Garcia, from St. Paul, MN, is among 37 students selected nationwide from 155 finalists from 41 partner schools to receive the $40,000 fellowship stipend. The program offers “college graduates of unusual promise a year of purposeful, independent exploration and international travel to enhance their capacity for resourcefulness, imagination, openness, and leadership and to foster their humane and effective participation in the world community.”

The Grinnell Listening Project brings together College students and community members to listen and learn from one another in small group discussions. The dialogue sessions – which are facilitated by trained community members and students – are entering year two and have a number of goals, says Ryan Solomon, associate director of civic education and innovation for the Center for Careers, Life, and Service (CLS).

A partnership including Grinnell College, LINK Mentoring, and Peoplerides offers transportation for Grinnell College students mentoring in the schools.

Students at Grinnell College have been putting their passion for animals into action through a collaboration with the Poweshiek Animal League Shelter (PALS), a local nonprofit dedicated to rescuing and rehoming animals. In partnership with PALS, Grinnell students have been socializing and helping dogs learn basic manners in order to give them a better chance of finding loving, forever homes.

Sasha Grigorovich ’20, senior exploratory adviser in the Center for Careers, Life, and Service (CLS), talks about about his life and work at Grinnell.

In collaboration with the College’s Office of Civic Education and Innovation, many faculty members have implemented community-engaged aspects into their courses. Community-engaged learning (C-EL) classes were the vision of Wadzanai Motsi-Khatai ’12, who championed a student government initiative that ultimately led to the establishment of the Civic Education and Innovation (CEI) Office within the Center for Careers, Life, and Service (CLS).

Academic opportunities, career mentoring, and financial support from Grinnell helped Ellen Hengesbach ’24 turn an internship into a meaningful career.