A home away from home: 2009 alumna introduces Grinnell to New Orleans students
March 19, 2026 — Attending Grinnell College from as far away as New Orleans requires a leap of faith, as Leah Krandel ’09 is well aware, having lived in this Louisiana city for over 15 years.
Krandel’s own Grinnell journey was less of a culture shock. Growing up in rural Illinois, she was only four hours from home, but now that she has worked in the school system in New Orleans, she understands why Grinnell is harder to comprehend for her students.
Because of this, Krandel strives to expose students to the unique vibe of Grinnell from the comfort of their own city. “What I tell my students is that I only know Grinnell, so I know who your people will be and who will take care of you there,” she says. “You can go to another college, but I don’t know who the Patty Amador-Lacson [Grinnell’s senior associate director of admission] is in their admission office, for example.”
Leah Krandel ’09, right, is pictured with her husband Rob Harman and daughters Octavia (7) and Kamali (4).
As senior director of student support at Collegiate Academies, a charter network overseeing high schools and post-secondary programs in the region, Krandel works with a myriad of students during the course of her week. Two years ago, she emailed Jayn Bailey Chaney ’05, Grinnell College assistant vice president of alumni and donor relations, with an idea. “I had heard about Grinnell’s winter gatherings in other cities,” she explains. “I wanted to host one.”
This January, Krandel hosted the second Grinnell Winter Gathering in New Orleans, one of 13 such events across the U.S. “I want to create access for my students,” she says. “This gathering is a way to bridge them to what I know is an amazing community.”
Over 20 people attended the event, which was held at the Sidecar Patio and Oyster Bar, a local establishment that hosted both Winter Gatherings. “It’s a nice space, and they have the best food, including freshly shucked oysters,” Krandel says. “They even looked up Grinnell’s logo and added it to a beautiful welcome sign.”
Krandel’s own unique touches were also evident, as the invitation encouraged alumni to bring a gift certificate or other “stocking stuffers” for the student guests.
“I want students to have an understanding of what they can expect from the College community,” she explains. “Coming from so far away, Grinnell, even though diverse, is a big commitment for them. I want them to know that Grinnell is in their corner.”
Attendees of the Jan. 10 New Orleans Winter Gathering take a group photo outside of the Sidecar Patio and Oyster Bar.
After earning her master’s in social work from Tulane, Krandel took a job at George Washington Carver High School, a new charter school at the time. “The district was in the process of transitioning from a public to a charter system,” she recalls. Krandel worked alongside her friend, Margie Scribner ’10, who had encouraged her to move to New Orleans.
“I was drawn to being in schools,” she says. “At Carver, I was director of mental health. In true Grinnell fashion, my work has evolved.” At Collegiate Academies, she has taught classes, designed systems around identifying students for special education and other interventions, and coached adults in how to do this work.
Transferring to Grinnell from a large, public university, Krandel was immediately struck by the opportunities available to her. “I was on the water polo team even though I’d never played before, and, randomly, I volunteered to model for an art class,” she recalls. “You can stumble into so many different ways to engage with fellow students.”
As an independent major, she appreciated the wide range of professors to which she was exposed. “I got a true liberal arts education because of that,” she says. “It gave me more choices and autonomy, allowing me the space to figure things out and grow, which has translated to my professional life and how it has evolved.”
In 2016, Krandel began as a regional volunteer for Grinnell through a Global Day of Service neighborhood beautification project, which she and Scribner co-led. The project was in memory of Ragnar Thorisson ’11, who had done three service trips to the area as a student, rebuilding homes devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
In 2024 Krandel returned to Grinnell for the graduation of K’Jae Anderson ’24 who attended George Washington Carver High School in New Orleans. They are joined in the photo by their friend Antonique Slaughter.
“Every time I volunteer, I get to connect with other Grinnellians,” Krandel says, “New Orleans has a nice mix of alumni across the years, and we continue to orbit one another. They are also receptive to my strategy of introducing them to students in order to provide emotional support and guidance.”
Krandel’s desire to help others feel at home expands beyond her Grinnell circle. She has been instrumental in an organization called Chavurat Or’leans, providing dozens of people monthly Shabbat mornings in homes.
“We give people a space where they can connect and feel more comfortable than they might in a more formal place of worship,” she explains. This particularly benefits parents, such as Krandel, who have young children who might be seen as disruptive at a synagogue. “There can be so many barriers in these places,” she explains. “But in someone’s house, you immediately feel welcome.”
The last time Krandel was on Grinnell’s campus was in 2024, for the graduation of a former New Orleans school student, K’Jae Anderson ’24. “Right now we have five former students at Grinnell, which is a lot coming from the same community,” she says. “I love how I can post on Plans about items they might be needing, and alumni will respond, because, well, it’s Grinnell.”
—by Melanie Drake ’92