Senior edition

By Krista Spies spieskri@grinnell.edu

Skye Ryan `23.5 shredded her way into my heart since the first time I saw her play electric guitar live with the student band Bādphakák. After being chosen for the 2023 Scarlet & Black Senior Issue, she said, “I was thinking it would probably have something to do with music.” For me, that is an understatement.

Ryan came to Grinnell College anticipating she woud become a computer science major, though she now will graduate with a double major in music as well. However, Ryan said the COVID-19 pandemic that caused the College to shift to predominately online learning for over a year led Ryan to practice guitar for four to six hours a day due to the absence of campus activities.

As she returned for the 20212022 school year, Ryan participated in Jazz Ensemble, which she said then led to her getting involved with Bādphakák. The music scene at Grinnell did not only become a stronger element in Ryan’s life, she said, it also became what the student population associated with her.

“I do a lot of computer science stuff, but that’s not really stuff that usually gets shared out there beyond just my classes, whereas I like to do as much music as I can to collaborate with people,” she said. “I wish I could do more. But evidently, I’ve done some amount that people enjoy.”

Ryan began learning the guitar when she was about six years old, inspired by her dad’s playing of ‘80s rock and metal music. She said she began to take the instrument seriously when she was around 15. So Ryan has been playing for over a decade in different genres including electronic, progressive metal, heavy metal, jazz and more.

Because Ryan’s parents teach internationally, she grew up in several countries, including Macedonia, China and Armenia, and arrived at the College as an international student. During summer in high school, she said she visited Grinnell and realized that the culture of the people here made it worth attending.

“I had an interview with John Edwards and Karen Edwards ... and I ended up just going to their attic studio and playing music,” she said. “It was my first time coming here, and that was a really great experience just meeting somebody who likes music a lot and playing music with them.”

Music professors John Rommereim and Putu Hiranmayena have especially impacted Ryan, she said. While Rommereim specializes in Ryan’s interest, composition, she said Hiranmayena brings Ryan’s musical interests of heavy metal and Balinese Gamelan together through his classes.

“I have a lot of interests when it comes to music,” Ryan said. “My biggest ones have to do with composition and sound design. Sound design and computer science kind of go hand-in-hand, especially with the fact that now, most music production is done digitally on DAWs [Digital Audio Workstations].” Ryan said that she has been interested in the intersection of these two fields for a long time, and hopes to work on both sound design and software development after graduation.

Ryan listed a previous special topics course called CSC 395: Advanced Operating Systems as one of her most memorable classes during her time at the College. Though she said it was not her “favorite time while taking it,” she added that she ended up having a group project for the course that involved doing pro- gramming that she did not realize she could do when the group created a paint program they designed themselves.

“I think the biggest thing that I’m going to take away from Grinnell is being able to work in groups a lot better and being able to work in groups in a lot of different contexts,” she said. “In the CS department, there’s a lot of mandatory group work — which, some of it’s nice, some of it’s not so nice — but along the way, I feel like even though it hasn’t always been the most enjoyable experience, I have definitely gotten better at actually working with people to make things.”

Yet, making music with other people comes much easier than any other kind of group project, she said. As for her favorite part of Grinnell, Ryan said, “This sounds cheesy — the friends that I’ve made,” including her two partners, great professors and other friends.

“I’ve got my band. I love my band. Occasionally, we drive each other a little crazy, especially during concert prep, but it’s the best time after shows just getting to hang out with all my friends in the audience and all my friends on stage.”

Ryan said Bādphakák, being the first band she practices with that holds live concerts regularly, helped her realize that she loves to play live music. Though a full-time band might not be in her future, Ryan said that after graduation she will definitely continue to play live. “So if you like progressive metal or jazz, be on the lookout.”

Ryan said her least favorite part about Grinnell was the stress that comes with going to the College. However, she also said would have involved herself more if she could do it all over again. “Try to do as much cool stuff as you can,” she said she would tell her first-year self.

“I kind of hope that I’ve done my part to revive some student music stuff on campus because I’ve been trying to involve myself a little bit more,” she said. “And hopefully, that kind of helps to revitalize the concerts that come after COVID.”

