I’ve learned to treasure the joy of everyday connections. From late-night Dari Barn runs to long walks where I encounter familiar faces, every moment of connection and community is precious.

As I enter my final year, I want to savor it all — every class, every swim meet, every conversation. After graduation, I plan to take a gap year before pursuing medical or graduate school. I hope to travel, see national parks, and carry with me the lessons of community, resilience, and listening first.

This journey didn’t go exactly as I once imagined — and I’m glad it didn’t. Grinnell gave me more than a degree; it gave me a family, a home, and the courage to keep swimming forward into whatever comes next.

During my final year at Grinnell, I intend to spend as much time with my friends as possible. Students come from all over the world to study at Grinnell, but this also means that they’ll be all over the world after graduation. Time is flying by, and I want to enjoy my final semester and do new things while I still can.

It is currently "recruiting season," and I’m looking for a job that fits me. I’ve relied on our career advising office to learn networking strategies from the director of the Business and Finance Career Community, Mike Lawrence, and the dean of our career center, Mark Peltz.

I'm definitely nervous, but I also feel confident that I’ll make it out alright on the other side. I don’t know what I’m going to be doing in a year, but Grinnell has prepared me intellectually. I’ve grown my interests in ways I’d have never expected, and I know that I want to work for a couple of years first before pursuing an advanced degree.

Next year, I will be a philosophy Ph.D. student at Rice University! 

Four years ago, a Ph.D. would have been beyond my wildest dreams. But with Grinnell’s reputation as a feeder school; its solid track record of placing students into accomplished graduate programs; and my professors’ words of encouragement, support, and advice, I am more than ready to take the next big leap in my life.

I am extremely grateful to have spent my time at a college that has empowered me as a human, student, and scholar. Amid any uncertainty, I’ve gained a healthy appreciation for going with the flow and trusting that I have the ability and the network to get back up.

I cannot wait to see what the future holds for me!

After graduating, I accepted a software engineer position at DoorDash. I am a member of the Dasher & Logistics team, which focuses on delivery excellence.

I'm excited to see where this position will take me!

I currently work as a talent acquisition specialist at a nonprofit called Kelberman. Kelberman is an organization that provides services to autistic individuals and their families. On the day to day, I am responsible for recruiting talent. I interview candidates, conduct phone screens, help with social media, manage recruitment platforms, and assist in other projects.

My job as a senior interviewer in the Admission office inspired me to go into a mission-driven recruiting role. I’ve always enjoyed interviewing students and explaining more about why Grinnell could be a great fit for them. Now, I get to do that as my job.

I used Grinnell’s career services to explore my options and prepare for interviews, and I know I may use them again sometime in the future. But I plan to take a break from being a student. There are some graduate school programs I’m considering — maybe speech-language pathology — but I'm not going into graduate school just yet. I know that whatever comes at me, Grinnell has equipped me with all the tools I need to succeed.

I’m trying not to put too much pressure on myself because I am confident in who I am as a person, as a writer, and as a communicator. At Grinnell, I’ve been equipped with a lot of skills that will make me successful, I’m sure. 

I’m also not expecting to find the perfect job right out of college. Nowadays, there’s not as much of an expectation to find a job or company out of college and stay there for the rest of your life. I don’t need this first job to be a lifelong commitment, but I want to learn. And it doesn’t have to be perfect.

In terms of the specifics, I’m pretty much an open book. I think I can do a lot of things. I think I am leaning a little bit more into the arts, media, communication side of things.

I’m just seeing what types of jobs are out there. Maybe I will decide that law school is the right call. But right now that’s not where I am. I’m trusting the process!

The summer after graduating from Grinnell, I stepped into a new role as the senior village girls' head counselor at Camp Echo Lake. This position allowed me to mentor campers, communicate with families, and coordinate engaging programs and experiences.

I worked at Camp Echo Lake during my college summers, and that place has shaped me as much as any classroom. For many years, I worked in this immersive environment where learning is experiential, relationships are foundational, and growth unfolds in unexpected ways. It’s where I first discovered the joy of guiding others, the satisfaction of creative problem-solving, and the power of building spaces where people feel safe, seen, and celebrated.  

Looking ahead, I plan to be based in the Seattle area, where I’m seeking to explore long-term career opportunities in education, camping, college admissions, or the Jewish non-profit sector. I’m excited for the next chapter and the opportunities ahead! While I remain open to the specifics of job title or organization, I’m hoping to find a role that allows me to combine my love for people, storytelling, and public service. 

I’m excited for this next chapter in my life!

Potentially, I could study sociology in grad school. I could also see myself studying public policy. I could see myself going into law. It depends. I always thought I’d go more the peace and conflict studies route — so international relations, international governance. But I took a class last semester with Karla Erickson called the Sociology of Robots and AI. I’ve been increasingly interested in this intersection between technological innovation and labor. How is AI and automation changing the nature of work itself? I could see myself going into tech and bringing a sociological-social science perspective to technological development and governance.

It is a slight pivot, but I think that’s also the beauty of Grinnell’s individually advised curriculum — you take a class and find something that piques your interest. And then it just totally changes your path in life. I think it definitely planted a seed that I’m hoping to cultivate in the future.

I plan to just keep exploring, keep figuring it out.

I think you live the liberal arts even after you leave Grinnell. There are a lot of uncertainties, but I think the liberal arts experience and the Grinnell experience makes you comfortable with the idea of exploring and feeling out things.