Going Forth

Halle Remash '20 chats about her path from Grinnell to Microsoft and working in tech.

Kabir Jain '21 joins us to chat about his role as a Geospatial Analyst, advice for third and fourth year students, the importance of personal projects, and more! Connect with Kabir

Philip Kiely '20 is back on the show and shares tons of advice about finding your first job, working at startups, content creation, personal branding, and more! Connect with Philip on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipkiely/ Connect with Philip on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/philip_kiely Philip's website: https://philipkiely.com  

Opeyemi Awe '15 has done it all, and she's just getting started! Listen to learn about her Watson Fellowship, her experience as a Schwarzman Scholar, and much more!  Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @goingforthpodcast for updates on new episodes.  If you have questions or suggestions, please reach out to us at  ⁠⁠goingforth@grinnell.edu⁠⁠ . This episode features music by SergeQuadrado (...

As a student at Grinnell, David White ‘90 discovered the importance of community, relationships, and a strong sense of self. A Rhodes Scholar with a vast array of professional experience, David reflects on the lessons and philosophies that have shaped his career. Listen to learn more about the important people and moments that led David to Stanford Law School, SAG-AFTRA, and beyond! Follow us on I...

During their time at Grinnell College, Latona Giwa ‘09 discovered the power of grassroots social movements. As someone who now works as a birth justice advocate in the Gulf South, Latona continues to draw from the skills and knowledge they acquired as a student. On the first episode of the season, we hear about Latona’s diverse array of experience within the realm of birth and reproductive justice...

If there’s one thing we believe on Going Forth , it's in the power of the human voice to tell meaningful stories. So 3 Seasons and 41 Episodes later, we're finally doing an episode all about podcasts. On the Season 3 Finale, Nicholas talks to Sasha Aslanian ‘90, who spent 30 years in public media working as a reporter and producer before moving to New York City in 2022 to take a job as a S...

After graduation, a select number of Grinnell students embark on nationally competitive global fellowships, taking them on journeys to every corner of the globe. On this episode, Mary DaVega '21, Sarina Lincoln ’21, Sarina Kopf '22, and Katelyn Mehlhaus ’22 share their Fulbright journeys live from Jordan, Chile, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic. Fulbright U.S. Student Grants are excepti...

Cameo Carlson `93 is music royalty. On this episode, we're thrilled to welcome Emma Kieran Schaefer `23, an Independent Major in multimedia storytelling from Niwot, Colorado, as a guest-host to discuss Cameo's career from being dubbed the "rock czarina of San Francisco" to "queen of the ringtone" by Billboard magazine. A talented singer-songwriter, Emma brings her curio...

Not many Grinnellians can say that when they graduated, the president of the college told their parents how talented they were. But if you're Ian Roberts '87, that was only the beginning. After graduating from Grinnell, he went on to found the legendary improv and sketch comedy troupe the Upright Citizens Brigade. Over his three decade career in the entertainment industry, he's worked...

Deqa Aden '18 is all about making an impact. Working in the field of international development, she’s applied her research skills, degrees in political science and psychology, and lived experience towards improving the world. A 2022 Obama Scholar, she’s now wrapping up her master’s degree program at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy. Her lived experience, professional...

27 miles to the southwest of Grinnell is the Newton Correctional Facility. It is a medium and low security prison: one of the 1,500 state prisons that blanket our nation. Since 2002, the United States has had the highest incarceration rate in the world. In many parts of America, ⁠according to the Washington Post⁠ , there are more people living in prisons than there are living on college campuses. ...

Every spring break, dozens of Grinnell students venture across the world for externships—job-shadowing experiences with Grinnell alumni or parents. During their externships, students gain a holistic perspective on post-grad life. On this special episode of Going Forth, travel along with student hosts Xavier James `25, Indy Joseph `25, George Matthes `25, Maya Llewellyn `25 and Colin Singer `25 on...

