Currently, I am living in Madrid, Spain, and working as an English language assistant in a bilingual school. I love my life here, from working with students to exploring a new city and country to meeting people from around the world and putting my Spanish degree to use. Over the summer break, I volunteered on a farm in northern Spain, am studying for the LSAT, training for a marathon, and visiting my family that lives in Europe. I would never have found this opportunity if it weren’t for my Spanish advisor, Professor Valerie Benoist, and I continually rely on the connections I made in Grinnell as I figure out how I want my life to look once I leave Spain. Currently, I am planning to return to the US in the summer of 2024 and work for a couple of years before applying to law school.
Merel’s Journey
Lex’s Journey
Looking to the Future

I am currently in the process of starting applications for law school. At some point after Grinnell, I would also like to earn a master’s degree in public policy.
Above all, my Grinnell education has prepared me to think critically and boldly, and encouraged me to not only discover, but also chase dreams that I never thought possible.
Smizing into senior year!
Nina’s Journey
Reflections and Looking Forward

As I reflect on my time at Grinnell, I think about all the amazing memories I have made here. Since I started, I’ve made so many friends from all over the country and the world. I have won the SLIAC Individual Conference Championship for golf three times and been a Second-Team All-American twice. During my first year, my team went to Houston for the NCAA DIII National Championship, and I’m very excited to go back again my senior year. While my college experience did not quite go as planned because of the pandemic, I was fortunate to have many other wonderful experiences as a result of choosing to go to Grinnell.
After I graduate, I’ll be going back to North Carolina to work at IBM. I look forward to the future and will always be thankful for the memories I made at Grinnell!
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Catherine’s Journey
Fourth Year and Post-Grad

During the spring of 2021, I took time off to get my medical assistant license. As a result, I was able to work as a dermatology surgery assistant the following summer.
Now, in 2023, I just started medical school at the University of South Dakota!
Reflecting back now, I am so grateful for the time I spent learning at Grinnell. Over my four years, I was able to become a critical thinker, increase my curiosity, and broaden my worldview. I’m now passionate about health equity and providing culturally competent care to all people, which I discovered in my time as a Grinnell student. Although I chose not to take very many classes directly related to medicine at Grinnell, I know that my range of experiences will help me to become a better physician.
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Maddie’s Journey
Post-Grad

Now, I work with Iowa City Parks and Recreation Foundation as their farmers market specialist! In this role, I am responsible for building market capacity by assisting with vendor application review and processing, marketing communications, and invoice management, as well as planning market activities and special events.
I also work with the Linn County Public Health Department on the side as their Fresh Conversations facilitator. Fresh Conversations (FC) is a direct education, newsletter-based intervention for senior citizens. It promotes healthier food and beverage choices across food groups.
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Evan’s Journey
Post Grad

Growing up isn't always fun. Thankfully, my time at Grinnell prepared me to leave in more ways than I ever expected.
After graduation, I took a gap year to work and save money. While I was working part-time at Drake University as their bookstore shipping and receiving specialist, I took that time to apply to graduate programs across the humanities.
Now I am a medical laboratory sciences graduate student at Indiana University Bloomington!
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Liv’s Journey
Post-Grad
After graduating from Grinnell, I headed straight to my new position at The College of New Jersey as a graduate assistant coach. I was so grateful for the people I get to work with and the players I get to coach there.
I recently landed a job at Denison University as their assistant women's basketball coach! I am ecstatic to continue my coaching career at Denison. I believe that the university's mission is to excel in both academics and athletics, and I think that the future is incredibly bright for this program. I know that Coach Mo and Coach Griffin have done a fantastic job building on the culture of inclusion and success for this team, and I am looking forward to helping it continue to grow!
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Nicole’s Journey
Post-Grad
After graduating from Grinnell, I landed a full-time job as a business development associate at International Business Initiatives (IBI). I've been with them for two years now! IBI is a woman-owned consulting firm dedicated to providing insightful analysis and practical solutions to challenges facing governments and companies worldwide.
As someone who is interested in understanding how economic activity affects and is shaped by social phenomena, I am passionate about projects and organizations that either foment education, promote children's rights, or encourage women empowerment.
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Ahon’s Journey
Post-Grad
After graduating from Grinnell, I became a graduate teaching assistant at Florida State University, so off to Tallahassee I went for my third act, experiencing a completely different side of the United States than I had before! As a graduate teaching assistant, I taught world theater history and theater to both majors and non-majors.
In the meantime, I side-hustled as a managing producer of Side B Society, leading fundraising and season planning, and producing new work for theater with the executive producer. I also worked virtually as an artistic associate at Make/Shift Theatre Company, facilitating transnational interdisciplinary collaborations for two flagship events.
Occasionally, I go back to my hometown in Kolkata, India, to do some seasonal work that I really believed in: helping reimagine the live performance experience through increased funding and infrastructure across the country and commissioning the first-ever pan-Indian dance and theatre database!
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Avery’s Journey
Post-Grad

After Grinnell, I am now finished with 2 out of the 4 years of my Ph.D program at Princeton University! I'm focusing my research on Public Affairs in STEP, which stands for Science, Technology, and Environment Policy!
Summer after my first year in my PhD program, I landed an internship at the Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency. In this role, I was tasked with procuring energy data which will be included in their annual Energy Report Card. I worked specifically for my home country, Jamaica, and conducted literature reviews and wide array of interviews for information.