Name: Matt Zmudka
Class year: 2011
Intended Major: Biochemistry
Hometown: Dubuque, IA
E-mail:zmudkama@grinnell.edu
Best thing about Grinnell: Diversity! I come from a small city in Iowa where most people were alike, so I found it very interesting to meet people from dozens of countries and of countless backgrounds. Diversity in ideas permeates Grinnell.
Favorite spot on campus: The Noyce Science Center is open 24 hours a day for students. It's a great place to get work done, to meet people, or just settle in and read. Nothing says fun like checking on fern gametophytes in the middle of the night.
Activities at Grinnell: I'm a writer for the Scarlet and Black, Grinnell's weekly student newspaper. Articles are assigned on Sunday nights, and we have 3-10 days to write. It was a huge jump for me going from frivolous club news in my high school paper to stories on actual people in actual, newsworthy situations, but I've enjoyed every minute of it. I'm also the DJ for an environmental talk show on KDIC 88.5 FM; radio is easy but really fun to do!
Favorite thing about the town of Grinnell: The coffee competition. The buzzing, light atmosphere of Saints Rest, or the quiet contemplative aura of Grinnell Coffee Company? After several visits to each, I still haven't made up my mind.
Plans for after Grinnell: Who knows? That's the beauty of Grinnell, I don't have to choose a major or set a life path right away like my friends at other schools. Next year, I'm taking classes in all three divisions (science, social science, and humanities) even though I'll be a biochemistry major. My ideal career is probably a mish-mash of six majors, but Grinnell's about learning how to think in a wide variety of fields and ways.
How would you describe Grinnell students: We care. We don't care about the same things or in the same ways, but each of us has at least something that we care about a great deal. That care is evident in the quality of work, vigor of activism, and in the depth of dinner conversations. Passions permeate everyone's life, and that fact, more than any one topic could, unites Grinnell students.