Melissa Strovers and her daughters cherish their time together at Grinnell
April 15, 2025 — As an employee of Grinnell College in the office of Community Partnerships, Planning, and Research for the past 13 years, Melissa Strovers has seen firsthand the extraordinary benefits of a Grinnell education.
So, when her two daughters independently expressed an interest in possibly choosing Grinnell for college, she was overjoyed. But she had to play it cool, right?
“As a parent, I want my kids to make their own decisions and explore what feels right for them based on their interests and where they see themselves in the future,” Strovers says. “I’ve learned that the more I step back and just offer support, the more confident they are in choosing a path that actually fits who they are.”
The Strovers family poses for a group photo. Pictured are Maddy ’26, left, Lance, Wolfgang, Melissa, and Bailey ’27.
Maddy Strovers ’26 and Bailey Strovers ’27 eventually selected Grinnell and have excelled academically and athletically.
“I’m a big fan of Grinnell College,” Melissa says. “Grinnell offers students a top-notch education, incredible opportunities, and access to a global alumni network that will stay with them long after graduation.”
Maddy originally was considering out-of-state schools but her involvement in track and field led her to meet with Pioneers track and field coach Jeff Pedersen ’02. Grinnell turned out to be a good fit. Maddy is a biochemistry major and competes in throwing events. She took fifth place last year in the weight throw at the MWC Indoor Championships. Her throw of 13.81 meters was the third furthest in school history.
Bailey meanwhile excelled in both volleyball and basketball at Grinnell High School and was leaning toward finding a college where she could play volleyball. But when she attended the family portion of Maddy’s New Student Orientation (NSO), she told her mom, “I might be interested in Grinnell College, too.”
And that’s how Pioneers women’s basketball coach Dana Harrold entered the picture.
“Coach Harrold was candid with Bailey about the benefits of being a Grinnell College student,” Melissa says. “I can’t say enough good things about her and the upperclassmen players Sara Booher ’25, Nikki Ware ’25, and Grace Marsh ’25 for their role in welcoming Bailey to the team. As a mother who loves basketball, I was thrilled. I knew Bailey was going to have the best of both educational and athletic opportunities at Grinnell College.
Bailey Strovers ’27
As a second-year forward, Bailey averaged a team high 12.9 points and 8.7 rebounds a game while making 71 of 91 free-throw attempts. She also made 53 three-points shots, the second most on the team. Grinnell went 19-8, 12-4 in the Midwest Conference. The Pioneers defeated Lawrence University to advance the MWC Tournament finals for the first time in 34 years, where they fell to host Ripon College. Strovers and Booher were both named first-team All-Midwest Conference.
Working in Grinnell’s Office of Community Partnerships, Planning, and Research as the director of community development, Melissa Strovers focuses on aligning college and community resources to promote social and economic vitality. To this end, Strovers brings together diverse stakeholders to build the community’s capacity to collaboratively address complex challenges. For the last decade, she has led the nationally recognized Grinnell Education Partnership, where she has helped innovate early literacy programs, family services, and community cohesion.
“The part that I like best about my position is the active engagement between nonprofit partners and Grinnell College,” she says. “My favorite part of the job is working with community organizations to figure how we bring our respective resources together in a variety of different ways to bring about change and to help support our community overall.”
The spirit of community-building has bled over to being a Grinnell College parent. She’s enjoyed getting to know other parents, and with Melissa’s familiarity with both the town of Grinnell and the College, she’s become a resource to fellow parents. She’s also organized dinners for the basketball players and their parents.
“Getting to have dinner with the players and learn more about them and their families has been such a treat,” Strovers said.
Melissa feels fortunate to have her daughters nearby. Bailey is a biology major and wants to have a farm in the future. The week after spring break a speaker came to campus to talk about alternative farming, and Bailey invited her mom to attend the talk with her.
“It made me recognize how fortunate I am that my children attend Grinnell College, and that I get to see them more often than most parents,” she says. “Knowing it won’t be that way forever; I’m really embracing the moment and enjoying having them at Grinnell.”
—by Jeremy Shapiro