By Ashley Baek baekashl@grinnell.edu

Greta Schmidt `23 initially did not consider applying to Grinnell. Originally from Madison, Wisconsin, she said she heard about Grinnell after her mom attended a financial aid session at their local library. Two weeks later, she attended a junior day about Grinnell College, and afterwards she immediately said, “Yes.” Before the visit, Schmidt said she got inspiration from a Grinnell alum, Claire Tseng `14, who worked as a yoga teacher in Madison and whom she talked to when considering applying to Grinnell. “She’s the reason I’m here. She always seemed so happy, and she really loved her experience at Grinnell,” Schmidt said.

During her time at the College, Schmidt has been involved in a variety of activities. Passersby may have seen her throwing a frisbee around on Mac Field — she is part of the women’s frisbee team, the Grinnelleanor Roosevelts or the Svelts. She said she has been a part of the frisbee world since her first year, but she really fell in love with the sport her second year during her seven weeks on campus in the 2021-22 school year.

“It was so much fun to be with other people and be outside together,” she said. Last year, Schmidt was the Student Athlete Mentor (SAM) for the frisbee team. Now, she is one of the captains.

One of Schmidt’s favorite things to do with the team are mixed mini frisbee tournaments — mixed minis — she said. The frisbee team is split between a women’s team and an open team, and Schdmit said she loves mixing the teams to scrimmage together.

On top of frisbee, Schmidt finished a triathlon. Last year, Schmidt took a class taught by Erin Hurley in which the students did an entire triathlon at the end of the spring semester. They swam in the pool, biked to Rock Creek State Park and ran. thinking that she would be premed, Schmidt said she has now decided to pursue a Ph.D. Schmidt said that a Ph.D. would give her more versatility in terms of understanding in the scientific community, asking questions and being

Polytechnic Institute on thermal stability of cation-induced phosphoinositide domain formation. In other words, she added heat to stabilize phospholipids under different conditions of calcium and magnesium. “The lab environment was really good, and the research was also interesting to me. The techniques we used were very engaging,” she said.

Schmidt said that she will miss her friends the most after she graduates from the College.

“I became best friends with my friends right away,” she said. “We just clicked instantly.”

Schmidt and her friends all lived together during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that is where they really bonded, she said.

“We all took classes from the house, we cooked together, we played a game called Werewolf together, we went on walks together,” she said. “It was just really happy times in a bleak period.”

She recalled her and her friends’ first Dari Barn venture together during the first couple days of school in her first year, and she said that her friends are all a constant source of support and kindness. Schmidt said that spending time with her friends was a highlight of her college experience.

On the academic side of things, Schmidt is a biochemistry major with a dual concentration in neuroscience and science, medicine and society (SMS). She said that SMS-150, the introductory course for the SMS concentration, caused her to reflect and think about how she wants to be as a scientist, how she conducts herself in the lab and what values she wants to embrace within science.

While she came into Grinnell able to poke holes into things.

Schmidt is also a science community leader (SCL) and leads skill sessions in chemistry. She said she enjoys being an upperclassman mentor to students and helping them through various experiences, from being a SCL mentor, a SAM and a captain of the frisbee team.

Last summer, Schmidt did a research experience for undergraduates (REU) at Worcester

In her leftover free time, Schmidt enjoys spending time in the downtown ceramics studio at the STEW Makerspace. She said she has made plates, planters and bowls in a variety of vibrant prints and colors. Her favorite — a large plate with black, green, white, purple and blue stripes running across it.

After graduation, Schmidt will move to Massachusetts to pursue a Ph.D. in chemistry at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

By Kailee Shermak shermakk@grinnell.edu

A mathematics and computer science double major with a statistics concentration, Huandong Chang `23 has led a life at Grinnell full of athletic activities with friends, academic exploration in a wide array of subjects and exposure to new countries and languages.

Chang, originally from China, found Grinnell College through the U.S. News and World Report college rankings. Upon visiting various universities and colleges to which he was admitted, he said he realized Grinnell was the best place for him.

“I didn’t feel super pressured here, and I liked the atmosphere a lot. I talked to many students and faculty, and everyone was really nice. I believed this was a place that could give me success, and I believe it has,” Chang said about his decision to leave his home country and attend the College.

