Celebrating with students (#1404)

Topics/tags: Grinnell

Tonight I had the privilege of attending a Quinceñero for a Grinnell student. If you’re like me, you might hear that and have two questions, perhaps more.

• Do we really have a fifteen-year-old student at Grinnell?
• Do they do Quinceñeros for young men just like they do Quinceñeras for young women?

The answers are more straightforward, or perhaps more complicated, than you might expect. We may have a fifteen-year-old student at Grinnell, but this celebration wasn’t for them. Rather, the Student Organization of Latines (SOL) holds an annual Quinceñera/o/e toward the end of each year and celebrates one or more students who did not have their own.

This year’s student was one of my advisees, and they invited me to celebrate with them. I’m glad that I did. I was one of six or so faculty there, so I feel particularly privileged.

It was nice to see students celebrating together. And, while this wasn’t a full Quinceñera, it did include dinner, dancing, cake, and joy. Many students dressed up. I did, too. At least I wore a sports coat and a tie.

One of the faculty members I was seated with reflected on how nice it was to see Grinnell students supporting each other. And they clearly do; there was joy for the student, joy for the culture, and joy for being together. Grinnell students are special; their care for each other is one way they are special.

I also enjoyed talking to a lot of my seniors who were there. Like most organizations on campus, SOL is welcoming to everyone. Sharing culture is important! Sharing food is also important. One of my advisees said something like, Most student events on campus involve joy and food. It was also wonderful to see my students who had rehearsed dances and my students who joined in on the other dances, even if they had to learn as they went.

The event was also a bit sad. We’re nearing the end of the year. I care a lot about my seniors who were there. Soon, they’ll graduate and head off to places around the world. I may not see them every day. I may not even see them every week. But I still see them regularly. After May? I’ll see them every five years or so at Reunion, if I’m lucky. I’ll also hear from some of them via email, text messages, or something else. Even a card from time to time! But I won’t have the regular encounters that brighten my day or that give my work meaning. (Yes, sometimes our meetings involve me helping my students and not just chatting with them.) That’s sad.

I also enjoyed the opportunity to socialize with colleagues. I spent an hour or so chatting with someone I haven’t sat down with for years. That was nice. I appreciate our community.

Students also shared three great comments with me. I’ll share them with you.

• I suppose I already shared one, which happened when we were talking about a reception they’d asked me to attend with them: Most Grinnell events involve joy. And food.
• Two seniors told me that they’d become great friends in my class. Then they added that it was because of the workload. We had to spend a lot of time on Noyce 3rd together. I worry that our newer students don’t spend as much time working together on Noyce 3rd. When I teach CSC-151 in the fall, I’ll need to encourage my students to work on things on Noyce 3rd (and not just by giving them lots of work).
• I told a student that I was happy to have made a positive impact on them. (They’d told me that earlier in the week.) They claimed that my musings have a positive impact on many students. That scares me. I’m not sure what about my musings has a positive impact. I hope it’s not just that I model that it’s okay to rant about things. More seriously, I assume that it’s that I model openness, inquisitiveness, and care. At least I hope that’s it.

I hear that the Southeast Asian Student Organization was also having a hullabaloo this evening, including a mock wedding. (They weren’t making fun of weddings; they were showing off their culture.) I wish I’d had the opportunity to see that, too. Perhaps another year.

Whenever I get frustrated by Grinnell, I should remember these things. Our students are awesome. I get to be a positive influence on some of them (mostly those I work with directly). I’m fortunate to be here.

Version 1.0 of 2026-05-25.