Alex Griffin-Little

2021 Graduate

Majors: History, Political Science, Women's Studies

Hi my name is Alex! I triple majored in History, Political Science, and Women’s Studies and I’m from the Indianapolis area. 

I came into Purdue with history being my primary degree. I knew I wanted to go to graduate school, so I chose history because it was a discipline I have always loved. Also, during one of my visits here while I was in high school, I was able to meet with a few history professors and a current history student and everything they were saying felt like what I imagined college to be like. 

Then, during my very first semester, I took a political science course with an amazing professor and knew I wanted to add on a poli sci major. During my sophomore year, I added on a Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies minor, and last semester, after some convincing from my advisor, I upgraded it to my third major! I like to tell people: history gives me the knowledge of the past, political science helps me bring this knowledge to present issues, and women’s studies ensures that all of my research is intersectional in nature!  

CLA is amazing because it gives you the feeling of a small campus while still having all the perks of attending a Big Ten school. I don’t think any of my CLA classes have had more than 50 people, and some of my STEM friends can’t believe that one of my classes had five students. These small classes allow you to get close to your professors, which is great for learning material better, as well as for securing letters of recommendation! 

On campus, I was involved in many different organizations. Since my freshman year, I was a part of Purdue Student Government. Throughout the years, I’ve held different leadership positions, including the Senator for the Honors College and Committee Chair for the Internal Affairs Committee. I was also the Vice President for the Liberal Arts Student Council and a CLA Dean’s Ambassador. I also worked on campus at the Division of Financial Aid and in the University Archives!  

I interned for the Indiana House Democratic Caucus one summer, and another summer I was a legislative intern for the Campaign for Hoosier Families, a non-profit that advocates with low-income families across the state. Last November, I was also a College Fellow with the Indiana Democratic Party.

My advice to incoming college students is to never skip class (even if they don’t take attendance!), go to your professor’s office hours because they are more likely to help you if they know your name, and find a club/organization you love your freshman year and stick with it! That way, you’ll be able to have a deep experience and you’ll gain multiple leadership positions (and tons of friends!) I recommend Purdue Student Government!

Thanks and Boiler Up!