5 Questions with Laura Kiely

For Laura Kiely ’24, returning to Grinnell College after graduation has been a bit of a homecoming. A Des Moines native and lifelong history enthusiast, Kiely discovered her interest in archives while she was a student at Grinnell and today works as a Special Collections and Archives assistant. We caught up with Kiely to talk about discovering her career path, working with today’s Grinnellians, traveling and crafting, and what she wants students to know about life after Grinnell. 

Q: What was the path that brought you to — and eventually back to — Grinnell?

A: I grew up in Des Moines, Iowa, and went to the West Des Moines Community School District. I am from a recently very Grinnellian family. My older brother, Philip Kiely, is class of 2020. I started at Grinnell right after he graduated in the thick of the pandemic, then watched the College come back to life through my four years here until I graduated in 2024. My mom, Robin Bourjaily, started working at the Center for Careers, Life, and Service (CLS) in 2021, and is now the assistant director of the Exploratory Career Community. Coming back to Grinnell College, the archives that raised me, and the town that has become my own was an easy decision.

Q: How did you discover that archives were the right fit for you?

A: I am a reader and a history enthusiast. I knew I'd go into archives when I took a history class in my second year and found myself more interested in the mechanics of the digital archive we were using than the material of the class. Library, archives, and special collections work was a natural next step.

At Grinnell, I worked at the circulation desk before moving into the special collections and archives, where I began learning about processing archival collections. Now, as the special collections and archives assistant I oversee students, process collections, help classes in the reading room, and do other administrative work. Come visit the special collections to learn more about rare books and the College’s history!

Q: What has surprised you about returning to campus as a staff member?

A: The students at Grinnell College are driven, inquisitive, and eager to learn. From experience, sometimes too much so, and we put our education and drive for success above our needs for rest! Overall it is a great group of people that self-select for the campus community. It has also been amazing to see how the special collections have grown since my time as a student.

Q: What do you like to do when you’re not working?

A: Outside of work, I am very crafty and I bake lots of different things. I enjoy traveling immensely and will go just about anywhere if prompted. I am often driving for short-distance road trips, but I also studied abroad twice through Grinnell, in Barcelona as a third year and in Milan before my fourth year, and moved to Boston for grad school and an adventure.

Q: What would you tell current Grinnellians about life after college?

A: Grinnell is preparing you incredibly well for graduate school. I know so many peers who went directly into graduate school and even more that took a few years off to work and build savings before diving back into academia. If you want a graduate degree, this is the place to start!