Building Community and Canoes
“I love making things and knowing how things work.”
Grant Merritt knew he was interested in engineering but hadn’t yet decided where to attend college. Like many students, Merritt heard about Dordt University from someone with firsthand experience. “I found out about Dordt via my cousin who attended and recommended I look into it,” says Merritt. After looking into the school for himself, Merritt decided it would be a good fit for him.
“I liked the faith-based engineering program at Dordt and also liked the small town,” says Merritt. The small town was a welcome change of scenery for the California native: “it was also appealing because everything is a little more personal and there are more opportunities for people to get involved,” he adds.
During the summer of his junior year, Merritt participated in an internship with Flatiron Construction. Merritt says he spent the summer “working on the California high speed rail in the Central Valley as a field engineer.”
Through the internship, Merritt realized one non-negotiable quality in his future workplace: “I think the biggest thing I learned was that I could enjoy most types of work, as long as the community and people I am working with are good,” says Merritt.
He has also seen the necessity of community throughout his time at Dordt. “I really appreciate the people here at Dordt,” says Merritt. “In most areas of life, great people can make any experience a good one, and I have been fortunate enough to have encountered a lot of great people in my time here so far.”
Merritt’s curiosity expands beyond his engineering pursuits. Core 160, Introductions to the Arts, has been one of his favorite courses at Dordt. “Through Core 160, I found a new appreciation for some arts which I had not previously considered,” says Merritt.
This newfound interest in the arts didn’t stop there. During the summer, Merritt built a 16-foot canoe with his grandfather to showcase in the “While We Were Out” art exhibit at Dordt.
“I first got the idea to build the canoe because I was living with my grandparents this summer for my internship. My grandfather had built a few canoes before, so I suggested that we build one together this summer,” says Merritt.
Building a canoe gave Merritt an opportunity to create something, and it also gave him something else: memories with his grandfather. “Probably the most memorable parts of building the canoe were all the little conversations and jokes with my grandfather as we built it together,” says Merritt.
Not only did Merritt build a functioning canoe, but he also had to transport it back to campus from California. “I transported the canoe by tying it to the roof of my car,” says Merritt. “This worked pretty well, except in Utah where we hit some strong sidewinds nearly blowing the canoe off, but with some more tiedowns, this was not an issue.”
While Merritt isn’t exactly sure where he plans to be after graduation, he does have plans for his canoe.
“After the exhibit, I plan on taking the canoe to Okoboji to take it on its maiden voyage.”