At the beginning of his first year, Chang participated in the International Pre-Orientation Program (IPOP) meant for international students to help get their bearings in a new country and campus. He said that the program introduced him to many of his friends and helped ease his anxieties surrounding the logistics of life in America like the English language barrier and how to set up a credit card.

After his first year, Chang maintained his involvement with IPOP by becoming a mentor, and he has been involved with acclimating new international students to campus.

“I felt that the mentees had the same concerns I had coming in. I always took time to think about what they’re missing and how I can help them have the same, or an even better experience than I had,” he said.

Along with continued participa- tion in IPOP, Chang was the president of the Chinese Student Association (CSA) before the pandemic. He explained his role in planning programming for students and fostering a sense of community while balancing the stress of a leadership position.

“The goal was to do a lot of events and create a fun experience. I didn’t want it to become a burden for me or anyone else, but for it to become a good memory together,” he said.

Chang has also been involved in athletic and recreational programs at Grinnell. One of the more influential activities was a canoe trip he participated in through the Grinnell Outdoor Recreation Program (GORP) over fall break of his second year. The group trained in a lake near campus leading up to the experience, and then it traveled to Arkansas for a 5-day, 20-mile canoe trip.

“Yeah, we didn’t have fresh water. We used a water filter to get all of our water. It was just a very cool experience,” he said, also noting the lack of internet access which provided a refreshing break.

In addition to the GORP canoe trip, Chang enjoys athletic activities at the Charles Benson Bear `39 Recreation and Athletic Center. He said that he either swims, plays soccer or tennis or participates in some other athletic activity every day. Specifically, the International Soccer Club has been an influential part of his time here.

“I get super excited about it and forget all the homework and pressure,” he said.

Chang explored much within the academic realm. He said he came into college leaning towards physics and biology, but he quickly found the math and programming within computer science fascinating.

“Every math course I’ve taken is a good experience. There’s nearly no exceptions, which is unbelievable. They’ve all been so impressive to me,” Chang said.

During the spring of his third year, Chang went abroad to Budapest, Hungary to continue his studies in computer science. He said he thoroughly enjoyed his coursework and the applied nature of the curriculum, but the most memorable part of his abroad experience was learning bits and pieces of the Hungarian language.

A specific interaction at a Hungarian street market stuck out to him as a moment he was proud of. While trying to buy strawberries, a vendor tried to overcharge him. With his basic knowledge of Hungarian, he was able to communicate with the vendor and successfully negotiate the strawberries back down to the normal price.

“I think it only saved me several dollars, but it’s not about the money. It was just about the principle, and it’s a very impressive moment,” he said.

Chang’s timeline at Grinnell was slightly unconventional. After completing his first two years, he decided to take a gap year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It [the gap year] was to prevent myself from the risk of wasting my year doing online classes just to get things done to get the credits. That’s not my goal,” he said, adding that his decision came from his desire to truly engage with the academic content.

During his gap year, Chang explored data science internships with Integrated Computer Solutions, a computer software company where he focused on consulting, and TikTok, where he focused on algorithm development.

“Reflecting back, it was the perfect decision because otherwise, I wouldn’t have found my interest in data science,” he said.

A statistics concentration fits perfectly into his pre-existing passion for math and computer science. Specifically, graph theory — MAT218 — with Christopher French, professor of mathematics and statistics, paired with his network science summer research with Nicole Eikmeier, professor of computer science, on which he published an academic paper, combined his academic passions well.

The next stop on his academic journey is a data science master’s program at Harvard this coming fall where he will focus on machine learning.

By Cadence Chen chencade@grinnell.edu

Saulė Keliauskaitė `23, an economics major and international student from Lithuania, has been creating her own narrative.

Although she is in her second full year of being on campus due to COVID-19 disruptions and studying abroad, she has been able to heavily intertwine herself with the campus community and take on many leadership roles. Currently, she is a co-manager for the debate union, an investment portfolio co-manager for Pioneer Capital Investments group (PCI) and a multi-hyphenate for the Donald and Winifred Wilson Center for Innovation and Leadership (Wilson Center).

