto the student newspaper pretty quickly,” Abutaleb said. “I was edited a lot, but I knew the basics pretty well because of teachers like Mrs. Reynolds and Mrs. Crewdson.”

Throughout the struggles of high school, university and finding a job, Abutaleb has received support from Whitman students and teachers in addition to family and friends.

Abutaleb continues to communicate with friends that have remained since high school, often about the stressful process of finding a job.

But years after graduation and real-life experience, Abutaleb has some advice for all students at Whitman.

“Be aware of how many opportunities you have,” Abutaleb said. “You’ve got some of the smartest kids in the country, and the best teachers to learn from. It’s a really good community, so take advantage of everything in it.”