Alumni Update: Whitney Gee Hosty ' 95

Whitney Gee Hosty ’95 visited St. Paul’s during middle school chapel this week to share a few highlights from her time in high school, college, and career. She covered some of the key moments in her education including her time learning abroad in Paris and a pivotal college class that piqued her interest in non-profit management. Today, she is a Senior Philanthropic Advisor for the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation – an organization she has been with for nearly 20 years! Whitney is pictured here with her daughter, Lillian, a current St. Paul’s 7^th grade student. Read more about Whitney’s visit below.

Whitney started by giving a glimpse of life at St. Paul’s after the infamous school fire back in 1993. She admired the entire St. Paul’s for quickly pivoting and getting school back up in running in just a matter of days. After graduating from St. Paul’s in 1995, Whitney attended Pembroke High School where she was challenged academically and got involved with many activities including theatre and dance.

Whitney attended Williams College, a small liberal arts college in Massachusetts. She appreciated going to a school that was only a few hours away from two big cities (Boston and New York), but she also loved the small class sizes and range of liberal arts courses that introduced her to a range of career possibilities.

She ended up picking French Studies as a major, and even studied abroad in Paris during her junior year. During her time in France she not only practiced the language while living with a host family, she got to fully immerse in the French learning system. Who wouldn’t love taking Art History classes in the famous Louvre Museum?

While at Williams College, Whitney also took a Non-Profit Management class which was the spark that led to her career as a Senior Philanthropic Advisor at the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation (GKCCF). She loves getting to partner with generous individuals and businesses to match them up with local projects and non-profits to suit their giving goals. Whitney is about to celebrate 20 years with GKCCF!

Before wrapping up her talk, Whitney shared a few key pieces of advice for students including:

-       Be kind to everyone; you never know when your paths will cross again

-       Get involved and volunteer in your community whenever you can

In addition to having two kids currently enrolled at St. Paul's (Lillian, 7th Grade and Henry, 4th Grade), Whitney also serves on the school's Board of Trustees.

Many thanks to Whitney for stopping by St. Paul’s to share her insight and experience with our students! We’re proud to have her as one of our distinguished alumni!