Keliauskaitė started a debate club in high school where she won 1st place in a national competition in 11th grade. She said this helped her gain her public speaking skills.

Keliauskaitė said she wanted to study in the U.S. due to the prevalence of a liberal arts education, an area that is lacking in many European countries. When she came to the College, she joined the Grinnell Debate Union and had the opportunity to travel around the U.S. for tournaments. Here, she began debating with native English speakers, and she served as co-manager in her second year. In her third year, she studied abroad in London at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Where debate has been a continuous part of her life, Keliauskaitė did not enter the investments sphere until she joined PCI, known to be a male-dominated space, during her first year at the College.

“Instead of being, ‘oh no, I don’t belong here,’ I wanted to lean into that feeling that I want to explore this and maybe it’s going to be interesting,” she said.

She said PCI teaches their members to apply reasoning to their financial decisions and not give into the herd mentality of any current economic event. The club sparked her interest in financial literacy. At the end of her first year, the board of PCI encouraged her to lead the club the following year, an encouragement she describes as “very fulfilling.”

“You need to have people that believe in you. Then you can also carry that forward,” said Keliauskaitė. “This then puts you in a position to help others and make it more inclusive going forward.”

While she said that the areas of business, entrepreneurship and investing can have an “evil” connotation and narrative to it, Keliauskaitė promotes understanding businesses and companies beyond the flowery language, independent thinking and circle of competence. This way, support for social causes and impact-oriented spaces can be achieved.

“If you leave the decision-making to people that will utilize them in not the best ways, I think their narrative is gonna continue,” she said. “But if you come in with your own goals and your own narrative of how things can be better improved and take up that space, I think that can improve.”

Airport Project — a feasibility study of chartering direct flights to and from Grinnell — and is leading the establishment for an upcoming entrepreneurial incubator.

This semester, she was the emcee for TEDxGrinnellCollege, themed “Food for Thought,” and she continues to use her “Food for Thought” water bottle. Here, Keliauskaitė punctuated the speeches with personal stories about how food tied her and revealed a surprising tie to her — discovering her third cousin at the College.

She came to the U.S. without knowing anyone, and although very few students at the College come from Eastern European countries, even fewer come from Lithuania, making her a “rare bird” as the office of international student affairs calls it.

For Middle of Everywhere, a program where students give presentations on their home countries, members of the Global Kitchen made her favorite Lithuanian dessert called tinginys, otherwise known as lazy cake. Todd Amstrong, professor of Russian, also greets her in Lithuanian whenever he sees her.

“They’re small things, but they really light up my day,” she said.

With the Wilson Center, she was the host and on the speaker-relations committee for TEDxGrinnell, is a research assistant and student leader for the Elkes

At the brink of the formation of new narratives for the world of economics and her personal life, Keliauskaitė is looking to gain hands-on experience in the fields of investing, finance and entrepreneurship. She especially values furthering financial literacy to help regular people invest in a way that is good for them and not based on fear. She wants to go back and forth between the U.S. and Europe, including Lithuania and London.

By Sarah Evans evanssar@grinnell.edu

Maya Gardner `23 likes getting her hands dirty. Originally intending to major in psychology, her plans changed after she took an intro-level biology course called “Sexy Beast,” where she and her classmates examined reproductive mating behaviors of various animals — specifically crickets and bean beetles.

“I don’t really like bugs, but it did convince me that bio was what I really wanted to do,” Gardner said. She said the nature of “Sexy Beast” showed her how fulfilling fieldwork could be — specifically, the handson aspect of it.

Her experience in the biology department convinced her to become a biology major with a statistics concentration, and she has continued to pursue her passion for the field. She has a photo of herself knee-deep in water at a recent biology lab field trip.

In addition to classes on Grinnell’s campus, Gardner also studied abroad in South Africa during her sixth semester. One of her favorite memories was seeing all sorts of animals while doing fieldwork, particularly baby elephants. “My friends would always be like, ‘Maya, there’s a baby elephant!’ and, you know, my phone was out immediately,” Gardner said.

The coolest part, according to Gardner, was being able to perform biodiversity surveys in areas of the park that others were not allowed to enter. “It was just a really, really incredible experience,” she said.

