Grace Schwenk enjoying a mountain view

Grace Schwenk

Growing up in Missoula, MT, Grace Schwenk wanted to stay close to home but also have a new adventure during her college years. She was drawn to visit MSU-Northern's campus because of her interest in running on the Cross Country team, getting her degree in English Secondary Education, and taking advantage of the low cost of tuition. Grace immediately felt at home on Northern's small-town campus, and states choosing Montana State University Northern helped her grow into the best version of herself.

During her four years as a dual major in Liberal Studies and Secondary English Education, Grace loved the low faculty-to-student ratio at Northern. Working with Dr. Valerie Guyant allowed her to discover her love of writing, and Dr. Gwen Hart's creative writing courses gave her inspiration and encouragement. Her hard work paid off, and her short story, "Fireweeds," written at Northern, appeared recently in Chaotic Verge Magazine.

Grace recently finished an M.F.A. in creative writing from the University of Montana. Her thesis project, "The Greenhorn," recounts her rookie season as a fire tower lookout on Granite Mountain in Peyette, Idaho, where her solitude was frequently interrupted by other fire tower lookouts, hikers, and the resident mountain goat, nicknamed "Goatie." Grace also tested her strength on a Wildland Fire Crew for two summers while she was at Northern, hiking into the Bitteroot National Forest with heavy tools to help control fires. 

Grace's next adventure will be an interdisciplinary Ph.D. at the University of Montana in creative writing and wildlife Biology. She plans to return to the fire tower lookout on Granite Mountain and conduct an observational study of the mountain goat, whose official name is "Neetaka," the Shoshone word for "alone by myself."

Grace knows she couldn't have gotten to where she is today alone. She credits her experiences at Northern--running on the Cross Country team, working as a Residential Advisor, and serving on the Student Senate as the Sustainability Coordinator--with building her confidence. Her best advice to new students is to check out the Bears Paw Mountains, known locally as the Bear Paws, just south of Havre. Going for runs and hikes around the mountain lakes are among her favorite memories of her time at MSU-Northern.

Find out more about the MSUN Liberal Studies and Secondary English Education programs!