Why Grinnell?
I’m from a big, suburban high school that is twice the size of Grinnell. We had a lot of resources there, including AP classes, sports, and clubs. The school prepared me well for college academics, but it was harder to make connections and meet people. It was especially difficult to get closer to my teachers.
So, when I looked for colleges, I knew I wanted a smaller, more open community. I liked the idea of having close relationships with professors, and I knew what I wanted to study. However, I wanted to be certain before I declared a major. I also wanted to swim in college, and student-athlete work-life balance was important to me.
My aunt and uncle encouraged me to apply, but it was my high school counselor who pushed me to seriously consider Grinnell. When I sat in on a class as an admitted student, I knew that this was the environment I wanted. The professors all called the students by their first names, and they asked about students’ lives outside of school. It was clear that these professors saw students as people. When I sat with some students at lunch, I felt that they wanted me to be there. I had this gut feeling that I would fit in at Grinnell.
Swimming
Swimming has been an important part of my Grinnell experience. My teammates are my best friends, and I live with several of them. Through swimming, I had a built-in community from day one, and I could go to them for support.
Ciara ’26, Sophie ’26, Kylie ’26, and I took the photo above during our first year at Grinnell. Then we recreated that photo as seniors this year!
Swim Community
Swim helped me make friends easily. I automatically had people to eat lunch with every day. I loved that I had a built-in community to lean on right away.
As a first-year student, I loved that I could easily turn to people for advice. Older teammates knew what it was like to be a first-year student and come out on the other side, and they wanted to make my Grinnell experience as positive as possible.
For example, a third-year psychology teammate helped me with homework and gave me advice on what classes I should take during my first year. I also talked to older students from other majors, and through this, I learned so much about the care and compassion behind being "a Grinnellian."
Favorite Classes
As a psychology and Spanish double major, I’ve loved many of my classes at Grinnell. Although I came in knowing what I wanted to major in, I also found my own niche here.
Psychology
I took a special topics class called Pain Disparities with professor Brandon Ng, and that has been my favorite class in the psychology department. It was a niche topic that I stumbled on before I took this class, and the class was the only one of its kind in the country. I loved learning everything about the topic, from reading background literature to doing research. And since Professor Ng was looking to start his own lab, I’ve been able to use the knowledge I learned in that class in my current research with him.
Spanish
I’ve loved all of the Spanish classes I’ve taken. The Spanish department takes great care to offer interesting and unique topics, and these classes have taught me so much about the lived experiences of Spanish-speaking people in the world. One of my favorite classes was called U.S. Latinx Identity & Sexuality with professor John Petrus. The class explored the lived realities of being a Latino-American or a Latino immigrant in the United States.
Sociology
I love that I can use Grinnell's open-style curriculum to take classes outside of my major. Some of them, like the Sociology of Education class that I took in the fall of my senior year, have been unexpectedly extremely helpful for my future career. I want to work in the education industry, so it’s important to have the insight and background knowledge I gained from this class to best serve people.
Work On Campus
I worked as a community advisor (CA) for two years. CAs act as peer mentors to students and refer them to resources or support when needed. They also create a sense of community in the dorms.
This past summer, I worked on community outreach with the Grinnell College Museum of Art. We brought the College’s art to local children, building further connections between the College and the town. I saw firsthand how programming and art impacts the town.
I spent one summer working at the Museum of Art, and I even got to be in Grinnell’s Fourth of July parade. In the photo of the parade above, I was riding in a truck with fellow student Kyra and Grinnell College Museum of Art curator, Tilly Woodward.
One week after the parade, the Museum of Art and a local organization, LINK Mentoring Grinnell, partnered together to host an “Art in the Park” event. This involved a lot of trophies!
Research
In Classes
Starting as early as my first year, Grinnell gave me ample opportunity to conduct research and develop my skills. Many classes have built-in research expectations, and all psychology classes have a lab component.
Advanced Research
Because Professor Ng from the psychology department is building his lab from scratch, I’ve been fortunate to see all the ins and outs of research. I’ve learned how to design a study, come up with a question, follow the process to receive Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, and see how each step plays out in practice.
Before Grinnell, I felt that research was something you would only do if you were pursuing a Ph.D. With Professor Ng's methodical explanations and guidance throughout the process, however, research felt approachable.
And importantly, because everyone experiences pain, our research made me rethink the way that I interact with people. I became more empathetic toward people, and I see the world and what other people are going through differently now.
I have a close connection with Professor Ng. I often just stop by his office to have a conversation with him. I go to him for advice and talk about next steps in my career. He values my voice and opinion when we are doing research. I’ve wanted a close connection like this since high school, and I’m very fortunate and happy to have it in college.
To Buenos Aires, Argentina!
I knew that I wanted to go to a Spanish-speaking country, but I had already visited Spain as a high school exchange student and wanted a new locale. I chose Buenos Aires, Argentina, and it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.
And, because Grinnell's psychology department encourages students to pursue study abroad programs that allow full cultural immersion, I had more flexibility to choose my program’s location and experience.