During her study abroad experience, Gardner had the chance to complete a final project on the lilac-breasted roller, a bird native to the area. She said she spent up to eight hours a day completing photographic surveys of the bird, and her group’s work has been published in the University of Cape Town Biodiversity Observations journal.

On campus, Gardner is a senior interviewer for the office of admissions, and she was previously a tour guide. Part of what makes that job fun for her is being able to help prospective students better understand campus culture. She said she enjoys learning about prospective students and “telling them what we value and who we are.”

In her second year, she also volunteered for the Liberal Arts in Prison Program, which provides opportunities for people who are incarcerated to further their education. Gardner tutored students in math as a part of this program and she said she found the work very fulfilling.

“I think that program makes it accessible for people who have not had the ability to be taught math in that way before,” Gardner said, referring to the one-on-one support the program provides.

One aspect of the program she enjoyed was being able to tutor students who were “actually interested in math.” Gardner said that some of the students were working towards their GED, and others were learning just for fun.

“Access to education is something that I have been thinking about, especially as I think about where I want to go next,” she said. After graduation, Gardner plans to work in conservation biology, and she is applying for jobs in the field.

After her second year on campus, Gardner took a gap year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which allowed her to postpone her plan to study abroad until restrictions loosened. Part of her gap year was spent at home in New York City where she stayed in her apartment most of the time. She spent the rest in Grinnell, where she enjoyed being able to walk a few blocks without running into someone — quite the contrast from being cooped up in a city apartment amidst the pandemic.

“It was really nice having that space again, and also just being with my friends after such a long time,” she said.

Gardner spent the year applying to summer internships and working at Jimmy John’s. She also spent lots of time with friends, many of whom were also on gap years, watching movies and making some really great food. She said taking a year off was a decision she is proud of.

“I think the one thing my gap year has kind of taught me was it’s okay to take a breather, and it’s okay to not know what you’re gonna do with your life,” Gardner said. “I think that’s something that maybe high school Maya would freak out about, but I’m very okay with it.”

Some of Gardner’s fondest memories from before the pandemic include the Winter Waltz, Pub Quiz and Harris Center events. She recalled the Waltz held her first year, featuring string lights hanging from the Main Hall quad ceiling and elaborately dressed attendees.

Gardner also referenced Disco Harris, calling it her “favorite Harris” because of the live music aspect. When it was canceled at the end of her second year due to the pandemic, she and her friends held their own version titled “Disco Langan.” “We all dressed up in full-out disco outfits, and we were playing disco music and it was really, really fun,” Gardner said. “I just remember Harrises being really, really prominent my first and second year, and I do miss it a little.”

While these campus traditions are important to Gardner, she said that she values the campus community just as much, if not more. Ultimately, it was the students that drew Gardner to Grinnell in the first place. Her college choice was a difficult one, and in the end, the prospective and current students she spoke to while visiting campus convinced her to commit.

“It was kind of just a gut feeling that I liked the people here,” Gardner said about her choice to attend Grinnell. She said she has yet to regret that decision.

She acknowledged that campus culture is different post-pandemic, referencing a recent conversation she had with a second-year student who did not know what Titular Head was. However, she said that changing traditions — and reminiscing fourth-years who miss aspects of their experience — have actually always been around.

“When I came here, they were like, ‘you don’t even know what self-gov is,’ and so it’s always gonna be changing, and I think that’s just the nature of it all. But I think the students care, and that’s maybe the most important thing,” Gardner said.

By Molly Wilcoxson wilcoxso@grinnell.edu

Throughout her time at Grinnell, Tino Tazvitya `23 has worn many hats, including International Pre-Orientation Program (IPOP) mentor, concert crew member, basketball team manager and Dining Hall worker. However, after returning to campus post-COVID shutdown, she took on a new, unexpected role — intramural archer.

“I had never shot an arrow, at all,” said Tazvitya. However, during her time as an intramurals leader coaching non-competitive sports, her supervisor wanted her to explore coaching sports that adhered to COVID guidelines, and Tazvitya quickly learned how to use a bow and arrow.

