Exploring Identity and Religion

As a Spanish and religious studies double major, Hallela Hinton-Williams ’21 has enjoyed exploring themes of identity and religion through an American studies lens. She says that doing this in Grinnell’s rural Iowa setting has been particularly eye-opening. During a recent field trip to nearby Marshalltown with her Spanish class, for instance, Hinton-Williams got the chance to see all of her interests come together. 

“A big part of the community in Marshalltown is the St. Mary’s Church,” she says. “It’s merging with another church in town, and there will be bilingual masses. Understanding how that engages the Latinx community in Marshalltown as well as being this rural Iowa space is really interesting to me.”

Hinton-Williams took Introduction to American Studies because she wanted to learn more about how interactions between different identities, cultures, and religions have shaped America over time. She hopes to go into education or community nonprofit work after graduating from Grinnell.

Taking Advantage of the Iowa Location 

Hinton-Williams has also had the opportunity to expand her nonprofit interests during her time at Grinnell. One particularly useful experience was participating in Grinnell’s externship program. She was able to learn about nonprofit work in Iowa firsthand from Grinnell alum Tom Wickersham ’90, program director of the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa in Cedar Falls. 

“Tom and his wife showed me the Cedar Falls and Waterloo area, as well as sharing their opinions on the nonprofit sector and their own work. The experience far exceeded any expectations that I had,” Hinton-Williams says. 

“I think that before I came to Grinnell, I had more of an urban focus. Exploring Iowa through different programs on campus, through my classes, and even through trips with friends has opened my eyes to new avenues and nonprofits where I could be impactful.”