Grace Knutsen, ’24, graduated from Oregon State University with an H.B.A in history, French, and German. She is now pursuing a Master of Library and Information Science with a concentration in archival studies while working as a relationship insights analyst at the OSU Foundation. Previously, she contributed to the Special Collections and Archives Research Center on campus, and she remains passionate about making higher education accessible and impactful for students and the global community. In this Q&A, Grace discusses her dedication to archival research, reflects on her undergraduate experience, and shares her vision for continuing her academic journey through future graduate studies in history.
Q: What are you reading lately?
I am currently reading Sunrise on the Reaping. I recently finished The Poppy War, Circe, Babel, and The Historian. Some of the next books on my reading list are Katabasis, The Barrytown Trilogy, and The Secret History.
Q: Can you share a little about what you’re doing now?
After graduating from the Honors College, I began a Master of Library and Information Science program online through Indiana University Indianapolis. During the first year of my graduate program, I worked at Special Collections and Archives Research Center at OSU, where I continued the work I'd engaged in while working there as an undergraduate student employee: aiding the archive's public service mission, writing biographies about individuals historically associated with OSU, digitizing archival collections to make them publicly accessible, processing collections in the Oregon Hops and Brewing Archive, and even curating a mini exhibit on OSU school spirit! This summer, I began working as a relationship insights analyst for the OSU Foundation, supporting several units across Oregon State, including both of my alma mater colleges: the Honors College and the College of Liberal Arts! I'm currently applying to graduate programs and hope to return to Oregon State as a graduate student in the history program next year.
Q: What drew you to your current path? Was there a defining moment or influence?
Since reading history books and historical fiction novels as a child (and even now), I have always cared deeply for history as a means of understanding and respecting other cultural experiences. History, and the archival research that supports it, is storytelling. I learned more about archival research, leading me to my current path, when I came to Oregon State and applied for an Honors College student internship at the Special Collections and Archives Research Center! This internship helped me put my love for history into practice, informing my HC thesis and subsequent history and archive publications.
Q: Looking back, what are some of your favorite experiences from your time in the Honors College?
As an Honors College student, I had the privilege of working with fantastic and inspiring students on the HC student ambassador team. Some of these coworkers became my best friends, and with them I was able to take HC classes, including my favorite HC class: visual rhetoric in pop music.
Another favorite experience of my time in the HC was writing and creating my thesis project on Oregonian women who served abroad during World War II. I so enjoyed engaging in archival research across Oregon's repositories, partnering with the Benton County Historical Society to create an exhibit about these women, and celebrating the culmination of my work with my friends and loved ones.
Q: How did the Honors College help prepare you for where you are now?
The Honors College directly laid the path for where I am now. As a first-year student, I applied for a student job as a videographer at the HC. The next year, I became an ambassador and media assistant overseeing the HC's Instagram and TikTok, giving me valuable career experience and connections on campus. My HC student internship at Special Collections and Archives Research Center gave me the opportunity to practice archival work, inspiring my current graduate school path, while my HC thesis allowed me the experience to engage in and publish historical research, inspiring my future academic plans. Finally, my connections at SCARC, thanks to my initial HC internship and my research experience, landed me my job with the OSU Foundation! (Long story short: when your professors and parents tell you to network, they're not kidding!)
Q: What skills, habits, or perspectives from your honors experience do you still use today?
My Honors College experience has taught me to admire the vast array of interests and talents of my peers, and appreciate what they can teach me. For example, some of my best friends' thesis topics were the impact of pesticide toxicity on bees, the use of oral histories to combat pandemic amnesia, and Paralympic athlete activism on social media. While our interests are different, I continue to learn from my friends and peers, just as they learn from me. I continue to embrace this perspective after graduating.
Q: What advice would you give current Honors College students as they think about their futures?
My advice to current Honors College students, and college students in general, is to try new things! It's simple advice, but I believe that a university education is valuable in part because it is a time to explore experiences beyond your own. Take a course of study that interests you but you have no experience in, apply for an internship that you just know you'll love, or try a new workout class for the joy of it (even if it means twisting your ankle in roller derby, like I did). Appreciate all that the university environment can offer.
Q: What’s next for you? Any upcoming goals or projects you’re excited about?
I'm excited to graduate with my Master of Library and Information Science in summer 2026, and hopefully, begin a history graduate program soon after! I recently published a paper in the Library History Roundtable and hope to continue writing and publishing about history and archival research.
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