Hometown: 
Coos Bay, OR
Major: 
History, French, German
Minor(s): 
Military History
Language(s): 

English, French and German 

Hello! My name is Grace Knutsen (she/her/hers). I am a fourth-year student at Oregon State University majoring in history, French and German, with a minor in military history. I’m particularly interested in twentieth-century global conflicts, colonialism and decolonization and historic epidemiology. My Honors College thesis investigates a potential French genesis of the 1918 pandemic through an exploration of primary medical and military documents. 

Outside of ambassadorship, I am the Public Services Student Archivist at Oregon State University Libraries Special Collections and Archives Research Center. In this position, I assist ongoing research at our university and beyond. I am also the Instagram editor for the Honors College, so look for me on our Instagram page (@osuhonors)! When I’m not in class or at work, you can find me spending time with my cats, baking, collecting records and chasing sunsets.

I was born and raised in Oregon. I love my home state, so it was not a difficult decision to attend college in Oregon. However, the Honors College program was a primary reason that I chose to attend Oregon State. I am so grateful for the ability to explore interdisciplinary topics, perform research and build a community within the Honors College.

If you have any questions about my experiences at Oregon State, please feel free to reach out. In addition, if you are a student living off-campus but still looking to engage in the Honors College community and university life in general, I would be happy to discuss my experience doing that with you. I am so excited to help you pursue your college journey!