Where I’ve been: 

I grew up in the small town of Warroad, Minnesota, located six miles south of Canadian border and an hour and a half north of the nearest Walmart. I consider myself to be a hardy, go-getter — you have to be when you live in Northern Minnesota. Small towns thrive off of community involvement and story-telling, and it is there that I found my passion for advocacy.

What I’m doing: 

After graduating from Warroad High School in 2018, I made the seven-hour trek south to attend Gustavus Adolphus College. There, I majored in Communication Studies and I truly found my voice. It wasn’t until the second semester of my senior year that I realized that I had a developed a passion for writing. I have spent the majority of my senior year trying to obtain as much experience in the fields of Marketing and Communications as possible. Over the course of the past few months, I have fallen in love with journalism. I am just a few short weeks away from graduation and it’s scary to be just discovering this new passion of mine, however, I am committed to letting this new discovery be exciting, scary, and unknown.

What I hope to do:

I hope to find a career that inspires me. I identify as a changemaker, so finding a company that strives to make a positivimpact through their work is very important to me. Currently, my dream is to one day run a non-profit centered around solving the issue of food insecurity, but for now, I am looking to make an impact in a job that aligns with my core values. I am still unsure of what my future may hold as I have many dreams and aspirations. Right now, I am trying to stay as present as possible and remain thankful for the moment that I am in. It’s not every day that you graduate from college and even though I may not know what I am doing post-graduation, I am excited to see where life takes me.

More About Ava

I grew up in the small town of Warroad, Minnesota, located six miles south of Canadian border and an hour and a half north of the nearest Walmart. I consider myself to be a hardy, go-getter — you have to be when you live in Northern Minnesota. Small towns thrive off of community involvement and story-telling, and it is there that I found my passion for advocacy. After graduating from Warroad High School in 2018, I made the seven-hour trek south to attend Gustavus Adolphus College. There, I majored in Communication Studies and I truly found my voice. It wasn’t until the second semester of my senior year (2021) that I realized that I had a developed a passion for writing. I have spent the majority of this past year trying to obtain as much experience in the fields of Marketing and Communications as possible. Post-graduation, I hope to find a career that inspires me. I identify as a changemaker, so finding a company that strives to make a positive impact through their work is very important to me. Ideally, one day I hope to run a non-profit centered around solving the issue of food insecurity, but for now, I am looking to make an impact in a job that aligns with my core values.

Where to Find Ava

• In the Village
• My website: www.avagross.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avagross
• LinkedIN: www.linkedin.com/in/ava-gross
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ava.k.gross
  
• grossava13@gmail.com