Alumni Outcomes Stories

Prepared for careers that matter. See the paths a few of our young alumni have forged.

Vrishali Sinha ’19

Etsy Strategic Project Associate

Sinha uses the critical and interdisciplinary thinking skills she learned at the College to advance socially just development.

Allison Wong ’12

Officer, United Nations Foundation

Allison’s years at Grinnell prepared her in no uncertain terms for the success she’s had as a young professional in Washington, D.C.

Alexandra Odom ’16 in front of a tree with autumn leaves

Alex Odom ’16

Ph.D. student in history, University of North Carolina

At Grinnell, Alex received mentorship and guidance through her Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, a program designed for underrepresented students to increase the diversity of faculty in higher education.

Steffie Ochoa ’20

IT Resident at Google

As a computer science major, Ochoa became more comfortable with the unknown and more trusting of herself, both skills which are essential in her current role.

Madison Wardlaw ’20

Chemistry Teacher

After graduating in 2020, Wardlaw spent a year teaching 11th-grade chemistry for English language learners in Philadelphia and furthering her education at the Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education on a Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship.

Max Hill ’20

Watson Fellow

Hill was awarded a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, a one-year grant for purposeful, independent exploration outside the U.S. His project took him to China, Brazil, Senegal, Jamaica, and Dominican Republic to explore Black masculinity and martial arts.

Joe Beggs ’19

GENAssist chief executive officer, HIVE Medical chief executive officer, Washington University McKelvey School of Engineering laboratory technician, tutor

Joe comes full circle, mentoring and being mentored, inspiring and being inspired.

Ben Mothershead ’16

Product manager, Powerley

Through his Mentored Advanced Project, Ben realized he can make a significant environmental impact and through the College’s social justice ideals, he realized he wants that impact to be socially just.

Sam Nakahira sketching a page for her book

Sam Nakahira ’19

Master of Fine Arts at the Center for Cartoon Studies

Nakahira’s experiences as a history major shaped her interest in writing non-fiction comics, and the culture of the College shaped whose stories she wanted to tell and how.

Blake Creasey ’16

IT strategy senior consultant, Protiviti

Blake explored widely across the curriculum, nurturing his myriad interests in music history, political science, and policy, which allowed him to develop flexibility and nimbleness in all his pursuits.

Raghav Malik ’13

Digital payments product owner, Mastercard

Raghav's multiple passions and ability to communicate well with people across disciplines, from the sciences to the humanities, have helped him succeed at Mastercard, where he’s able to discuss strategy and market needs as well as technology.

Erin Whalen ’12

Assistant principal, RISE High

Erin played a principal role in securing a $10 million grant from XQ Institute to start RISE High, a project-based charter high school in Los Angeles.

Peter Sullivan ’13

Staff writer, The Hill

A Rosenfield Program-funded summer internship with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and semester in Grinnell-in-Washington helped him achieve his dream of writing about politics in Washington, D.C.

Willa Collins ’16

Law student, Stanford University

Willa chose Grinnell for its academic rigor but also for the camaraderie and kinship she knew she’d find.

Amaris Bates ’18

Management assistant, Milwaukee Repertory Theater

Through mentored research, Amaris developed more confidence to pursue her own ideas and knowledge. And through rich global learning opportunities, she developed the ability to thrive in settings around the world.

Alumni Outcomes Stories

Grinnellians go further.