I’m from a medium-sized high school (1,800 students) in a suburban area. I really liked that size but wanted a change of pace from the suburban landscape, so I decided I wanted to go to a small rural college.
What made me choose Grinnell, however, was ultimately the community. When I visited, I saw how everyone collaborated together and worked toward the same goals, while also having their own interests, which I really appreciated. With Grinnell’s research and off-campus study opportunities, stellar academics, amazing financial aid, and the opportunity to swim, I decided that Grinnell was the obvious winner for me!
Coming into college as a first-year student, I wanted to meet a lot of people like myself, continue swimming, do research, and do some kind of off-campus study. So, I did something that was more outside the box for me, and I joined the club water polo team on a whim. My first-year roommate, who I’m still best friends with, was a team member and convinced me to come. I’m very happy I did; it was really new and exciting, and now I’m the captain of the water polo team!
I’m happy to report that throughout my four years, I’ve made a really great group of friends from my classes, my sports teams, and the clubs and activities I do on campus. We’re all like brothers, and we’re so close because we see each other very often. I’d say it’s a very goofy and adventurous group of friends. We once drove all the way to the Grand Canyon from Grinnell and went to Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah.
I have been swimming competitively since I was eight years old, and I knew that I wanted to continue with it here at Grinnell.
One memorable experience was when the swim and dive team took a training trip down to Florida during my first and fourth years (when Covid wasn’t an issue). It was a really great experience getting some sun in January and training hard but also having fun. I also learned a lot about other people’s sleeping habits!
Coming into Grinnell, I wanted to be a math and chemistry double major, but I eventually realized that wasn’t for me. Once I took higher-level math classes, I realized that it wasn't as much like algebra as I had hoped.
However, I still liked my chemistry classes (“Nervous System and Crayfish” being one of them), so I thought that I would keep that focus and become a biological chemistry major!
I always knew that I wanted to study abroad, and I knew that college would be the best time for me to travel and experience different cultures. When it came down to choosing a program, my love of science guided me to the DIS Copenhagen program in Denmark.
Here are some of the songs I listened to when I was studying abroad:
After my semester abroad, I wanted to do more scientific research in genomics. So during the summer after my third year at Grinnell, I had a research experience at the Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine in Farmington, Connecticut. Our research was focused on providing therapeutic benefits for patients and improving drugs to fight cancer.
I researched triple-negative breast cancer, how it became resistant to chemotherapy, and how we can stop that resistance. Something I really took away from this experience was that I wanted to pursue a career in scientific research, especially since it can lead to therapeutic benefits!
