Success Stories

Why would I go somewhere that doesn’t feel the way Grinnell feels? I knew I wanted to be in an intentional community — with individuals who were both focused on their academics and dedicated to creating a supportive environment.

Allison Wong ’12, Officer, United Nations Foundation

Allison Wong ’12

Officer, United Nations Foundation
There was a point that I was like ‘I love teaching, but I also really love research,’ and I didn’t realize that there was a career where I could kind of meld the two.

Alexandra Odom ’16, Ph.D. student in history, University of North Carolina

Alexandra Odom ’16

Ph.D. student in history, University of North Carolina
Coming to Grinnell, seeing so many interesting people organizing and doing different things …, opened me to other ways of thinking and thinking I could do more [creative work].

Sam Nakahira ’19, Master of Fine Arts at the Center for Cartoon Studies

Sam Nakahira ’19

Master of Fine Arts at the Center for Cartoon Studies
We have not only a common origin, but a common fate as well — death. That being the case, why can’t we be a little kinder to one another?

John M. Mohan, 1936-2003

John Mohan

In Memoriam
I recently congratulated Scott Turley on his 20-year anniversary, and, of course, I asked him if my sweet potato pie is still in the dessert rotation at Grinnell.

Scott said, ‘We serve your pie recipe every Thanksgiving at the College. We never have leftover sweet potato pie.’

Alvin Irby ’07

Sweet Potato Pie: How a student shared his perspective on this classic, Southern dessert with a chef at Grinnell
If you’re an international student considering studying at Grinnell, a great way to feel at home quickly is to participate in Friends of International Students (FIS). FIS will pair you with an American host family and introduce you to life in Iowa.

Sneha Saigal ’12

I graduated from Grinnell College with a degree and a new family!
My language skills ended up being one of my strongest, and most important, assets.

Claire Branigan ’11

My language skills ended up being one of my strongest, and most important, assets.
I came to Grinnell as a biology major and had also thought about law school for social justice issues. Then I fell in love with anthropology.

Erin Whalen ’12

Erin Whalen

This is the subtitle.
Where the sciences are headed with research is exactly what’s embedded into classes at Grinnell. It starts from the very beginning with Intro to Biology, and continues as two or three authentic research projects for every class after that.

Vince Eckhart, Waldo S. Walker Professor of Biology

Vince Eckhart, Waldo S. Walker Professor of Biology

The sciences headed with research.
Research is a huge component in the arts. It's what you perform, it's what you study, it's what you create scripts based upon. It’s what leads you to stages and shows well beyond Grinnell.

Lesley Delmenico, associate professor of theatre and dance

Lesley Delmenico, associate professor of theatre and dance

Research is a huge component in the arts.