Gracie moved from Wisconsin to Duluth to attend the University of Minnesota-Duluth, where she quickly fell in love with the city. At UMD, she earned bachelor’s degrees in both Biochemistry and Criminology. During her undergraduate career, she served on the Sexual Misconduct Hearing Committee, tutored in math and chemistry courses, was a teaching assistant for the criminology department, and completed an internship at First Witness. Throughout her time at UMD, Gracie focused on coursework in Psychopathy and Crime, Understanding Violence, Criminal Forensic Psychology, and Sociology of Gender. After graduation, Gracie continued her work with First Witness as the Operations Assistant.
Before working at First Witness, Gracie worked at a local residential addiction treatment facility, where she gained a passion for advocating for marginalized individuals who had experienced severe trauma in their lives. She also worked at afterschool programs in the area for three years, and spent her summers outside at camp, teaching kids how to paddle, climb, bike. and hike. These positions, combined with her education, fostered her love for working with children and families and strengthened her knowledge of how trauma affects children, adolescents, and adults.
In her free time, Gracie enjoys paddling up the North Shore, trying new coffee shops, going on long hikes, and watching even longer movies.