That is the thing Tazvitya says she loves the most about Grinnell — the ability to explore new interests, both in her work and in her personal life. Despite being a computer science and mathematics double major, Tazvitya said that her favorite class was PHE 202: Coaching Methods, offered by the physical education department.

Originally from Zimbabwe, Tazvitya learned about her passion for computer science through teaching herself coding languages in high school. She said she imagined herself creating apps in the future, a passion she still wants to explore.

“Those apps would potentially help people,” she said, “and do good in the world.”

Tazvitya chose to come to Grinnell because of its high-quality computer science program as well as the school’s smaller community. However, shortly after her arrival at Grinnell, COVID hit, causing most of the students to return to their homes. Tazvitya was one of the few to remain on Grinnell’s campus throughout the pandemic.

During a moment of isolation from the rest of the world, Tazvitya formed connections with her fellow students staying on campus. At the time, she worked in the Dining Hall, and she said that the pandemic allowed her to form connections with her supervisors that otherwise would not exist.

“We really had no reason to be friends, right?” asked Tazvitya. “But we still talked. It was a really good, really nice relationship.”

Other unexpected locations where Tazvitya has found connections include a certain set of tables on the south side of the Humanities and Social Studies Center atrium, which she likes to refer to as the “grind tables” due to the focused environment present there. Although she originally went to the tables to complete her work, Tazvitya ended up bonding with the people around her due to their shared devotion to the spot.

Academically, Tazvitya named Nicole Eikmeier, assistant professor of computer science, as one of her most influential professors, and who she had for her very first computer science class. “She gave me some tips on how to navigate the CS world as a woman,” she said. “She was kind of an inspiration to me.”

In addition to connecting with her professors, Tazvitya said she appreciated the connection she held with the international student community at Grinnell throughout her time on campus, particularly in her roles on the International Student Organization (ISO) cabinet and also as an IPOP mentor.

In fact, she said that her favorite campus event of all time is the annual ISO Cultural Evening.

Tazvitya reminisced about the time Cultural Evening was held immediately after the College’s first in-person sessions following the pandemic, remembering the significance it held to the international student body. At this past year’s event, she served as one of the two emcees.

“This year, I was just like, ‘What if I signed up to be an emcee?’ And I didn’t think it was going to happen, but it happened. [The event] really came together.”

Next year, Tazvitya will be accepting a position as a software engineer for investment banking company Goldman Sachs, based out of its Salt Lake City, Utah office, an opportunity she said she’s excited about. Still, Tazvitya said she’ll remember college best for the people she met during her four years at Grinnell.

“I just love talking to people and meeting new people,” said Tazvitya. “I’m grateful I was able to do that in every aspect of things.”

Her advice to current Grinnell students is simple — if you are interested in an event, go to it, even if it does not seem relevant to academics. “You never know what you’ll learn from it,” she said. “Even if you don’t think it will benefit you as much, it will help you out socially.”

By Marcy Cassidy-Mapp cassidym@grinnell.edu

When Andrew Thompson `23 left the suburbs of Oklahoma to visit the Grinnell College campus in Iowa for the first time, he was not sure what to expect. But despite the cold winters and cornfields, Thompson has found himself making more of a mark on campus than he anticipated.

The older brother to three sisters, Thompson has found his passion in the arts, particularly printmaking and tattooing. His proficiency in various art styles recently earned him the College’s Fourth-Year Art Prize at the annual Bachelor of Arts Exhibition based on a portfolio of submissions from his previous exhibits.

However, printmaking is where Thompson has truly found his niche. He mainly focuses on relief printmaking, but he has experience with engraving and etching as well. Thompson plans to specialize in lithography, an older form of printmaking where the artist chemically alters stone and draws on it with oil crayons before chemically treating the entire surface.

“For a long time, I did mostly painting and drawing, and I started to get into filmmaking and digital art because of that. But then in my first semester back [on campus], I took a printmaking course and then fell in love with it, and have been doing printmaking now for, like, 14 months.”

Thompson has also undertaken a project to renovate an antique letterpress from the early 20th century with help from Jillian Bhuyan `23. After a lengthy process of cleaning, repairs and preliminary typesetting, the pair plans to eventually print a zine composed of their friends’ poetry