Alumni Council News
![Arctic lights on Rawson Gates Tower](https://magazine.grinnell.edu/sites/default/files/styles/300x200/public/20181129.arctic.lights06%20WEB.jpg?itok=SC0giWqU)
![Students dancing at ISO Cultural evening in the Harris center.](https://magazine.grinnell.edu/sites/default/files/styles/300x200/public/20170422.isoculturalnightDSCF7453_WEB.jpg?itok=enO1KL6j)
As members of the Alumni Council’s 2017–18 Diversity and Inclusion Committee, Saurabh Saraf ’05, Howie Schein ’66, and I agreed to tackle the challenge of connecting traditionally marginalized students with alumni. We were assisted by Sarah Smith-Benanti, assistant director of alumni and donor relations for diverse communities. Our group agreed early on that this program should be shaped by student needs.
![Students stand outside of campus building in 1879](https://magazine.grinnell.edu/sites/default/files/styles/300x200/public/grinnell-11782%20WEB.jpg?itok=YsJz06fl)
I never knew I was a member of something called the Grinnell College Alumni Association. I became a member after completing my first semester, as does everyone who completes 16 credits at Grinnell.
![Alumni gathering event in Minneapolis](https://magazine.grinnell.edu/sites/default/files/styles/300x200/public/IMG_1258%20WEB.jpg?itok=ihs893_C)
A highlight of the spring Alumni Council meeting was the presentation focusing on Grinnell’s career communities, a recently launched addition to the Center for Careers, Life, and Service (CLS).
![Twin Cities group event](https://magazine.grinnell.edu/sites/default/files/styles/300x200/public/Twin%20Cities%20Bonnie%20%26%20Clyde%20Jan%202018%20WEB.jpg?itok=r9I4Y3hN)
If you’ve ever stopped someone wearing a Grinnell sweatshirt or slightly stalked a vehicle with a Grinnell College bumper sticker, it’s probably because you know the delight a conversation with a fellow Grinnellian can bring.
![Fall Alumni Council group photo](https://magazine.grinnell.edu/sites/default/files/styles/300x200/public/AlumniCouncilfall2017%20WEB.jpg?itok=Eg6eAsou)
As an Iowan who left the state forever after graduating from Grinnell, I’m delighted that my membership on the Alumni Council brings me back more frequently.
![Alumni Council members pose in old Grinnell sports jerseys](https://magazine.grinnell.edu/sites/default/files/styles/300x200/public/AlumniCouncil2016.jpg?itok=s6NKw1-D)