Eric Otoo 01’s resume is the stuff most people dream about. He’s worked across a range of business, finance, and consulting roles at firms like McKinsey and Goldman Sachs, only taking a break to graduate from Harvard Business School. Returning to his home country of Ghana, he’s implemented award-winning turnaround plans to ensure profitability for various companies and was appointed by the Ministe...

Dr. Kartik Sheth `93’s career has spanned the solar system. A world-renowned astrophysicist, he’s currently a program scientist at NASA HQ while advising science and technology policy at the White House. A committed activist, he’s also had a parallel career in diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility advocacy and is the founder and CEO of Empowered Earth Alliance : a non-profit that works wi...

We are thrilled to welcome Oscar-nominated comedian, writer, and actor Kumail Nanjiani '01 to Going Forth . In this episode, we chart his course rising through the ranks of stand-up comedy, landing his first writing gig, and making it onto the big screen. Whether you know Kumail’s work from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Welcome to Chippendales, Silicon Valley, The Big Sick, or his myriad other pr...

Going Forth is back, and there's a new voice behind the microphone. Host Jane Hoffman '25 joins Nicholas Lampietti ‘25 and Executive Producer, CLS Exploratory Advisor Katie Kriegel, to talk about their first jobs and what's in store for Season 3. Hear from a dynamic slate of alums, students, and CLS staff about civic engagement, Fulbright Grants, astrophysics, and more. From from finding your...

According to Leslie Bleichner '07: "sometimes, the world moves for you in ways you are not prepared to move yourself." Other times, you are the one to make it move. Change is in the air on the Season 2 Finale of Going Forth as we revisit moments in our guests lives that can only be described as serendipitous and/or are the result of a "cold" call, email, or conversation. Their stories reaffirm tha...

Christa Desir '96 has a rule: Say yes. Say yes, and try everything. It is a rule that has led her to some pretty fascinating places. She’s been a radio producer. A kickboxing instructor. A young adult romance novelist. A small business founder, totally by accident. A chief financial officer who works in barter and trade. The talent manager of the Marlborough Cowboys. The editor for novelist E.L. J...

Why does good journalism matter? What does "work-life balance" look like for journalists covering a 24-hour news cycle? Do reporters ever struggle with the second-hand trauma of witnessing tragedy? As citizens, how can we discern fake news from truth? What is the line between appropriate skepticism and conspiracy, and why has this line begun to melt away? These are some of the hard-hitting questio...

Established in 1975, the incredibly prestigious Truman Scholarship provides undergraduate students committed to pursuing a career in public service with funding for graduate school. In 2021, 845 students were nominated by their institutions of learning. 62 were selected. Sarah Beisner '22 and Destiny Magnett '22  were 2 of those recipients. On this episode, they share their most meaningful ex...

Angela Onwuachi-Willig '94 believes that the law is a powerful tool. It can be used for good, or it can be used for harm, and the difference lies in who wields it. That is why Angela chose to dedicate her life to the practice of law: first as an attorney, then as a judge, and now as a law professor of discrimination and race. She is a legal scholar on family and employment law and a leading expert...

Albert Owusu-Asare '16 and Ameer Shujjah '16 met on their second day at Grinnell and quickly realized they had a lot in common: they both played sports and tutored in their free time, they both planned to double-major in physics and computer science, and they were both international students stepping foot in Iowa for the very first time. What they didn't realize at the time was that this friendshi...

This is an episode about climate change, but it is not about the end of the world. This episode is about hope. This episode requires believing in the future. This is an episode about trying to save it. Sachi Graber ‘12 has dedicated her life to the climate movement: She owns a sustainable dry bean farm, she serves on the board of a community-based solar energy co-op, and she works for The Nature C...

As Dorothy says in The Wizard of Oz , "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." But, if you are Vivek Venugopal '01 or Sneha Saigal '12, you are in Kansas. Or at least that's what it felt like after first arriving in Grinnell as international students from India.  So what does it mean to embrace the feeling of uncertainty, newness, and risk–of not being in Kansas anymore ? Vivek and...