Seven people in tie-dyed shirts on rock with hills in background
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Nathan Pavlovic ’10:
David Montgomery ’10 and I with Namibian colleagues after tie-dyeing shirts at the Gobabeb Training and Research Centre's weekly "Art Hour."

Courtesy of Nathan Pavlovic ’10

You may already know about Grinnell’s high per capita participation rates in the Peace Corps, but did you know about our own global volunteer program, Grinnell Corps?

Each year, seniors compete for one of 10 Grinnell Corps fellowships. These College-sponsored one-year service opportunities are located around the globe and tackle education, conservation, poverty, and reconstruction efforts.

Current fellows provide reports of their experiences, offering glimpses into their lives, the work they do, and the lessons they learn:

  • In her first report from Lesotho, Gayatri Jayal ’11 writes about on the music inherent in Sesotho’s greeting — Lumelaang — “a song within a word.”
  • Ellie Deal ’11 talks about her love for New Orleans as well as the realities and challenges of neighborhood revitalization and real-world social justice work.
  • Aki Shibuya ’11 uses flavors of Thai food as a framework for discussing the cultural and professional adaptations she’s learned to make, as well as the support she’s gotten from the Grinnell community in Thailand.

Older reports are equally interesting:

  • David Mongomery ’10, a fellow in Namibia, covers Gobabebian aesthetics (skulls, anyone?), the linguistic stylings of Namlish, and his love of chickens.
  • Nichole Baker ’10 discusses how her side roles as a primary school art teacher and tutor expanded her understanding of the Chinese education system.
  • And Daisy Ventura ’09 shows a different side of Grinnell as she discusses working with Mid-Iowa Community Action, helping low-income families in five counties in central Iowa.

The 10 current fellowships are located in:

Past fellowships’ locales also include Greece, Macau, and Nepal. The oldest program, in Nanjing, was founded more than 20 years ago — a part of the College’s presence in China dating back to the early 1900s. Our newest program, in Thailand, began in 2010.

Learn more about the program at Grinnell Corps. You can find more fellows’ reports under each program.

The Office of Social Commitment helps students find and apply for many pre- and postgraduate service opportunities, scholarships, and fellowships.