Rui (Betty) Lin

A typical weekday for Rui (Betty) Lin `25 starts with a shift at the Grinnell College Preschool, before heading back to campus for classes and lunch with friends. Then, there’s ultimate frisbee practice, team dinner, homework and finally, bedtime.

A psychology and classics double major, Lin lives in Dongguan, Guangdong province, China, but calls the city she grew up in, Ningbo, Zhejiang province, China, home.

Lin, who only applied to small liberal arts colleges, said that she eventually chose Grinnell for its open curriculum and close-knit community. When she arrived, however, she struggled to adapt. Although Lin went to an international boarding school, her classmates spoke in Mandarin.

“I was very troubled about my English speaking skills, because I was afraid that people might judge my grammatical mistakes or my accent, and that people would not value my opinions as much as others,” Lin said. 

It was with the help of her tutorial professor, Assistant Professor Dustin Dixon,  that she improved her skills and confidence in writing and speaking.

In her second year, Lin served as publicity coordinator for the Chinese Students Association. Yet, she understood she had to push herself to leave her comfort zone. 

“If I actually wanted to form connections that are not from my culture, I really have to push myself to be in an environment where I can only speak English, become friends with domestic students or other international students and learn about their culture,” she said.

Lin was introduced to the Grinneleanor Roosevelts, Grinnell’s women’s ultimate frisbee team,  by her New Student Orientation mentor, who was captain then. Despite initial discomfort, she said, “People are all very kind and genuine and really want to make connections with you.”

“I heard that Grinnell has very strong, close communities, and after I came here, I think I found that this is actually an understatement,” said Lin. “The company in Grinnell is very genuine and authentic, and it makes me feel like I’m partially at home … not only on campus but off campus.”

Lin eventually became captain of the Grinneleanor Roosevelts in her third year. She introduced more international students to the club as an International Pre-Orientation Program (IPOP) mentor in 2024, a role she did not expect to get.

“I was afraid about public speaking and organizing events,” she said. However, the experience proved insightful and inspirational, and she said that it was heartwarming to learn that some of her mentees later applied to be IPOP mentors as well.

Aspiring to become a counselor, Lin  has also worked with the Grinnell Advocates, where she said she received firsthand experience on how to be a good listener and set emotional boundaries with others. 

Currently, Lin is completing a Mentored Advanced Project with Professor David Lopatto on English language anxiety and classroom belonging among international students, while working as a student mentor at the preschool.

“They say weird things sometimes, but some kids will randomly hug you and say, oh, they love you, they miss you,” Lin said. “If you want to work there, I highly recommend it.” 

While she always intended to be a psychology major, Lin said she was dragged into classics after her tutorial with Dixon, “Immortality,” where they explored scholarly discourse on life and death. 

Currently on the classics Student Educational Policy Committee, Lin enjoys telling people that the psychology major is for her career, while classics is for her spiritual development. Lin completed a Mentored Independent Project with Dixon in her first summer, and studied abroad in Greece the following summer, where she visited places like Athens and the Peloponnese.

“I always wanted to visit Greece, and it still has been a very influential experience in shaping my understanding and interactions with antiquities,” Lin said. “I still want to go back.”

This fall, Lin will be headed to Columbia University’s Teachers College for a Masters of Arts in Psychology in Education, with a focus on “Spirituality Mind Body” — a program that she said perfectly blends her interests in psychology and classics. 

Lin’s advice to students? Know yourself, and don’t be afraid to fail.

“Know what you’re good at and can control and handle, and then just go with it,” she said. “There are times where we feel astray … but all those experiences, whether it’s happy or sad, constitutes who you are, and it brings you to a stage where you never thought you could be.”

Lin said she has mixed feelings about graduating. “I really wanted to get done with all the academics in Grinnell after four years of a highly intense learning environment, but on the other hand, I just feel sad,” she said, adding that she was trying to spend more time with her friends. 

Practice for the frisbee team ends at 6:30 p.m., but there is a lull before teammates put away the frisbees and trickle into the Dining Hall for dinner. 

“You can see how they are soaked in the sunshine and on the green grass, and there are the shadows, and their hair is shining because the sun is glowing on their hair,” she said. “That’s part of sunset.”

“The sunset time is always the time where people are taking some breaks, and you can finally catch up with your friends on what you have done for the day,” she explained. “It’s a tranquil, sacred moment that somehow brings people all in sync, together, at this temporal point.”

For Lin, these moments are what she will miss the most about Grinnell.

“I will very much miss how close this community is… and how many people will stand up with you and want to support whatever crazy ideas you have,” she said. “After leaving Grinnell, we will never have a space where we are sharing our pains and joys and sorrows and tears again.”