Gracie Harrington - NMU Blog

I chose NMU because Marquette is my home. It’s the only home I’ve ever known. It’s where my sisters and parents are. It’s where I had my first steps, first words, first prom, and first car. I debated on going to a school downstate, but none of the schools downstate are home.

My major was a no-brainer. I knew I wanted to help people in some way, and if there was one thing I excelled in it was working with the special needs community. This is because I had spent the previous 17 years growing up with my sister who has autism. She is and will always be my inspiration for choosing the life I did.

This past month our Cognitive Impairment class got to take a field trip to the ISD Learning Center in Escanaba. This was a center-based school solely for students with special needs. It was the first of its kind that I had the opportunity to experience and I loved being able to explore new options for future job placements.

I’ve worked part-time my entire college career. For 3 years I worked for a group home for adults with special needs. In addition, I’ve volunteered for Special Olympics, been an active member of Alanon, substitute taught, been a camp counselor for Bothwell Middle School’s Science Camp at Bay Cliff and have done numerous classroom observations. The most rewarding experiences I have had were the Superior Edge Service Trips to Peru in 2019 and Puerto Rico in 2020.

To go outside. To see the northern lights on the top of Sugarloaf. To watch a Wildcat hockey win. To wear plaid on “plaidurday” and to be proud to live in the 906 on September 6th.

Take a visit, eat dinner at one of the local restaurants, go for a hike, drive on a dirt road, treat yourself to mackinaw island fudge ice cream, and peek into the shops downtown. There is so much to offer here.

Go Cats!