Gil’s Journey

My journey to Grinnell began with the QuestBridge organization. After browsing through all the materials that I could find online, I was excited by the abundance of opportunities that Grinnell makes possible, so I felt that I had to apply!

As a fourth-year, I still appreciate the many features that attracted me to Grinnell, like our beautiful campus and welcoming community.

From QuestBridge to Campus

When I found out that I matched to Grinnell, I was very excited, but also a bit nervous. I knew that Grinnell would be a great place to be a student, but it felt overwhelming to have already made such an important decision at a time when my classmates were still applying to colleges. Thankfully, my fellow QuestBridge Match Scholars and I were able to meet each other through social media a few weeks after being matched, which allowed us to create a sense of community before we even arrived on campus.

Once we got to Grinnell, we were welcomed by older QuestBridge scholars to join them in bi-weekly group events, which primarily consist of study breaks and community hours (with plenty of snacks). Our group includes many non-Match scholars who also applied through QuestBridge, so whether or not you were selected through the National Match process, new QB-affiliated students are always welcome!

GC Pride

Being on the men’s varsity soccer team also helped ease my transition to Grinnell. Pre-season, held a few weeks before classes started, introduced me to my teammates and many other student-athletes.

In addition to meeting friends across class years and experiencing the joy of playing my favorite sport every day, soccer helped me develop skills that have benefited me as a student, like time management and communication. I also appreciated the opportunity to visit a ton of different places across the Midwest. One of the highlights from my time on the soccer team is having reached the Midwest Conference Championship game during my first year.

Internship in Chicago

I had always thought of internships as something that I would do going into my third or fourth year of college, but I was delighted to have the chance to intern with Revolution Tailors in Chicago during the summer after my first year. Through Handshake, I connected with Grinnell alumnus Matt Rosenbaum '11 and landed an internship at his made-to-measure men's clothing company. I worked on content development for social media and the website, learned about the supply chain, and did some consulting with clients. My favorite part of the whole experience was that I was able to find an opportunity that related to my interest in fashion!

Spring Break Service

During spring break of my second year, I partnered with a friend to co-lead an Alternative Break trip. We took a group of 12 Grinnell students to Chicago for a week and volunteered with Centro Romero, an organization that helps immigrants and refugees in the area through legal services, classes for adults, and a few other areas.

The planning process started in September, which included figuring out transportation to Chicago, budgeting, and making an itinerary. I was in charge of navigating our group throughout the city of Chicago on public transportation and managing our budget for the week. These tasks were at times challenging, but definitely very rewarding!

Experiential Learning

Despite not studying abroad, I was still able to have a number of experiential and off-campus learning experiences at Grinnell. One of the most memorable was spending a few days in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN) during fall break of 2018. The trip was sponsored by Grinnell's Wilson Center for Innovation and Leadership and focused on the intersection of sports, politics, and economics. In addition to networking with alumni, we had a ton of unique experiences, like chatting with Mayor Jacob Frey and meeting the CEO of the Minnesota Twins. We also attended a Minnesota United FC soccer game and toured the Minnesota Vikings' brand-new stadium!

Grinnellians Outside Grinnell

Grinnell students come from everywhere, which has allowed me to connect with many Grinnellian friends away from campus! There is always a significant number of Grinnellians in the Chicago area. Some are from there, others come to visit, and some are there for an internship. This makes it possible to connect with people, even when I’m back at home.

One summer, I was in Los Angeles for a few days and connected with a Grinnell friend from the area. We are both research fellows in the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Research Fellowship and were working on projects in a similar field, so we visited the Chicano Studies Research Center Library at UCLA.

My Time In College

I know that my time in college has prepared me well for the next chapter of my life. The people I have met and things that I have learned, both inside and outside of the classroom, have indelibly shaped my future goals.