Established by Elsie M. Stouffer, class of 1924, this fellowship is an award of approximately $25,000 to $29,000 that provides funding for graduate study. All senior women who are fluent in Spanish, French, or Portuguese and who are committed to a career in public service in Latin America may apply, and the award money need not be used immediately after graduating from Grinnell. Public service may include work in nonprofit, government, education, health, and other sectors.
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Eligibility Criteria: In order to apply for the Elsie M. Stouffer Fellowship, you must meet the following conditions of eligibility:
- A member of the current fourth-year class.
- A woman.
- Fluent in Spanish, French, or Portuguese.
- Committed to a career in public service in Latin America.
Award amount for 2024: $28,600.00
Application deadline: Tuesday, February 27, 2024, between 1 – 5 p.m. CST (Results are announced by spring break.)
Campus Application Checklist: Stouffer Application Checklist, Spring 2024 [Grinnell login required]
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Personal Statement Advice: Because the Stouffer Fellowship is money for graduate school, please treat the personal statement as if it were akin to a personal statement for graduate school. The best statements tend to reflect on the authors’ backgrounds, interests, and experiences; explain motivations; identify concrete goals; and articulate clear pathways forward. To write a compelling statement, then, you need to know what you want to do and how you’re planning to get there – and the more specific, the better.
Now, you might be compelled to present your story chronologically or developmentally, saving your goals for a Big Reveal on the last page. Don’t! The best design for a personal statement is one that tells your story as follows:
- PRESENT: What do you care about now? What matters to you? (Reflect on your Grinnell education to date, and offer one or two sentences that summarize your passion. For the Stouffer Fellowship, this passion must be related in some way to public service in Latin America.)
- PAST: Why do you care about what you care about? What have you done already to demonstrate your commitment to this idea? (Don’t forget about off-campus study, research projects you’ve done in your classes, volunteer or extracurricular projects that show your concern and action, or other impressive accomplishments germane to your commitment to public service. If you reflect on these experiences – what did you learn about yourself and your dedications through them? – all the better.)
- FUTURE: What do you see yourself ultimately doing in Latin America? How will graduate school help launch you into a space where you can do something about what you care about and what matters to you? (You should persuade the Stouffer Fellowship committee that you need a further credential in order to make a difference.) If you’ve already identified specific graduate programs that will be good fits, please name them and explain how they would help you achieve your goals.
As with applications to graduate school, you would be wise to share the contents of your personal statement with the individuals who are writing your letters of recommendation. At the very least, talk with your letter writers to share your thoughts, goals, and motivations.
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About Elsie M. Stouffer (1902-1986):
Elsie May Stouffer was born November 16, 1902, to Alice Richards Stouffer and Joseph Stouffer in their farm home near Fostoria, Iowa. Elsie was the youngest of three girls and four boys born to Alice and Joseph. She attended country school near Fostoria and graduated from Spencer High School. She received a B.A. degree from Grinnell College in 1924 and an M.A. degree from Stanford University. Elsie was subsequently a Lydia Roberts Fellow at Columbia University. She had planned to do research for her Ph.D. in South America, but she canceled her plans due to the outbreak of World War II.
Elsie taught high school in Camas, Battle Ground, and Kalama, Washington, and was principal of the Ketchikan High School (Alaska) from 1941 to 1959.
In the summer of 1941, Elsie worked for the U.S. Armed Forces Institute (Alaska Command) as Guidance Director. During the summer of 1942, Elsie worked for the Alaska Spruce Logging Program. The project cut Sitka spruce trees and towed them to Seattle, where the Boeing Aircraft Company used the wood to manufacture airplane propellers. (This program was soon discontinued with the introduction of metal propellers.) She also worked a number of summers for Libby, McNeill, and Libby in the salmon cannery in Ekuk, Alaska.
While Elsie was living in Alaska, the U.S. Land Bureau opened a tract of land for homesteading. Elsie and a friend filed on adjoining home sites and both built cabins on their lots. Elsie returned to Iowa in 1959 and taught Spanish at Iowa Lakes Community College in Estherville until she retired in 1962.
Elsie was someone who was friendly and people-oriented. She was interested in many things, nature and agriculture among them. Elsie was a longtime member of the Fostoria United Methodist Church.
The Elsie Stouffer ’24 Scholarship was endowed with a substantial gift to Grinnell College in May 1982. Interest from Elsie’s gift provides the scholarship, awarded annually.
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Elsie M. Stouffer Fellowship – Recipients Since 1990
- Xonzy Gaddis ‘22.5 (2023)
- Grace Duffy ’22 (2022)
- Mercedes Varela ’21 (2021)
- Valencia Alvarez ’20 (2020)
- Iridian Guzman ’19 (2019)
- Rita Clark ’18 (2018)
- Alejandra Rodriguez Wheelock ’17 (2017)
- Lorena Ulloa ’15 (2015)
- Elena Gartner ’14 (2014)
- Hannah Colter ’12 (2012)
- Bianca Silva ’11 (2011)
- Chloe Neely ’10 (2010)
- Meredith Nechitilo ’09 (2009)
- Jamie Zwiebel ’08 (2008)
- Kathleen Denyer ’07 (2007)
- Kristin Boehne ’06 (2006)
- Kelsey Alford-Jones ’05 (2005)
- Jessica Beckwith ’04 (2004)
- Georgia Hart ’04 (2004)
- Kathleen Fairchild ’02 (2002)
- Kendra Young ’02 (2002)
- Jessica Tekla Les ’01 (2001)
- Cori Zagarell ’00 (2000)
- Jessica Chapman ’99 (1999)
- Nike Papadopoulos ’98 (1998)
- Alice Kloker ’97 (1997)
- Julia Gage ’96 (1996)
- Sarah Rosenberg ’95 (1995)
- Celine Hamilton ’94 (1994)
- Donna Lybecker ’92 (1992)
- Melissa Hayes ’91 (1991)
- Anthippy Petras ’90 (1990)
- Julie Runk ’90 (1990)