An Illinois native, Grace Knudson grew up in the city of McHenry. Her family consists of her mother and father, an older brother, Liam, a younger brother, Evan, a cat, Simon, and a dog, Olive. Some of her hobbies include writing and photography. Some of her favorite authors include C.S. Lewis and Laurie Halse Anderson. She spent her childhood roughly half an hour’s drive from the southern border of Wisconsin.
Following high school, Grace chose to study at St. Norbert College in the city of De Pere, WI. Majoring in both Communications and Media Studies as well as English, Grace is able to explore her interest in social justice education and the psychological element of communications. She feels that both of her majors carry some stake in social factors. Highlights of the fields for her are how human beings spread ideas and share stories to improve communication and break down social barriers.
Grace keeps busy as a part of SNC’s Honors Program, and at her job as part of the SNC TRIPS staff. TRIPS stands for Turning Responsibility into Powerful Service. As the Education and Events Coordinator, she is responsible for creating and teaching social justice workshops in preparation for students to go on service trips around the country. She also helps coordinate pre-trip education opportunities for students to gain more social justice knowledge outside of their particular trip focus.
Grace believes in the power of personal service towards a greater goal. She has gone on service trips during school breaks since she was 14, and this year will mark the seventh trip since starting high school. In Grace’s own words, “social change is impossible unless you go out and do some work yourself”. As a part of St. Norbert’s No Nonsense social group, she is able to apply her interest in philanthropy for local domestic violence shelters.
With the busy schedule Grace has held while at school, she has managed to write some phenomenal papers for her portfolio. Her psychoanalytic paper highlights the interest she has shown in the psychology integrated within her studies. Grace’s new historical and feminist papers detail her interests in gender inequality and social justice.
-Abigail Coonen
