I haven’t worked for The Scarlet & Black for very long, but in the time that I have, I’ve connected with Grinnell — the college and the town — in ways that are entirely different from those that characterized my seven other semesters as a student.
Some of the opportunities I’ve had to connect with people of Grinnell College could certainly be described as mundane: casual interviews about topics like the weather, admissions statistics, and small upgrades to the Fitness Center with the people whose names often go unrecognized by the student body. These moments have value to me, not because of how exciting they were, but because they further complete the picture of Grinnell that has come together in my mind over the past four years. The composition of this picture is dominated by the things I have spent the most time doing, but it is also colored by the smaller moments that may have happened only once or twice. These unique moments give me fresh insights into the place I’ve called home since the hot August day I touched down on the tarmac of Des Moines International Airport. Even in only one semester, I’ve had many of these moments working as a staff writer for The S&B, and for this I am grateful.
What is most valuable to me though, and what I think is one of the greatest opportunities that The S&B presents to the College’s students, is the connection it can provide to the town of Grinnell. Moving from Brooklyn, NY to small-town rural Iowa was a difficult adjustment. It took me years to feel comfortable here. But after my brief stint with The S&B, I can say with certainty that the adjustment would have been far easier if I’d started my work with the paper earlier on in my college career. In some of the stories that I wrote, I gained insights into the town of Grinnell that I never got from my time on campus — I feel like I’ve come to understand, a little better, this community that felt so foreign to me for most of my years here.
I thank The S&B for a meaningful work experience and I encourage any Grinnell student looking for ways to connect with the College and the town to get involved with the paper.
